News 18/07/26

Scrapping digital ID is Andy Burnham’s first notable policy intervention before becoming prime minister on Monday.

The incoming leader has been tight-lipped on specific proposals but announced Sir Keir Starmer’s digital ID programme is to be axed, with funds spent on tackling the cost of living instead. Other elements, including digital driving licences, a uniform login system, and an official document storage app, will continue.

A forty-two-year-old man has been charged with weapons offences as police continue investigating a suspected threat to an Islamic event in Suffolk.

The man was among twelve people arrested. Four were released on police bail, while eight were detained under the Terrorism Act, though seven of those men have been released without charge today.

Two US service members have been killed and another remains missing after Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks in Jordan.

US Central Command confirmed four others were hospitalised but have since been discharged. Jordan’s military stated it intercepted ten Iranian missiles overnight, reporting no damage, while the identities of those killed have not been disclosed.

Andy Burnham will announce plans for new North Sea oil and gas drilling when he becomes prime minister.

The move contrasts with Labour’s twenty twenty-four manifesto pledge against issuing new licences. The decision affects Scotland’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields, whose prior approvals were overturned last year following a legal challenge. It comes alongside measures to nationalise water and energy firms.

British runner Josh Kerr has broken the twenty seven year old world record for the mile in front of a sell out crowd in London.

The Scottish athlete completed four laps at the Diamond League meeting in the London Stadium. A capacity crowd of about sixty thousand saw him shave half a second off the previous best set in 1999 by Moroccan Hicham El Guerrouj.

Police investigating the kidnap and murder of a man are searching for his missing one thousand pound Louis Vuitton trainers.

Jack Sullivan was taken from Waltham Abbey in Essex on the twenty second of June and assaulted. He was found seriously injured in a Cheshunt car park and died in hospital four days later. Officers have appealed for help to locate the distinctive blue shoes.

Andy Burnham will announce plans for new North Sea oil and gas drilling when he becomes prime minister.

The move contrasts with Labour’s twenty twenty four manifesto pledge against new licences. The decision affects the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in Scotland, whose prior approvals were overturned last year. It comes alongside measures to nationalise water and energy companies and launch a new council house building programme.

Eight people have been killed and sixty two injured after Ukrainian drones struck two Russian retail warehouses.

Officials say strikes hit Wildberries facilities in Tambov and the Moscow region. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated the logistics hubs were supplying sanctioned components for military drone production. Further targets were hit in the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and Russian annexed Crimea.

A new art trail featuring ninety decorated elephant sculptures has opened across Slough and Windsor.

The Trunks across the Thames event, organised by Thames Hospice, will run for nine weeks to raise awareness of the charity’s vital work. The trail features thirty large sculptures designed by professional artists, alongside sixty smaller pieces created by local schools and community groups.

Investors plotting a rescue bid for Thames Water are preparing a multibillion pound legal battle against Andy Burnham’s new government if it forcibly nationalises the company.

The London and Valley Water consortium, holding seventeen billion pounds of the firm’s debt pile, has hired litigation firm Pallas Partners alongside law firm Akin Gump to prepare for a major fight if their restructuring proposals for the company are rejected.

The US military has carried out a seventh night of strikes on Iran after President Donald Trump declared a temporary ceasefire over.

US Central Command says its forces hit surveillance sites, military infrastructure, weapons storage and maritime capabilities. Iran responded by targeting American allies including Kuwait, where a hostile attack hit a power and water distillation plant, causing a fire.

The UK’s weather may turn a little more changeable during the second half of summer with spells of rain featuring in some long-range forecasts.

However, there is a high chance that temperatures will remain largely above average during late July and August, meaning further heatwaves cannot be ruled out. The season so far has been notable for its heat, with a number of records broken including some dating back to the summer of 1976, while parts of southern England have seen no measurable rain for more than four weeks.

England head coach Thomas Tuchel has defended his tactical decisions during the World Cup semi-final defeat by Argentina in a tense news conference.

Speaking before Saturday’s third-place play-off against France in Miami, Tuchel said he takes the responsibility if someone needs to be blamed. The German coach insisted he had no regrets and described the painful defeat as the scar they carry now. England were just minutes away from reaching their first men’s World Cup final for sixty years.