EDITION 947
28 NOVEMBER 2022

There is no escaping it: too much news is bad for you. It should come with a government health warning: “This intellectual diet is fine taken in small doses, and preferably in weekly instalments, via a well-balanced newsletter, such as 10 things from William Montgomery."

So, as another week slips by, here are 10 things which caught my attention and may have escaped yours. Please feel free to share on social media and forward to your colleagues and friends so they can also subscribe, learn and engage. I would be very grateful if you did.

William Montgomery
Editor and CEO of TEN

1. How to generate breakthrough ideas. Have you ever tried to get the team together for a last-minute meeting - whether it is to go over something urgent or to discuss ways to improve sales? It turns out, these urgent (and often inconvenient) meetings are not very productive. Instead, try using an "innovation sandwich" to create breakthrough ideas. READ MORE >>

2. Sunak warned of Johnson return. Rishi Sunak has been warned of more rebellions by Conservative MPs as a new survey found his party was trailing Labour by 18 points. A month on from Sunak taking over from Liz Truss, a Savanta ComRes poll for The Independent put Labour in a comfortable lead on 46% with the Tories languishing on just 28%. Tory MPs on the right of the party warned that if poll numbers did not improve by the spring it there could be clamour for the return of “election winner” Boris Johnson. Meanwhile, a YouGov poll revealed that 56% of voters think the UK was wrong to leave the EU; 32% think it was right; 12% don’t know. Among Leave voters, the split is 19% wrong, 70% right. The Independent

3. Christmas rail chaos expected. Strikes and line closures could cause severe disruption for rail users at Christmas. All services from London Liverpool Street have been cancelled and Southern services from Victoria will be halted as Network Rail carries out 300 projects. There will also be no Southern or Gatwick Express services to or from London Victoria over the same period because of resignalling and track work, while suburban services from London Waterloo will be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, the RMT has warned that it is highly likely more strikes would be called. The Daily Mail

4. A “game-changer” for type 1 diabetes. The first drug that tackles the root cause of type 1 diabetes has been given regulatory approval in the US – which could pave the way for it to become available in the UK too. Described as a “game-changer”, the immunotherapy drug teplizumab works by resetting the immune system, so that it stops mistakenly attacking the pancreatic cells that produce insulin. In trials, the drug delayed the onset of diabetes in high-risk patients by three years on average. CNN

5. Employer’s target over-45s and retirees. As UK business grapples with a shortage of workers, many are now looking up the generations to fill their staffing gaps. Following news that motoring and cycling retailer Halfords is seeking to fill 1,000 technician roles by targeting retirees, Easyjet has also launched an employment campaign aimed at “empty nesters” – parents whose children have left home. In the past four years, the British carrier has seen a 27% increase in crew aged 45 and over. According to its own research, some 78% of UK adults over 45 said they would like a new challenge after their children had left home. The Guardian

6. How tidy is your workplace? Japan’s football team is being praised for leaving its dressing room spotless following the side’s opening World Cup game, with fans also seen staying behind to pick up rubbish in the stadium. Following Japan’s 2-1 win against Germany, pictures circulating on social media showed the players had also left a thank-you note to staff, as well as Origami swans. Members said this was a clear demonstration of respect, noting that the team had done the same in previous tournaments. How important do you think it is to leave your workspace tidy? Please share your thoughts in our latest poll. VOTE HERE >>

7. The importance of making a will. One of the announcements in the chancellor's autumn statement included the extension of the inheritance tax allowance freeze to April 2028. This extension means that by 2028 tax-free allowance on inheritances of up to £325,000 will have remained unchanged for almost two decades. Experts in estate planning have pointed to the rising prices of property and other assets, highlighting that people are now paying much higher taxes on their inheritance than in past years. Some also raised concerns that many people either have no will in place or are writing one without professional help, making inheritance even more tricky. According to a recent survey, three-quarters of British adults wish to leave their assets on death to their loved ones, but only half have a will to do so. The Daily Express

8. Record waiting lists ‘costing lives’. Nearly 20,000 people a day are waiting at least four hours in A&E as the worst-ever NHS waiting times cost lives. Amid what columnists called a “dramatic collapse in NHS performance”, patients are “dying avoidably” as record numbers spend at least 12 hours stuck on a trolley in hospital corridors waiting for a bed to become available. Waiting times are worse than ever across almost all measures, including cancer and planned surgery, according to monthly NHS England data. The Times

9. Hancock ‘cons British public’. Matt Hancock has finished in third place on the reality game show I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! The former health secretary, who was beaten by footballer Jill Scott and Hollyoaks actor Owen Warner during Sunday’s final, said: “I know it was controversial, me coming in here... but we’ve all got lots of sides to our personalities.” Families who lost loved ones to Covid said his presence on the show was “sickening”. One said that “the British public have unfortunately been conned and fallen for this well-crafted publicity stunt hook, line and sinker”. iNews

10. The bottom line. The UK Government has spent an estimated £376bn on the Covid pandemic – the equivalent of £5,492 for every man, woman and child. The National Audit Office