Top story: ‘Petulant child’ Trump should not be Queen’s guest

Hello, this is Warren Murray with today’s Guardian morning briefing.

A string of MPs have poured out their disbelief and scorn at Theresa May’s invitation for Donald Trump to make a state visit to Britain. At a Westminster Hall debate, as thousands protested against Trump outside, the president was condemned as racist, sexist and a “petulant child”. The prime minister was accused of showing “fawning subservience” by offering Trump, when he was only a few days into his term, an honour granted to only two other US presidents in more than 50 years.

Separately, May made her determination clear on article 50 when she exercised a rarely used right to sit in the House of Lords and watch the debate of the Brexit “trigger” bill. The bill has proceeded to the upper chamber, where the government does not hold a majority and some peers are pressing for amendments. In our special coverage of the Brexit gamble facing Britain we analyse how crashing out of the EU without a trade deal would cost British exporters £6bn a year.

Berry’s baked-on loyalty – Mary Berry has revealed she was never formally asked to keep judging on the Great British Bake Off – and didn’t want to anyway – after the show’s shock move from the BBC to Channel 4. Berry has told the Radio Times her respect for the BBC goes back to listening to it as a child during the Blitz. She will be making more shows at Aunty and if there isn’t one in December called A Very Berry Christmas we will be disappointed.

‘He was afraid’ - In a Guardian exclusive, a confidant of assassinated Kim Jong-nam has told how the onetime first in line to the North Korean dictatorship had lived in constant fear for his safety. Anthony Sahakian, a schoolfriend during Kim Jong-nam’s days in Switzerland, has told our south-east Asia correspondent Oliver Holmes that he had been a “jolly, friendly, kind and generous” boy who in adulthood sought to make his own way in life – even opting to stay in an Airbnb when he travelled.



Milo canned – Pressure is reportedly growing at the far-right US website Breitbart to sack controversial senior editor Milo Yiannopoulos after he made comments that seemed to condone sex between men and young boys.



Milo Yiannopoulos – too extreme even for some of his Breitbart colleagues. Photograph: ZUMA Wire/REX/Shutterstock

A book deal has been cancelled (Simon & Schuster had planned to publish an autobiography entitled Dangerous), while American conservatives have dropped him from their annual CPac conference. Reports say some Breitbart employees are prepared to walk out if he is not fired.

Melbourne plane crash – A light plane has plunged into a shopping centre in Australia and exploded. All five people on board were killed, authorities said.

The Beechcraft King Air charter came down after takeoff from Essendon airport around 9am, ploughing into the back of several stores that were not yet open. The pilot had radioed engine failure as he tried in vain to return for an emergency landing. It appeared there were no casualties on the ground.

Alzheimer’s warning signs – Some serious and important research into a tragic condition might also spark jokes at the expense of the raconteur in the family. Scientists believe that rambling, longwinded or repetitive anecdotes could be an early sign of Alzheimer’s. They have given the later speeches of Ronald Reagan and writings of Agatha Christie as examples that back up the theory.

Lunchtime read: A blot on the mindscape?



Tell me what you see … Photograph: SSPL via Getty Images

It has been a staple of psychology since the 1920s, with subjects prompted to simply describe what they see in a series of symmetrical ink blots. Many practitioners believe the replies cut to the deepest and sometimes darkest reaches of our personalities – but is the Rorschach test at best, over-used, and at worst, dangerous pseudo-science?

Sport

Arsenal avoided embarrassment in their FA Cup tie against Sutton United but a 2-0 stroll against the non-league side was just a minor diversion in the Arsène Wenger endgame, writes Barney Ronay. Dan Carter, the All Blacks great, has lost a corporate sponsorship deal with Land Rover after being charged with drink driving in Paris. And Owen Wright, one of the best surfers in the world, finally returned to competition over a year after sustaining a brain injury in a fall from his board in Hawaii, winning his first heat at a World Surf League qualifier in Australia.

Business

Uber has hired the former US attorney general Eric Holder to investigate allegations of sexual harassment after an engineer went public with claims that she repeatedly faced sexism and discrimination at the ride-sharing company.

The pound was buying US$1.24 and €1.18 overnight.



The papers

The Sun splash headline “Baby you can’t drive your car” refers to its story that Stella McCartney has had car trouble after a prang with a taxi.

The Mirror, 20 February 2017. Photograph: The Mirror



The Mirror leads on the “clock-in scandal” story of peers claiming allowances for attending parliament but not staying more than a few minutes.

The Telegraph, Mail and Times all lead (again) on the business rates rises proposed by the government. The Telegraph says the chancellor, Philip Hammond, will soften the blow for some firms, while the Mail and Times have a similar take. The papers say the knives are out for communities secretary Sajid Javid who is accused of misleading his own MPs over details of the rise that he had sent out previously.

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