Welcome to Wednesday’s Early Edition from i.

A Tory MP has said he doesn’t agree that women have “!an absolute right to bodily autonomy” during a debate on abortion laws. And yes, before you check the date above, it is 2022.

The idea that a US-style debate, or laws, could raise their head in Britain is alarming. Already MPs have been told that far-right American groups could be given renewed impetus in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision. But there are many suggestions on the table too, for bringing in additional protections over the right to abortion. Just where are the points of concern in the debate – and who is calling for changes to guarantee women’s rights? We’ll examine what’s going on, after the news.

Nicola Sturgeon has announced she will hold a Scottish independence referendum on 19 October 2023, without Westminster’s permission. The Scottish First Minister said she would be publishing a Referendum Bill that would set out the terms of the vote, and the question would be the same as it was in 2014. But will it happen?

BBC podcaster and bowel cancer campaigner Deborah James, whose frank accounts of life with bowel cancer sparked millions in donations, has died aged 40. In a statement announcing her death, Dame Deborah’s family described her as an “inspiration”.

They added: “And a few final things from Deborah… ‘find a life worth enjoying; take risks; love deeply; have no regrets; and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally, check your poo – it could just save your life.”

The Metropolitan Police Service has been placed under special measures over concerns about “serious or critical shortcomings”. It follows the service’s controversial handling of Sarah Everard’s murder, the strip search of a 15-year-old black schoolgirl Child Q, the stop and search of athlete Bianca Williams and the Charing Cross police station scandal where officers joked about rape and racism.

People in Nottingham, Manchester and Leicester have the ‘lowest disposable income in the UK’, figures show. Before housing costs and after taxes, the average income per person in Nottingham in 2019 was just £11,708, while people in Leicester brought home £11,769 on average. The richest parts of the country were all found in London. In Kensington & Chelsea, the average disposable income stood at £52,451 per person – 4.5 times that of the Nottingham average and four times the Manchester average.

Waiting times for passports could be made even longer due to an “unacceptable, toxic working culture,” with fears that staff could be signed off sick due to stress. It comes as tens of thousands of applicants have had to wait more than 10 weeks for a passport.

Ghislaine Maxwell has been sentenced to 20 years in jail for sex trafficking girls for Jeffrey Epstein. The 60 year-old apologised to victims as she was sentenced. Judge Alison Nathan said the crimes were “heinous and predatory”.

Donald Trump ‘had to be restrained’ from attempts to join Capitol riot, a former White House aide has told the 6 January committee in an extraordinary testimony. Cassidy Hutchinson claimed the former president demanded to march to the Capitol even as the riot was underway, quoting him as saying: “I’m the f****ing president, take me to the Capitol now.”

Turkey has agreed to support Sweden and Finland’s membership of the Nato military alliance, leaving the path clear for the two Nordic countries to join. Foreign ministers from the three countries have signed a joint security pact that addressed concerns by Turkey over Kurdish militants.

George Orwell’s son has become one of the latest tourists to have their luxury watch stolen in Barcelona – the city which honours his father. 78-year-old Richard Blair had only been in the Spanish city for a few hours, where he was taking part in a tour to visit the trenches where his father fought during the Spanish Civil War.

A missing eight-year-old boy named only as Joe has been found alive after surviving for more than a week in a sewer in Germany. He went missing from his family garden on 17 June, and was found after a passer-by heard a noise from a manhole cover.

Boris Johnson and Liz Truss will be speaking at a Nato summit, where the miltary alliance will be discussing its response to the war in Ukraine. 

Polls show that Nicola Sturgeon is wrong to assume Scotland wants IndyRef2, says Chris Hopkins. The real battle, he writes, is being able to hold a referendum.

Republicans should be careful: The Bible has precious little to say about abortion writes Katie Edwards. As an academic specialising in the Bible in contemporary culture, I was puzzled – and troubled – to see the biblical text employed to support anti-abortion laws and rhetoric, she says.

The Conservatives’ obsession with the 70s is making them look out of touch, argues Mark Wallace. It makes sense that the era still looms so large, but the party needs to deploy more effective ways of relating to a modern audience.

‘I would love it if children of colour could come and see they are beautiful’. A landmark exhibition at the V&A celebrates the growing influence of creatives from across the continent, its curator Dr Christine Checinska tells David Woode.

Russia is winning the artillery duel, so Ukraine needs to resort to smart tactics, military experts say. ‘Fire less often but hit harder and with more effect when you do,’ military pundits suggests as Moscow uses its advantage in heavy weapons to ‘destroy everything it can reach’.

Nick Kyrgios admits spitting at fan after receiving ‘hate and negativity’ from Wimbledon crowd on Court 3. “I don’t go into Argos and just start smashing someone at the counter,” he said after getting into a rage.

A flying hamster has successfully returned to Earth, after being launched 23km into the stratosphere on a balloon. The rodent, which was rocketed up in a small container, even managed to have a snooze as it made its descent. It was retrieved from the sea off Japan’s Miyako Island.

All rights reserved. © 2021 Associated Newspapers Limited.