Morning Briefing: Monday 9 November 2026
- If you are buying a car, the likely cut in the EV mandate from 80% to about 60% by 2030 changes the discounting calculus: expect fewer forced electric deals and slower charger roll-out if Wednesday’s meeting goes as expected.
- Erasmus+ reopens in January: 18-year-olds get free rail passes and applications open later this month, so students and parents should check eligibility now rather than wait for the Brussels summit on 20 November.
- The Brand sentence and the “time is up” warning to broadcasters mean workplace complaints procedures in media and entertainment are about to be tested; if you work in the sector, the standards authority is the route ministers want you to use.
Trump calls new Iran strikes ‘highly unlikely’ as land blockade begins
Donald Trump said further attacks on Iran were “highly unlikely” to be necessary if Tehran signs “a very strong agreement”, while warning that three aircraft carriers are “fully locked and loaded” and that “we have 38 bridges in our site t…
Herzog hands Eisenkot 28 days to form Israel’s government
Isaac Herzog formally tasked Gadi Eisenkot with forming a government on Sunday, giving the former chief of staff 28 days to assemble 61 votes in a Knesset where his bloc holds 48 seats to Benjamin Netanyahu’s 53. “We are in a state of emer…
Houthi strike damages Aramco tower in Riyadh as Syria sends troops
A Houthi attack damaged the Aramco Tower in Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District on Saturday night, blowing out windows across several floors; Saudi Arabia’s energy ministry reported “minor damage” from falling debris and no casualtie…
Jeffries backs Hegseth impeachment as Congress returns to a 11 December deadline
Hakeem Jeffries declared himself “a hard yes” on impeaching Pete Hegseth, saying the defence secretary “engineered this reckless and costly war of choice in Iran” and “has got to go”, as Congress returned for a lame-duck session with gover…
Europe joins Abu Dhabi talks as Russia fires 317 drones overnight
US-brokered Russia–Ukraine talks open in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with European envoys present for the first time, after France’s Jean-Noël Barrot said “France will be there and will ensure that Europe’s voice is heard” and the Kremlin’s Yuri…
Russell Brand jailed for ten and a half years
Russell Brand was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court to ten years and six months for raping a 21-year-old fan in 2009 and sexually assaulting three women between 2004 and 2009, and must serve two-thirds before he is eligible for parole. Mr…
Nandy ‘horrified’ by Tory attack over Erasmus announcement on Remembrance Sunday
Lisa Nandy rejected claims she had politicised Remembrance Sunday after a government release announcing Britain’s return to Erasmus+ said that “as we mark Remembrance Sunday, Erasmus+ will give a new generation the chance to build connecti…
Ministers poised to cut electric-car sales targets by a quarter
The government is expected to lower its zero-emission vehicle mandate this week, with a Downing Street meeting on Wednesday likely to approve a 2030 target of about 60% of new car sales instead of 80%, and to extend the scheme’s flexibilit…
Inquiry into white working-class pupils says whole society must act
The independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes launched its second phase on Monday, turning to early years and 14-to-19 education after its first report found the system “not serving the interests of white working-cl…
Rough sleeping at a year’s high as housing shortage strains Burnham pledge
There were 8,748 people sleeping rough in England in June, the most since November 2025 and nearly 1,000 more than in January, and only 15% of them had been found accommodation by the end of the month, the lowest share since August 2025. A…