The Know Daily - Tuesday 7 November 2023

_{Read in 5m 03s ∙ Listening to Madonna}

Love a pub quiz? Come along to The Know’s! We’re hosting our much-loved news quiz IRL on Wednesday 22 November at AllBright’s gorgeous space in central London (the ticket includes a welcome drink and everyone will leave with a prize). Whether you’re teaming up with friends or coming solo, it’s a great opportunity to meet like-minded readers 🥰

One of Europe’s “largest and most ambitious” nature restoration schemes has just taken a great step forward, said The Guardian. The Great Fen scheme in Cambridgeshire recently acquired a plot of land that will connect two separate areas of rewilded countryside - and the hope is that it will encourage the return of creatures such as voles and kingfishers. 

👑 The King's Speech

King Charles III will today give his first King’s Speech as monarch, as part of the State Opening of Parliament. But what does it all mean? 

What is the King’s Speech?
While the speech may be delivered by the monarch, it is devised by the prime minister and provides the government with an opportunity to outline its legislative agenda for the year ahead. 

The speech is a central part of the State Opening of Parliament - an “almost annual event” that sees “pomp and pageantry at every turn”, said Sky News.

What will be included in today’s speech?
Criminal justice will be “at the heart” of the King’s Speech, the government has said, with proposed legislation including longer sentences for the most violent crimes and mandatory jail terms for shoplifting.

Other laws likely to be introduced this year include a gradual smoking ban and making it harder for councils to introduce 20mph zones. Plans to outlaw gay and transgender conversion practices are expected to be left out, despite the Conservative Party promising such legislation five years ago.

And as this is likely the final speech before the next general election, the government is also expected to “open up key dividing lines with Labour” on issues including net zero, said The Guardian.

What happens after?
Around two hours after King Charles delivers the speech, MPs will reassemble in the House of Commons to begin debating its contents.

While there is a vote at the end of the debate, it is normally seen as “symbolic”, said the BBC. “It is extremely rare for a government to lose it.”

If you’re looking to tune in, the King’s Speech is set to take place around 11:30am today.

🍖 Meat of the matter

People in the UK consumed less meat in 2022 than at any other point since records began, new data has revealed. 

What’s the story?
Brits ate less meat at home in the year to March 2022 than at any other point since 1974, government figures show. The average person ate 854g a week, marking a 14% decrease since 2012. 

The consumption of meat products including beef, pork and lamb fell by 26%, while chicken eating dropped by 11% in the past decade.

What’s behind it?
The shift was driven by “the cost of living crisis, the continued impact of Covid and broader lifestyle changes”, said The Guardian. The paper also noted that the data overlaps with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which helped drive up food prices.  

What else does the data show?
The highest 10% of earners were eating 10% less meat a week than a decade ago, while the poorest 10% were eating 19% less. Brits also gravitated towards cheaper cuts of meat, with the average person eating 13g of more expensive beef steak in the period 2021-22, compared with 21g the year before.

What does this all mean?
While it may be tempting to interpret the latest data as reflecting a broader shift towards vegetarianism, experts have cautioned against drawing too broad a conclusion. “Meat reduction may not actually be a trend over the past 10 years, but may rather be a one-year event in 2022,” one expert told The Guardian. 

According to a YouGov poll from July 2022, just 2% of UK adults describe themselves as following a plant-based or vegan diet, a figure largely unchanged since 2019.

🩺 Breast cancer breakthrough: Nearly 300,000 women in England who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer are being given access to a preventative drug called anastrozole that can halve their risk. 

📦 Mail matters: Post Office customers will soon be able to send parcels using DPD and Evri delivery services. This marks the first time in the Post Office’s 360-year history that it will offer carriers other than Royal Mail. 

✖️ Katie Hopkins returns to X: The controversial columnist and Tommy Robinson, former leader of the far-right English Defence League, have returned to X/Twitter years after their accounts were deactivated. Both separately thanked Elon Musk for reinstating them on the platform. 

⚖️ Donald Trump’s trial: The former president took the witness stand in his civil fraud trial in Manhattan on Monday, where he “lashed out at his accusers and denied their claims”, said The New York Times. Trump has been accused of inflating his net worth to defraud banks and insurers.

🚂 Full steam ahead: ScotRail is looking for trainee train drivers for one of the world’s most scenic rail routes - and after checking out the West Highland Line for ourselves, we reckon it would be a pretty spectacular job for any Harry Potter fan…

Got a friend or colleague who would love The Know? Forward this email and get them to sign up by clicking on your personalised code 👉 https://theknowmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER

We’ll reward you with goodies from HURR, Grubby and CRU Kafe! You’ve signed up 0 friends so far.

The Know is an independent media company on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. Our daily newsletter features the day’s top stories broken down without jargon, uplifting news and hand-picked recs. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money out of the links we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Here are four ways you can support our work:

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in our content. Let’s get started with this one (or maybe this one!).

⭐ Become a friend of The Know - back independent, female-founded journalism for just £1.25 a week. You’ll also get exclusive editions, supporter-only giveaways and more.

⭐ Refer a friend - spread the word about The Know and we’ll reward you with some amazing prizes.

⭐ Add us to your contacts or safe sender list - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

Trivia answer: B) Rats may have some sort of imagination, new research has suggested.

How did you find today’s email?
😍 Loved it 😕 Could be better

Daily emails too much for you? Switch to our weekly Friday edition. Support The Know here.