Your morning briefing: What you should know for Monday, March 22

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Samantha Herbert22 March 2021

Priti Patel condemns ‘thuggery’ as Kill the Bill protest turns violent

Activists smashed windows at a police station and set a riot van on fire as a ‘Kill the Bill’ demonstration turned violent in Bristol.

Others climbed on to the roof scrawling ‘f*** the police’ in graffiti on the side of the building after officers suffered “suspected broken arms and ribs” in skirmishes across the city.

Hundreds had gathered at College Green in Bristol before marching to the police station on nearby Bridewell Street.

Many were wearing face masks and carried placards, saying: “Say no to UK police state” and “Freedom to protest is fundamental to democracy”.

Home Secretary Priti Patel condemned the actions of the minority of protestors on Twitter.

She said: “Unacceptable scenes in Bristol tonight. Thuggery and disorder by a minority will never be tolerated.

Europe doubles down on threat to block AstraZeneca exports to the UK

Commission president Ursula von der Leyen sparked fury after saying the EU had the power to “forbid” exports in an interview with a German newspaper group.

The warning reflects growing frustration on the continent that the EU is not getting the supplies it expected from the British-Swedish manufacturer.

On Sunday, European Commissioner for financial services Mairead McGuinness said that EU leaders would discuss the matter when they meet on Thursday.

“European citizens are growing angry and upset at the fact that the vaccine rollout has not happened as rapidly as we had anticipated,” she told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show.

Defence secretary Ben Wallace hit back by warning the manufacture of the Pfizer vaccine depended on supplies from the UK.

Two more teenagers arrested in connection with murder of Hussain Chaudhry

Two more 18-year-old’s have been arrested in connection with the murder of a law student who was fatally stabbed on a busy north-east London street.

The sister of teenager Hussain Chaudhry said he died in his “mother’s arms” following an attack in Walthamstow on Wednesday.

Police said an 18-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder at an address in Bedfordshire on Sunday. Another 18-year-old man was arrested at the same location on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in custody.

The Metropolitan Police said earlier that Marvin Ward, of Westwood Road, Ilford east London, was charged with the murder of the 18-year-old first-year law student on Sunday.

Meghan ‘clearly misinformed’ with claim about earlier wedding, ex-official says

The former official who issued the licence for the Sussexes’ wedding has rejected Meghan Markle’s claim that the royal couple married in secret three days before their public union in Windsor.

Stephen Borton, the former chief clerk at the Faculty Office, told The Sun that Meghan “is obviously confused and clearly misinformed” after she made the claim in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

She told that chat show host that the Archbishop of Canterbury had married them in their “backyard” three days before their royal wedding at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

It was thought it could not have been a legal ceremony as it lacked witnesses and a registered venue, and was instead likely to have been an informal exchange of vows.

Mr Borton said: “They did not marry three days earlier in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”

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