Publicly funded stage company and national cultural institution
Obituary confirms Michael Byrne has died on 20 June 2026. A veteran British actor with a long film and stage career, Byrne played Ernst Vogel in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Ted Page in Coronation Street, among other roles. His career spanned theatre work with the National Theatre and major screen performances.
Andy Burnham has been installed as prime minister and has promised immediate measures to give households "breathing room" on the cost of living. He has begun selecting a cabinet, signalled support for new North Sea drilling, and faces immediate fiscal and defence funding gaps that his first autumn Budget must fill.
Andy Burnham has been confirmed as Labour leader at a special conference in London and will become prime minister on Monday after Keir Starmer formally resigns to the King. Burnham has secured overwhelming support from Labour MPs, pledged a "distinctively Labour" government, and promised to devolve power, tackle social care and focus on growth outside London.
Peter Gill has died at 86. The Welsh-born director and playwright transformed British theatre through rigorous realism, championing DH Lawrence and founding Riverside Studios. Tributes highlight his uncompromising honesty, with his York Realist celebrated in 2002 and a lasting influence on the Royal Court and National Theatre.