New demands for election as Rishi Sunak tears up pledges

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( November 03, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [New demands for election as Rishi Sunak tears up pledges]( Rishi Sunak has sparked new demands for an immediate general election by indicating that he is ready to tear up a whole range of spending pledges – including the Northern Powerhouse high-speed rail link – as he struggles to balance the government’s books in this month’s crucial autumn statement. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner told The Independent that the prime minister had shredded his authority by going back on past promises, and called on him to go to the country immediately to seek a mandate from voters. A senior spokesperson for the prime minister said he was no longer committed to any of the promises made during his bid for the Tory leadership this summer, which included a cut to 16p in the basic rate of income tax by 2029 and a massive increase in offshore wind power. And the aide also raised fresh concerns that chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s 17 November statement will ditch the inflation link for pensions and benefits, as she said Mr Sunak did not regard himself as bound by previous pledges to protect them.   2 / [Blow to hopes of a deal with Albania as its PM warns Braverman to treat his country with respect]( Robert Jenrick is reported to be planning to visit Albania shortly in a bid to beef up a deal the UK already has 3 / [Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant cut off from power grid by Russian shelling, says Ukraine]( The power plant only has 15 days’ worth of fuel to run the generators 4 / [Nurse found it ‘quite hard’ when baby she’s accused of killing lived for hours]( Defendant denies inserting air into boy’s stomach via tube from nose 5 / [Bank of England to announce biggest hike in interest rates for 33 years]( Food inflation soared to a record 11.6 per cent in October     The Big Question Can you pass the British Citizenship test? The “Life in the UK” test is a key part of the application process to become a [British citizen]( or settle in the country. But [Meghan Markle]( has revealed that even her husband [Prince Harry](, the Duke of Sussex, could not answer questions asked of aspiring citizens. Tests were introduced in 2005 for migrants seeing citizenship, and in 2007 for people applying for settlement, and are intended to prove applicants have ‘sufficient knowledge’ of British life. Earlier this year, [The Independent revealed that one migrant took the test a record 118 times]( at the cost of £50 each time. Applicants are required to get 18 of the 24 questions right, a 75 per cent pass rate. Do you think you can do it? We have pulled together a list of sample questions in the article linked to below. [For the full story click here >](   Watch/ [Storm Claudio 80mph winds batter lifeboats in dramatic rescue](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 8,864 – According to the Oral Health Foundation, 8,864 people in the UK were diagnosed with mouth cancer last year – up 36 per cent on a decade ago, with 3,034 people losing their life to it within the year.   QUOTE OF THE DAY “Targeting Albanians (as some shamefully did when fighting for Brexit) as the cause of Britain’s crime and border problems makes for easy rhetoric but ignores hard fact.” – Albania's prime minister [Edi Rama]( warned UK home secretary [Suella Braverman]( the UK must treat his country with “respect” if it wants a deal       Other stories you might like   [North Korea fires suspected ICBM triggering evacuation warnings in Japan](   [Bolsonaro supporters urge Brazil’s military to intervene after Lula victory](   [Man shot dead by police was killed lawfully, inquest finds](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers [Salma Shah](, The Independent -[Matt Hancock’s reality TV stint shows how delusions of celebrity have derailed our politics](   Other newsletters you might like [The Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Sign up]( [Inside Politics] Inside Politics Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by Matt Mathers [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.