Britain

Kremlin threatens retaliation after Burnham says UK will help Ukraine start producing long-range missilesUK politics live – latest updatesRussia has said it could retaliate against the UK for its support of Kyiv by striking military targets inside and outside Ukraine, amid reports that the director of the CIA warned the Kremlin against attacking Nato during a secretive visit this week.Andy Burnham, Britain’s prime minister, said on Monday the UK would allow Kyiv access to classified technology to start ⁠its own production of Storm Shadow ​long-range ​cruise missiles. Maria ⁠Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Thursday Britain and France were “playing ⁠with ​fire”. Continue reading...

• Andy Burnham has called for the UK to be "bolder" in its efforts to establish a closer relationship with the European Union. • The statement comes as British universities express growing concerns regarding the impact of high tuition fees for European students. • This push for closer ties highlights ongoing political tension over how to manage post-Brexit diplomatic and economic relations.

After higher prices for winter kick in, energy debt unpaid for more than 30 days likely to rise, says Energy UKHouseholds in Great Britain could owe their energy suppliers as much as £7bn by the end of the year after higher gas and electricity prices forecast for the winter kick in, an industry group is warning.Domestic energy debt and arrears climbed by about £500m over the past year to a record £6bn at the end of June as the Middle East conflict continued to stoke rising gas market prices. Continue reading...

Experts say more must be done to adapt to changing climate, after two trains derailed within 24 hours during a recent heatwaveRailway companies are racing to prepare for another brutal summer next year, as a developing El Niño could see 2027 break more heat-related records.Britain’s railway system has already been under stress from extreme heat this summer, with several operators reducing timetables and train speeds. Continue reading...

Volume of goods sold in stores and online dropped 0.5% in July, ONS saysBusiness live – latest updatesRetail sales across Great Britain weakened last month despite the men’s football World Cup and record temperatures boosting the demand for food and drink.The Office for National Statistics said the volume of goods sold in stores and online fell 0.5% in July. That is down from 0.7% rise in June – revised down from initial estimates of 1% – and a 1.3% rise in May. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Bridget Phillipson says politicians have helped fuel hatred and that police are not taking violence against women and girls seriously enoughUK politics live – latest updatesRacism and sexism have become normalised in Britain, the equalities minister has said, as she warned that young men were being sucked into violent misogyny by the “cesspit” of social media.Bridget Phillipson said she was increasingly worried about how commonplace misogyny and racism had become, fuelled by online interactions and statements by politicians she said would not have been acceptable a few years ago. Continue reading...

Reports say Duke and Duchess of Sussex intend to relocate from US, with children to start British school in SeptemberThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex are planning to return to live in Britain, six years after leaving for the US, it was reported.The couple and their two children, Prince Archie, seven, and Princess Lilibet, five, are expected to relocate later this month to a non-royal residence. Continue reading...

Expected quarterly rise highest in three years and likely to wipe out Burnham’s VAT cut on electricity billsHousehold energy bills across Great Britain are expected to climb to a three-year high this winter as the impact of the Middle East war wipes out Andy Burnham’s tax cut on electricity bills.The government’s cap on energy prices is on track to rise by 4% from this October to the equivalent of £1,729 a year through the last three months of 2026, which could hit struggling households especially hard this winter, according to analysis by the energy consultancy Cornwall Insight. Continue reading...

• Swiss runner Audrey Werro won the European 800m gold medal with a championship-best time of 1:54.81, narrowly defeating Britain's Keely Hodgkinson (1:55.01). • Other major victories included Italy's Nadia Battocletti, who secured the 10,000m title to complement her 5,000m crown, and Norway's Karsten Warholm, who set a championship record of 46.63 in the men's 400m hurdles. • These results highlight a dominant night for top European athletes, with multiple championship records broken across different disciplines.

PM urges people not to risk lives and homes by starting fires as military brought in to help deal with wildfiresUK politics live – latest updatesDowning Street has issued a temporary GB-wide ban on the sale of disposable barbecue and brought in the military to help deal with wildfires as Andy Burnham urged people not to risk lives in “tinderbox” Britain this weekend.The prime minister spoke from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, where at least 19 people have been taken to hospital during eight fires that have ripped through several homes. Continue reading...

Thanks to the drought, these black-and-white beauties are struggling to catch worms in the rock-hard earth. But there’s still good foraging on well-watered fairways and greensName: Badgers.Age: European badgers live for five to eight years in the wild. They have been in the UK, where this story is set, for half to three-quarters of a million years. Continue reading...

Event expected to hit solar power just as fifth heatwave of summer increases use of air conditioning and fansGreat Britain faces a shortfall of electricity supplies on Wednesday evening as the near total solar eclipse is expected to wipe out solar power generation.The government’s electricity grid operator raised an official alarm that there is currently not enough power generation expected as the moon blocks up to 95% of the sun over parts of the country, the most dramatic eclipse visible in Great Britain since 1999. Continue reading...

• London-based start-up Cosine is attempting to develop a "sovereign AI" model to serve as the UK's equivalent to OpenAI. • The company currently operates with a small team of 30 people and has secured strategic backing from the UK government. • This initiative is critical for national digital autonomy, though Cosine faces significant challenges competing against global rivals with vastly superior financial and computing resources.

Grid operator Neso can now respond with rolling blackouts as last resort without need for government powersBusiness live – latest updatesMillions of households could face power cuts at short notice under new rules to help the electricity system operator avoid widespread blackouts when energy supplies run low.The changes, which come into effect this week, will make it easier for the national electricity system operator to call for rotating blackouts at short notice if power supplies are running short. Continue reading...

