Britain

This should go well. The Telegraph reports: Donald Trump will receive an invitation to meet with the Queen in the summer of next year, according to reports. Minister’s believe the Queen is their “secret weapon” and Theresa May will use the state visit to help strengthen the “special relationship” between Britain and the United States. The US president-elect reportedly told …

The Daily Mirror reports: Donald Trump has raised eyebrows by extending a bizarrely un-Presidential invitation to Theresa May. “If you travel to the US you should let me know” he told the British Prime Minister in their first phone call, according to a transcript leaked to The Times. Overseas visits by the Prime Minister aren’t exactly spontaneous – they cost …

The BBC reports: Parliament must vote on whether the UK can start the process of leaving the EU, the High Court has ruled. This means the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – beginning formal exit-negotiations with the EU – on its own. Theresa May says the referendum – and existing ministerial powers – mean MPs do …

UKIP led the Brexit campaign and is widely characterized as Britain’s version of the Tea Party. The Telegraph reports: A UKIP leadership candidate has apologised for claiming that a “homosexual donkey” tried to rape his horse in response to a question about whether some gay men prefer sex with animals. John Rees-Evans said the remark, which he made in 2014, …

The Mirror reports: Pete Burns has died unexpectedly of a heart attack, his manager has confirmed. The star rose to fame in the 80s appeared in Celebrity Big Brother 4. In a statement on Twitter, Pete’s manager wrote: “It is with the greatest sadness that we have to break the tragic news that our beloved Pete Burns of (Dead Or …

Last month the office of British Prime Minister Teresa May signaled that this would happen but gave no timeline. Today we get confirmation. The Guardian reports: Gay and bisexual men convicted of now-abolished sexual offences in England and Wales are to receive posthumous pardons, the government has announced. Thousands of living men convicted over consensual same-sex relationships will also be …

People recaps: Royal fans, clear your schedules for Nov. 4. Why? That’s the date Netflix’s new historically-inspired, royally-inclined show, The Crown drops online. Though the next five weeks might be agonizing to wait through, PEOPLE can exclusively reveal a taste of the show in its first official trailer. The series follows Queen Elizabeth II’s – played by Claire Foy – …

Patrick Strudwick reports at Buzzfeed: Campaigners, politicians, and members of the public are celebrating a historic vote in the States of Guernsey, which on Wednesday finally approved the introduction of same-sex marriage by 33 votes to five. It makes Northern Ireland now the only part of the British Isles without marriage equality, following similar successful campaigns in Jersey and the …

The Independent reports: Theresa May’s government is committed to introducing an ‘Alan Turing law’ and will, in due course, pardon thousands of gay men convicted under historic gross indecency crimes. Mr Turing, the Enigma code breaker responsible for decrypting Nazi messages, was granted a posthumous royal pardon in 2013 – 61 years after he was charged at the Manchester police …

Nobody ever accused the pro-Trump, pro-Brexit UKIP of being scientific geniuses. Business Insider reports: Douglas Carswell, UKIP’s sole MP, got into a bizarre Twitter argument about what causes tides. Carswell, who is renowned for being vocal online, decided to pick a fight on Monday night with someone who said, correctly, that the moon is mainly responsible for tidal movement. The …

The Independent reports: Families were warned of a possible £40 ‘holiday tax’ to travel to the EU as the price of Brexit, after a bombshell Government admission. Home Secretary Amber Rudd revealed that a Brussels scheme that would require permission to be granted – and a fee paid – before departure could be adopted, saying “We don’t rule it out.” …

The BBC reports: Labour MP Keith Vaz has stepped down as chairman of the Home Affairs Select Committee. It follows newspaper claims he paid for the services of two male sex workers. He said: “It is in the best interest of the Home Affairs Select Committee that its important work can be conducted without any distractions whatsoever. “I am genuinely …

The BBC reports: About 200 people carrying rainbow flags descended on an east London supermarket for a mass “kissathon” after a gay couple were ejected for holding hands. Thomas Rees, 32, and Joshua Bradwell, 25, were in Sainsbury’s on Hackney Road when a guard told them a woman had complained about their behaviour. The protestors danced outside the Hackney Road …

Massive Attack and Mazzy Star’s vocalist together! IndieWire reviews: Cate Blanchett is front and center in the latest Massive Attack video for their single “The Spoils,” released Tuesday. The six-minute clip is an eerie visual that shows the Oscar-winning actress’ face in front of a black backdrop. Highlighting her features from all angles, she then undergoes a transformation and morphs …

The Telegraph reports: Approximately 50,000 British holidaymakers currently in Florida should avoid unprotected sex for the rest of the summer holidays because of the risk from Zika virus, according to government advice. An outbreak of four mosquito-transmitted cases yesterday prompted Public Health England (PHE) to advise pregnant women to consider postponing non-essential travel to the southern US state. But for …

The BBC reports: Prince Harry has been tested for HIV in an effort raise awareness about the condition and encourage others to get checked out. The prince walked into a sexual health clinic in Burrell Street, central London to have the finger-prick test – for which he tested negative. The 31-year-old has made raising awareness about HIV and Aids a …

The Telegraph reports: Mr Cameron has left 10 Downing Street for the last time as Prime Minister, as he set off on the short trip to Buckingham Palace to tender his resignation to the Queen and hand over the reins of power to Theresa May. Flanked by wife Samantha and children Nancy, Elwen and Florence outside the famous black door, …

The Telegraph reports: Conservative leadership candidate Andrea Leadsom has announced she is pulling out of the race to replace David Cameron as prime minister. The energy minister has paved the way for Home Secretary Theresa May, as the only remaining candidate, to be named Tory leader and PM as early as today. Mrs Leadsom said: “The best interests of our …

Via the BBC: The government has rejected an online petition, signed by more than 4.1 million people, calling for a second EU referendum to be held. An email to those who signed the petition said the prime minister and government had “been clear that this was a once-in-a-generation vote”. It said the decision “must be respected”, and “we must now …

The Independent reports: Andrea Leadsom has admitted that she “didn’t really like” the gay marriage law passed in 2013 because of the “clear hurt” it caused to Christians. In an interview after her speech in Westminster, Ms Leadsom, a Conservative leadership contender, said that she did not like the same-sex marriage legislation and would have preferred for it to include …