The Know Daily - Monday 20th March 2023

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An exciting technological breakthrough means urban ferries and city buses could soon be charged wirelessly in the same way as some electric toothbrushes or mobile phones. Scientists at a Swedish university have managed to create a new type of inductive charging system (where there’s no contact between the device and conductor), making the transmission of high power through air a realistic proposition. This inductive power transfer technology could help “speed up the phasing out of polluting diesel boats”, reported Euronews.

📝 Partygate rages on

Boris Johnson will today publish evidence in his defence over whether he misled parliament about Covid rule-breaking parties, ahead of a grilling by MPs this week.

What will MPs be looking at?
The former PM faces a lengthy televised questioning by the Commons Privileges Committee on Wednesday, which is examining at least four occasions where he may have deliberately misled MPs with his assurances that lockdown rules were followed.

In an interim report published earlier this month, the cross-party committee said the evidence strongly suggested that breaches of Covid-19 rules in No. 10 would have been “obvious” to the then-PM. But Johnson, who is still an MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip, has denied deceiving the House of Commons.

What is Johnson’s defence likely to be?
The Sunday Times has reported that his defence dossier will include a series of WhatsApp messages which show senior Whitehall figures believed that the gatherings were covered by the “workplace exemption” in lockdown rules. An estimated £220,000 of taxpayers’ money has been allocated for Johnson’s legal bills.

Johnson has also sought to cast doubt on the findings of the Sue Gray Partygate report, after she quit the civil service with the intention of taking up a role as Labour leader Keir Starmer’s chief of staff. However, the committee has denied that its inquiry is based on the Gray report.

What will happen next?
The seven-strong committee will decide whether Johnson committed a contempt of parliament - and if found guilty, will recommend a punishment accordingly.

The final say will fall to the full House of Commons, and PM Rishi Sunak has indicated that he will give MPs a free vote on any recommended sanctions against Johnson. A suspension of 10 days or more could ultimately trigger a by-election in the former PM’s seat.

🏓 The “afternoon fun” economy

Move over, evenings and weekends. New research from the US suggests that remote workers have fuelled a surge in demand for afternoon fun.

Tell me more.
A new study from Stanford has shone a light on the post-pandemic rise in weekday afternoon activities, as the shift to flexible working means that many no longer wait until after 5pm to enjoy their pastimes.

An analysis of geolocation data from more than 3,400 US golf courses found that 278% more people played golf at 4pm on a Wednesday in August 2022 than in August 2019. There were also 83% more golf games played on a weekday in August 2022 than in the same month in 2019.

Are other activities seeing the same shift?
The New York Times - hailing this as “the rise of the ‘afternoon fun’ economy” - has reported on an uptick in afternoon demand for everything from fitness classes to beauty treatments. The paper interviewed a New York-based hairdresser who said her clients had even begun treating the salon like an office. “I’ve had a client sit outside with foils in her hair hosting a Zoom meeting,” she said.

For many employees, remote working means greater flexibility. And while not being in an office undoubtedly makes it easier to run to the post office unnoticed, many bosses are even encouraging their staff to attend fitness classes or run errands during the day - provided that the work still gets done.

What’s happening in the UK?
While the latest data comes from US-based researchers, there are signs that UK workers are also keen to preserve the benefits that flexible working can bring. Just last week, a study found that more than a third of UK workers would quit their job if their employer demanded they return to the office full-time.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that for many workers who have reconfigured the traditional 9-5 work day, leisure is not the primary motivator. According to one recent survey, childcare is the reason why almost half of parents in employment are working flexibly.

Do you take advantage of the benefits of flexible working - or do you think we should be moving back to a more traditional 9-5 structure? Hit reply to let us know.

🇨🇳 China Russia latest: Chinese President Xi Jinping is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow today - the two-day state visit will be Xi's first trip to Russia since the war began last year.

🩻 Funding needed: A Lib-Dem study has found that four in 10 NHS hospitals in England are using outdated equipment, with some X-ray machines, CT scanners and radiotherapy machines dating back to the 1980s.

🦈 Shark appeal: An appeal has been launched after a rare smalltooth sand tiger shark washed up on a Hampshire beach and was then decapitated. “If you have the head, get in touch,” said the historian Dan Snow, who was enlisted to examine the creature.

💩 “Poo emoji” policy: Elon Musk announced that Twitter’s press email address now automatically responds to inquiries with the poo emoji. Mashable tested it out and confirmed that the news was true, pointing out that Musk has fired the social network’s press relationship team.

🗣️ Lineker latest: Gary Lineker did not present Sunday’s FA Cup quarter-final coverage as planned after losing his voice, tweeting that he had been “silenced... literally, by a nasty cold”. He had returned to football shows the day before following an impartiality row with the BBC.

Trivia answer: Alison Hammond worked as a holiday rep and kids’ entertainer at a Tunisia hotel before she applied for Big Brother with the hope of clearing her debt.

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