Top story: ‘Troops should not be called in’

Hello, I’m Warren Murray presenting the front page of your day.

Boris Yeltsin was looking “puffy around the neck and jaw” but at least “stayed off the vodka” after getting a chest infection. He got “v pissed off” after a phone call with Bill Clinton was botched by officials. The latter, as US president, was known for “talking loudly, then failing to act” while first lady Hillary Clinton was “highly intelligent and very highly motivated”. These and other appraisals of foreign leaders are revealed in newly unlocked government papers from the National Archives that show colourful pen portraits were, as Caroline Davies writes, “a staple of the diplomatic cable long before the leaking of the former US ambassador Kim Darroch’s emails”.

The files show postwar prime ministers were irked by the length of time and rising costs of refurbishing Downing Street – a survey under Churchill in 1954 discovered dry rot and beetle damage, with risk of Nos 10, 11 and 12 partially collapsing. Churchill wrote: “I am shocked that the Ministry of Works contemplates two or three years. The Ark did not take so long.” John Major enthusiastically supported Manchester’s bid for the 2000 Olympics, but ministers and officials were less convinced – the city ended up losing to Sydney. And in 1967 when anti-nuclear protesters threatened to expose the official purpose of “Turnstile” – a vast underground complex in Wiltshire meant to house central government in wartime – the “D-notice” committee of the Ministry of Defence stepped in to steer press coverage away. Official instructions stated that “unless the situation developed very abnormally, troops should not be called in”.

‘Hitler in the bunker’ – The Labour peer Dianne Hayter has been sacked as shadow Brexit ­minister after she likened the “bunker mentality” around Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership to the “last days of Hitler”. Hayter remains the party’s deputy leader in the Lords because it is an elected position. At a meeting of the centre-left Labour First group on Tuesday she attacked the Labour leadership over its response to antisemitism complaints. “Those of you who haven’t [read the book] will have watched the film ­Bunker, about the last days of ­Hitler, of how you stop receiving into the inner group any information which suggests that things are not going the way you want.” The Ilford North Labour MP, Wes Streeting, said Hayter’s sacking was a “gross over-reaction … The speed of this sacking shows that Labour’s leader is quick to act to protect his feelings, but slow to act against racists. The double standards are extraordinary.”

Trump escalates racial taunts – A crowd chanted “Send her back! Send her back!” about Ilhan Omar – the congresswoman who arrived in the US as a Somalian child refugee – in ugly scenes at one of the president’s rallies last night.

Play Video 1:04 Crowd chants ‘send her back’ as Trump attacks Ilhan Omar – video

The House of Representatives earlier voted down an attempt to impeach the president, after a motion was brought forward blasting Trump for bringing “disgrace” on the office with his racist remarks aimed at four congresswomen of colour. Democrats followed the lead of the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who said multiple investigations into the president, his associates and their activities should be allowed to play out.

Sun holiday shame – British tourists’ responsibility for foul beaches, overcrowding, traffic, aeroplane emissions and other environmental impacts will come under parliamentary scrutiny. The Commons environmental audit committee says global tourism is responsible for 5% of greenhouse gas emissions, while cheaper flights and zero tax on aviation fuel mean the holiday business has grown rapidly to account for more than 10% of global GDP. The committee will report back on ways to reduce impacts by using incentives, taxation, offsets and greater scrutiny of travel companies’ claims of sustainability.

Spacey case over – Prosecutors have dropped charges against the actor Kevin Spacey of groping a young man at a Massachusetts resort island bar in 2016. The accuser had refused to testify about a missing cellphone that the defence says contains text messages supporting the actor’s claims of innocence. The man accusing Spacey has also dropped a civil lawsuit he had just recently filed against the actor that sought damages for “severe and permanent mental distress and emotional injuries”.

Sea mail – The British author of a 50-year-old message in a bottle that washed up on the South Australian coast has been found. On 17 November 1969, Paul Gilmore was a 13-year-old English boy travelling on Sitmar Line’s ship the Fairstar, which brought many British migrants to Australia during the 1960s. South Australian man Paul Elliot and his son Jyah told Australian Broadcasting Corporation radio they found the bottle on the Eyre Peninsula’s west coast recently while fishing. On Thursday the ABC reported that it had tracked down Gilmore’s sister, Annie Crossland, who said Paul would be “chuffed to bits”. His current location: out at sea, on a cruise in the Baltic. “The last time he was on a ship was probably going to Australia. Cruises aren’t his thing,” she said.

Hydration stations – Locations for the first 50 of London’s new public water fountains have been announced. They are being installed from this week, predominantly in tube and mainline train stations, shopping centres, markets and recreation grounds. The fountains are attached to the mains water supply and feature a distinctive design with a giant blue “waterdrop” to make them easy to spot. From Abbey Wood Station to Worship Square in Hackney, here is where to find them.

Today in Focus podcast: Has Brexit saved the Lib Dems?

The anti-Brexit stance of the Liberal Democrats has seen them make an extraordinary comeback in 2019. The Observer’s political editor, Toby Helm, discusses whether the party are here to stay. And: Oliver Wainwright on the inclusion of social housing in this year’s Stirling prize.

Today in Focus Has Brexit saved the Liberal Democrats? Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen https://audio.guim.co.uk/2019/07/17-64926-190718TIF_libdems2.mp3 00:00:00 00:23:38

Lunchtime read: Vanished neighbourhoods

In Prague the centuries-old Jewish quarter of Josefov was demolished using dynamite in 1896 – with the exception of few religious sites, the entire neighbourhood was destroyed. Black Bottom in Detroit was a vibrant community where John Lee Hooker, Della Reese and others played the clubs of Hastings Street until it was destroyed and replaced by the Chrysler Freeway.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Kathputli artists’ and magicians’ colony in New Delhi. Photograph: Sami Siva/The Guardian

A visitor to Shanghai in the late 19th century would have found the city dominated by narrow, winding lanes of shikumen, the equivalent of Britain’s Victorian terraced workers’ housing – today, as the city struggles to house its 26.3 million residents, many old neighbourhoods are being targeted. Guardian Cities chronicles how some of the world’s most fascinating neighbourhoods have been razed by regeneration.

Sport

The Open gets under way today and, after a 68-year wait, Royal Portrush has the potential to prove one of the tournament’s more exciting backdrops. Rory McIlroy returns to his childhood course but has been keen to emphasise the wider context of a major being played in Northern Ireland. Meanwhile, the R&A has refused to condemn a “celebration of marching bands” which is staging a three-hour show on Saturday before marching to an Orange hall. Chris Froome has officially been named as the winner of the 2011 Vuelta a España following a doping case involving Juan José Cobo, who originally finished in first place.

Formula One has revealed details on its proposed plans to improve the racing with new regulations for 2021 that are set to be officially confirmed in October. England beat Trinidad and Tobago 72-46 in Liverpool and play South Africa next with a place in the Netball World Cup semi-finals already secured. And the Women’s Ashes Test begins at Taunton today, with England needing victory to keep alive their hopes in the series, as Australia bowler Megan Schutt calls for red-ball cricket to become more regular and widespread in the women’s game.

Business

The pound could fall to parity with the US dollar in the event of a no-deal Brexit, investment bank Morgan Stanley has warned. With sterling sitting at $1.243 today, the bank’s experts said it could drift lower to levels last seen in the 1980s as uncertainty continues to cloud British politics. A lack of clarity about US-China trade talks is dogging global stock markets with Asian shares falling broadly overnight. South Korea’s central bank highlighted the alarm about shrinking demand for the country’s export industries when it cut rates by 0.25% in the hope of stimulating the economy. The FTSE100 is seen falling 0.26% later this morning.

The papers

Only two papers have the same lead today with the Mirror and the Metro going with the brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi being extradited to Britain. The headlines say “Bomber bro flown to UK to face justice” and “Back to face British justice”.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Guardian front page, Thursday 18 July 2019. Photograph: The Guardian

The Times and the Telegraph both agree that Boris Johnson brandishing a packet of kippers in a speech is the best picture (both caption it “Fishing for votes”) but diverge on the top story. The former splashes with “Young drivers face night ban” and the latter says “Elderly face visit from TV licence fee police”.

The Guardian leads with Theresa May’s final speech as PM – “May swipes at ‘rancour and hatred’ of Brexit absolutists” – while the Express has “Boris: We need to get Brexit done by October 31”. The FT’s lead is “Vestager’s parting shot at big tech aims for Amazon and Qualcomm”, Mail has “Scandal of care bills divide” and the Sun leads with a story about an airline passenger billed £85,000 for trying to storm the cockpit in an alleged air rage incident. “Jumbo debt” the headline reads.

Sign up

The Guardian Morning Briefing is delivered to thousands of inboxes bright and early every weekday. If you are not already receiving it by email, you can sign up here.

For more news: www.theguardian.com