Tuesday evening UK news briefing: Suella Braverman accuses Tory rebels of staging 'coup'

Evening briefing: Today's essential headlines

Ukraine war | Evacuation centres in Kyiv are being given iodine pills in case of a nuclear strike on the capital, the city council has announced. In a statement, authorities said pills will be distributed to residents in areas contaminated by nuclear radiation if there is a need to evacuate. Meanwhile, a new ship that can launch drones to keep the seabed under surveillance for threats to underwater cables and pipelines will be purchased for the Royal Navy immediately, the Defence Secretary said.

• Sepsis death | Doctors 'argued for hours over where to treat woman'

• Facing death penalty | Woman killed friend and cut out unborn baby

• Duchess of Sussex | Why she criticised Austin Powers and Kill Bill

• Wagatha Christie | Rebekah Vardy could pay over £1.5m of legal costs

• Jeremy Paxman | Parkinson's diagnosed after less 'exuberant 'on TV

The big story: Truss has 10 days to save job, says Shapps

It could be argued the last 10 days have been ugly for the Conservative party.

Today, things got uglier. Grant Shapps has suggested Liz Truss has 10 days to save her premiership in the wake of her mini-Budget and U-turns on key policies.

Meanwhile, Suella Braverman has accused Tory rebels of staging a "coup" to force the Government to scrap its plan to abolish the 45p top rate of income tax.

The Home Secretary singled out Michael Gove for specific criticism, saying she was "very disappointed" that some Tory MPs had led calls for the proposal to be ditched.

Ms Braverman made the comments on the Chopper's Politics podcast at the Tory party conference, as a fresh faultline emerged in the Conservative Party ranks over Ms Truss's benefit plans.

Downing Street is considering a real terms cut to Universal Credit by linking it to a lower metric than inflation, such as the increase in average earnings.

Yet Penny Mordaunt has urged Ms Truss to increase benefits in line with inflation, while Mr Gove, as well as leading a rebellion over the 45p rate, is now angling for a climbdown on the benefits proposal.

Camilla Tominey sets out why "snake" Mr Gove will not be invited back to No 10 any time soon.

The Conservative chairman hinted he was open to a policy change on benefits as a battle emerged over whether they should rise in line with inflation or wages.

Asked by the Telegraph whether benefits should continue to rise with inflation, Jake Berry replied: "Well look, I mean, let's see where the debate goes."

Even former Tory party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith said he would oppose a move by the Government to increase benefits by less than the rate of inflation.

Gordon Rayner analyses whether the Tory Party has become ungovernable.

Kwarteng confusion

The Government is trying to wrestle back control of the narrative but Kwasi Kwarteng sparked confusion this lunchtime when he indicated he would not be bringing forward his fiscal plan - just hours after telling the Conservative conference it would be published "shortly".

The Chancellor told GB News the medium-term fiscal statement will be published as planned on November 23, even though on Monday night, a Treasury source had said the fact Mr Kwarteng had used to work "shortly" meant the plan was being brought forward. 

Ben Wright says cornered Mr Kwarteng wants to convince markets he is realistic but it may be too late.

Inheritance tax

Despite the turmoil caused by the tax-cutting mini-Budget, today there was an indication of what the next target could be for Trussonomics.

Andrew Griffith, a City minister who works under the chancellor, said the Government should abolish inheritance tax, adding it would be his top choice of taxes to scrap.

Tom Harris says Sir Keir Starmer fails to grasp a crucial lesson from Sir Tony Blair: there is nothing wrong with wanting to pay less tax.

John Longworth says Trussonomics is – or ought to be – the opposite of austerity. The Left should love it.

Comment and analysis

• Hamish de Bretton-Gordon | It is time to call Putin's bluff

• Jeremy Warner | Thirty years of pension vandalism led to gilts crisis

• Ambrose Evans-Pritchard | Europe is next in line for market pain

• Charles Moore | The 45p income tax U-turn is a totemic moment

• Celia Walden | People too easily forget The Crown is not reality TV

Around the world: Retreat into nuclear paranoia

On the demilitarised border between North and South Korea, the only sign of activity on the northern side after Pyongyang's audacious missile test over Japan this morning was the twitching of white curtains in the windows lining the austere Phanmun Pavilion. Weeds now sprout through the pebbled ground on the North Korean side of the military demarcation line, marked by the long, narrow block where former US President Donald Trump made history in 2019 by becoming the first sitting American leader to step over from South to North. Now, alongside Pyongyang's escalating missile launches this year, the messy undergrowth and unwashed windows of the blue huts that have long served as negotiating rooms, are another sign of unfulfilled expectations for peace. Nicola Smith sets out how the overgrown border proves curtain-twitching North Korea is retreating into nuclear paranoia.

Tuesday interview

'I heard my leg snap. Then I was screaming uncontrollably'

At the peak of his form in an incredible summer, England batsman Jonny Bairstow suffered a freak injury that sparked much feverish, risible speculation. He tells all to Will Macpherson

Read the interview

Sport briefing: Raducanu must 'learn to enjoy winning'

Emma Raducanu lost to Daria Kasatkina in the Ostrava Open and former British No 1 turned broadcaster Sue Barker suggests the former US Open winner missed out on fun and needs to learn how to enjoy winning. In football, Nottingham Forest's recruitment chiefs are facing the sack after the club's mammoth £150m summer spend. Evangelos Marinakis, the Forest owner, is set to take drastic action after the poor start to the season by axing some of the key men behind their transfer window. Meanwhile, grassroots referees are considering a national strike after an official suffered severe injuries during a "serious assault" on Sunday.

Editor's choice

1. Marriage Diaries | I think I've outgrown my ill-educated, boorish husband

2. Hitting our lifespan | When it comes to a healthy diet, we're kidding ourselves

3. Rob Rinder | 'I met Harry Styles at the gym; it was the worst social car crash ever'

Business briefing: Germany may cut electricity exports

German electricity exports to France and other European allies may have to be halted this winter if the country's network is pushed to the brink, one of its biggest power grid operators has warned. Hendrik Neumann, chief technical officer of Amprion, said a total halt or reduction in exports may be necessary in the event Germany faced its own electricity shortages. With supplies extremely tight, Mr Neumann's warning will add to fears that European unity could splinter, with countries prioritising their own grids in times of crisis. Meanwhile, the former Conservative Party Treasurer has claimed Bitcoin is the "child of the great quantitative easing" by the likes of the Bank of England.

Tonight starts now

Champions League | Tottenham take on Eintracht Frankfurt tonight, while Liverpool host Rangers in the first all-British clash of this season's European competition. It had been expected that this would be the season of the new No 9s at Manchester City and Liverpool but their fortunes have been very different. The Community Shield, when Darwin Núñez's late cameo overshadowed a rusty performance by Erling Haaland, looks like it happened in another era. Yet the striker is not the first Jürgen Klopp signing who has been held back before being trusted with a regular starting place. Chris Bascombe analyses how worried Liverpool should be about Núñez. Follow the footballing action here.

Three things for you

• Watch | Paxman: Putting Up With Parkinson's, ITV, 9pm

• Read | John le Carre's former mistress spills the beans in lurid memoir

• Puzzles | Try all-new interactive versions of our world-famous games

And finally... for this evening's downtime

The billion-dollar art sale | The collection of late Microsoft co-founder Paul G. Allen is likely to become the highest-value single-owner sale ever. Look at the auction that will go down in history.