PM expected to announce policies to tackle cost of living and indicate intent to help improve country’s high streetsAndy Burnham is to undertake a national tour this coming week the aims to improve the government’s connection with the British public during his premiership.The prime minister is expected to announce a set of policies that will help people financially as many struggle with the cost of living, as well as indicate his intent to improve high streets across the country. Continue reading...

• Readers are responding to an editorial warning that cuts to science funding will damage Britain's global standing and research capabilities. • A primary concern highlighted is the potential closure of the Jodrell Bank Observatory, a key site for astronomical research. • One contributor argues against the historical trend of prioritizing research based solely on near-term economic benefits and publication metrics.

As another summer of extreme heat rumbles on, warnings about excess deaths, ageing infrastructure and potential food shortages are growing louder. So how well prepared is the UK to cope, both now and in the years ahead? Jessica Elgot and Alexandra Topping examine why politicians have been so slow to act. Plus, Kemi Badenoch has distanced herself from the former neo-Nazi turned Tory council candidate Joshua Bonehill-Paine, only to offer him him an advisory role instead. What was she thinking?You can read Jessica Elgot’s interview with the health secretary on heatwaves hereYou can read about Kemi Badenoch’s action on Joshua Bonehill-Paine herePlease keep sending your comments and questions to [email protected] and subscribe to the Politics Weekly YouTube channel here Continue reading...

Lowe questioned on BBC about definition in report for hard-right party that both parents need to be born in UKRupert Lowe, the leader of Restore Britain, refused to say he believes King Charles can be classified as a “white Briton” in an extraordinary interview on the BBC’s Today programme.Questioning Lowe, MP for Great Yarmouth, over his claims that “white Britons will become a minority by 2063”, the presenter, Nick Robinson, noted that the forecast Lowe referred to defined a “white Briton” as someone whose parents were both born in the UK. Continue reading...

• Spain utilizes a special legal regime in Ceuta and Melilla to expel thousands of migrants without allowing them to file formal asylum requests. • This "pushback" policy serves as a model for other EU member states, including Greece, Poland, Hungary, Croatia, and Bulgaria, to implement automatic returns. • The practice creates a legal disparity between Spain and countries like Britain, as it bypasses standard asylum procedures to prevent migrants from moving further north toward France and Belgium.

Lowe says the two should put ‘personalities and our past disagreements aside for good of the country’The leader of Restore Britain, Rupert Lowe, has extended an olive branch to Nigel Farage, saying the two should put “personalities and our past disagreements aside for the good of the country”.Lowe told the Reform UK leader that if he was “prepared to work together around serious policies, serious reform and serious government, then so are we”. Continue reading...

Wheat is half normal height, while England is seeing earliest ever harvest as farmers battle to salvage what they can of their cropsBritain could face shortages of certain foods after parts of England faced a punishing drought, the president of the National Farmers’ Union has warned.Farms across the country faced floods over the winter, making planting extremely difficult, and now they do not have access to water in many parts of England as irrigation is being restricted due to drought. Continue reading...

Farms and rooftop panels contribute 14.4% to the grid – and figures reveal a surge in new installationsSolar energy supplied more power to Great Britain’s grid in July than in any previous month as households turned to rooftop panels to cut their energy bills.Solar farms and rooftop panels provided 14.4% of the country’s electricity after some parts of the UK recorded almost twice the average sunshine hours for the time of year. Continue reading...

Boom in solar farms and home installations in first half of 2026 began shortly after start of US-Israel war against IranGreat Britain has recorded more new solar power installations in the first half of this year than in any six-month period since 2011, as households turn to rooftop panels to help cut their energy bills.An analysis of the government’s official figures shows that Great Britain added 142,536 solar installations in the first six months of the year, putting it on track to top last year’s record solar additions. Continue reading...

Unions say basic needs still not being met a year after regulator told operators to improve facilitiesTrain drivers are considering strike action over a lack of toilets, with unions saying basic needs are still not addressed a year after the rail regulator told operators to provide more facilities and breaks.Aslef said it was “putting the industry on notice”. The train drivers’ union added that companies had failed to deliver adequate toilets and reduce maximum driving times without a toilet break. Continue reading...

Temperatures up to 35C forecast, triggering heat health alerts and pleas to take care in parched parks and rural areasParamedics and firefighters are braced for emergencies across the country this week after UK forecasters predicted a fourth heatwave of the year.Temperatures are forecast to reach as high as 35C by Wednesday, triggering heat health alerts and an appeal from fire chiefs to take care in parched parks and rural areas. Continue reading...

• Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh, a developmental economist and Labour MP for Peckham elected in 2024, is advocating for the UK to achieve full Net Zero by 2030. • This target represents a significantly more aggressive timeline than previous government goals, sparking debate over its feasibility and economic impact. • The proposal matters as it signals a potential shift in Britain's energy strategy, prioritizing rapid decarbonization over a more gradual transition.

Hot weather and World Cup fever help defy analyst expectations of decline, with sales volumes up 1% in JuneOnline sales accounted for the highest level of retail sales in five years last month as record hot weather spurred a rush for air conditioning, outdoor products and clothing.The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1% month on month in June, as the hot weather and a World Cup retail rush defied analyst expectations of a 0.3% decline. Continue reading...

• Approximately 50,000 people from over 100 countries gathered in Britain for the 60th convention of the nation's largest Muslim organization. • The event focused on calling world leaders to prioritize justice and peace over the strategic interests of powerful states to prevent a devastating global war. • Discussions centered on urgent international crises, specifically highlighting the ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine.