British politician, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary
Andy Burnham has announced an 850 million VAT cut on domestic electricity bills starting 1 October, funded by scrapping the digital ID programme. The move is aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures and is part of a broader cabinet reshuffle and fiscal strategy.
Andy Burnham has announced his new cabinet and pledged to deliver a ten-year plan to tackle the cost of living, while reshaping policy with a focus on reindustrialisation, devolution, and living standards.
The Public Office (Accountability) Bill, known as the Hillsborough Law, has secured passage for its final Commons stages with the government insisting it will force candour from public bodies. Amendments have brought intelligence services under the duty, with a secure disclosure process to protect national security. Debates signal the law’s autumn enactment and a lasting impact on accountability.
The new prime minister has unveiled a 10-year plan and pledges to tackle the cost of living, rough sleeping, and housing. He is appointing a cabinet and outlining how to fund his priorities while keeping to defence spending commitments.
Lindsay Foreman and Craig Foreman have been on hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin prison since May, protesting their alleged espionage confinement. Reports show they are extremely weak after months of refusal to eat, with Britain urging Iran to ensure due process and humane treatment amid new details of extended sentences for speaking to the media.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has taken office, replacing Keir Starmer. He has sacked Starmer loyalists, appointed allies, and pledged to end rough sleeping, re-industrialise Britain, and decentralise power while facing a tepid economy and rising welfare costs.
Prenups are increasingly used to shield couples from premarital debt as debts rise from 35% in 2021 to 65% this year. Younger couples demand financial clarity, while gender dynamics reveal men carry more debt and overestimate their knowledge. Experts warn debt can become a shared burden, prompting clearer agreements before marriage.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has acknowledged he was wrong to appoint Peter Mandelson as ambassador to Washington after learning this week that Mandelson had failed security vetting and that Foreign Office officials had overruled that recommendation without informing ministers. Starmer has sacked top official Olly Robbins, will brief Parliament, and is facing calls for inquiry and possible Privileges scrutiny.
The NTSB findings on a 2023 Southwest incident highlight cockpit smoke as a safety concern; meanwhile Joby Aviation’s six-rotor eVTOL has demonstrated quiet, electric takeoffs and a possible path to urban air mobility in New York and beyond. FAA certification, charging infrastructure, and pricing are key questions as pilots and cities watch progress.
Labour figures are in flux as Andy Burnham eyes Makerfield for a Westminster return, while Keir Starmer faces pressure over leadership timing. Streeting and Lammy are among potential contenders as the party confronts Brexit and EU questions ahead of by-elections.
Since mid-May 2026 Labour has been forced into open leadership turmoil after heavy local election losses. Wes Streeting has resigned and declared a challenge; Andy Burnham has been enabled to seek a Commons seat via a Makerfield by-election; party members are expressing stronger support for Burnham than Keir Starmer.
David Lammy has told US vice-president JD Vance that his commentary blaming the Henry Nowak killing on mass migration is wrong. Vance’s post sparked protests and a police review; Lammy says the case is about a British teen and not migration. A court has jailed Digwa for life with a minimum 21 years.
Defence ministers are negotiating funding for the Defence Investment Plan as the government considers how to meet targets for defence spending. The debate has moved from initial allocations to how to fund a sustained increase while balancing other public budgets.
Labour has won Makerfield by-election with a large margin, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to quit and paving the way for Andy Burnham to pursue leadership. Ministers are weighing resignations and Burnham is moving to establish a Downing Street operation while Starmer vows to fight on.
In a heated PMQs, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch trade barbs over Labour’s plan to tax private school fees to fund teachers in state schools. Badenoch labels Phillipson a “spiteful class warrior” as the exchange spills into social media and prompts a call for decorum from the speaker.
Two Independent articles outline the human impact of indefinite IPP detention, showing how uncertainty over sentences and repeated recalls drive despair, with fresh cases prompting calls for urgent reform.
The incoming UK prime minister is urged to boost defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035 as experts warn current plans are too bare to deter threats from Moscow. A Defence Investment Plan is due to be published before the NATO summit, with ministers negotiating funding amid resignations in the MoD.
Britain will raise the starting point for domestic murders to 25 years, closing a long-standing gap with non-domestic killings. Justice Secretary David Lammy has announced the change after years of campaigning by bereaved mothers. The plan aims to ensure sentences reflect the harm caused by domestic homicide.
Labour leadership discussions have outlined a plan to reinvest in defence, increase transparency, and pursue a stronger, Europe-facing foreign policy, as Nimble leadership contest continues to unfold.
Posthumous conditional pardon has been granted to Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in the UK, recognizing a grave injustice linked to domestic abuse. The decision replaces the death penalty with life imprisonment, while underscoring ongoing failures in how abuse shapes criminal outcomes.
Andy Burnham has been confirmed as Labour leader and will become prime minister on Monday after Keir Starmer formally resigns. He has pledged a "distinctively Labour" government that will devolve power to regions, prioritise cost-of-living measures and tackle social care while naming a new cabinet, with the chancellor slot the biggest early question.
The UK is reforming marriage laws to let couples legally marry in venues chosen by the couple, with officiants approved for the ceremony. The changes aim to reduce costs and simplify ceremonies, allowing humanists to conduct legally binding weddings and potentially extending to back gardens, beaches, castles and vessels at sea. The consultation runs until 24 September.
A new Prime Minister has accepted the King's invitation to form a government. He has vowed to raise standards, end rough sleeping, reduce the welfare bill, and push a 10-year plan to restore stability and build a preventative state. He is also reshuffling the cabinet and outlining measures to ease the cost of living in the coming days.