Your noon Briefing: May fighting for survival after crushing defeat

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories and a long read for lunchtime.

Hello readers. Theresa May’s government could survive tomorrow’s no confidence motion despite a humiliating loss on the Brexit bill vote, and John Newcombe tells Lleyton Hewitt to ‘take the high ground’ in Tomic spat.

A Brexit protester (left) and British PM Theresa May.

May survive?

British prime minister Theresa May and the Conservative government are set to survive the first of many votes of no confidence tomorrow, despite suffering a thumping history-making defeat over the Brexit Withdrawal bill. Constitutional experts believe that the United Kingdom is now more likely to leave the European Union without a deal on March 29 in the wake of Mrs May’s bill defeat because parliament would have to come up with a workable and acceptable solution to override the no-deal default position in the 40 sitting parliamentary sitting days remaining.

-

20/11/2017. John Howard and Kim Beazley, former opponents in two elections, now in common cause on the board of the Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation to bring the western canon of learning back to universities. Photographed during event at ntercontinental Hotel. Britta Campion / The Australian

No secrets

Flatly denying the Ramsay Centre deal for a Western civilisation course at Wollongong University has been kept a secret, the university’s executive dean of law, ­humanities and the arts, Theo Farrell, insists he had been discussing the idea with colleagues since 2017.

-

Federal Election 2016. Independent candidate for the Cowper electorate, Rob Oakeshott at his post election party at the Tacking Point Surf Club in Port Macquarie. Pic Nathan Edwards

Oakeshott the sequel

How could we forget Rob Oakeshott? He is, writes Chris Kenny, a living reminder of the self-interest, deceptions and lack of accountability in politics.

-

***MUST CREDIT 9's Wide World of Sport****Screen grabs of an interview on 9's Wide World of Sport with Lleyton Hewitt responding to comments from Bernard Tomic

‘Captain your way, Lleyton’

Tennis legend John Newcombe has told Lleyton Hewitt to “take the high ground” and ignore Bernard Tomic — and all other outside noise — and continue nurturing Australia’s young talent however he sees fit. Keep up with all the latest tennis from Melbourne in our live Australian Open blog.

-

ESCAPE: Cover Story, Dec 17 - "Sydney, Australia - View of airplane at the airport at sunrise. Airplane parked at Sydney International Airport. Picture: Istock

The long read: Disharmony in the air

Conflict in the aviation industry comes to a head next month when the efficiency experts at the Productivity Commission deliver a report on the economic regulation of airports, writes Robyn Ironside. For the PC, it’s a technical issue but one likely to influence how much travellers pay for their tickets. The inquiry is looking at whether the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission’s “light-handed” supervision of airport service prices — which feed into airline costs — still makes sense for the major airports of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.

-

Comment of the day

“A typical attitude of the elites who believe that the common man is an idiot and that democracy is only valid when the people do what their betters think they should do. The British people voted to leave, so they should now leave without a deal, wear any pain and find solutions to any problems.”

Kenneth, in response to ‘Brexit Withdrawal Bill vote: How can Theresa May survive?’.