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The prime minister in waiting is seeking an interim base in the city centre before Ancoats site is completed in 2028A civil service base that is under construction in Manchester has been earmarked for Andy Burnham’s No 10 North, according to reports.The northern centre of government will be in Ancoats, on the outskirts of Manchester city centre, but the site is not due to be completed before 2028, according to the Manchester Evening News. Continue reading...

Jonathan Morgan claims he provided player welfareDoctor says Maddy feared mental health stigmaThe most significant cause of the deterioration of the late Sheffield United footballer Maddy Cusack’s mental health was the behaviour of Jonathan Morgan, the team’s manager at the time, her father, David Cusack, has told an inquest.During a tense exchange with David Cusack, Morgan, who is representing himself at the inquest, accused the player’s father of relying on hearsay to form his opinion of him. Continue reading...

• The World Cup is entering the final day of group play, which will determine the remaining teams for the round of 32. • Eight teams are currently competing for the final four available spots in the knockout stage. • Major contenders including Brazil, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Norway, and co-hosts USA, Canada, and Mexico have already secured advancement.

Church marks 300 years with exhibition and online archive telling of UK’s first Black voters, and history of compassion and protestFrom a family of chimney sweeps including one of Britain’s two earliest documented Black voters, to the mystery of a 19-year-old youth believed enslaved, St Martin-in-the-Fields church on Trafalgar Square still has secrets to share as it marks its 300th anniversary.Standing at the heart of London’s political and cultural life for three centuries, its ranks of engraved memorial stones set into the floor and walls of the crypt and cafe are yielding glimpses into long-forgotten lives of ordinary Londoners. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: Correspondents across the UK reveal the challenges that Labour’s newest MP will face from day one in the jobGood morning. It seems inevitable that Andy Burnham will become the UK’s seventh prime minister in a decade, after Keir Starmer announced his resignation on Monday morning and, hours later, Burnham’s most likely challenger, Wes Streeting, rowed in behind the former mayor of Greater Manchester.Starmer leaves office barely two years after his landslide victory that swept Labour into power on a mandate of change. Six weeks after the party’s humiliation at the hands of Reform across English councils, and historic defeats to progressive nationalists in the Welsh Senedd and Scottish parliament, Burnham offered the country another “change moment”: winning an emphatic victory over Reform in last week’s Makerfield byelection, cementing the view that he can defeat the hard right at the next general election.UK politics | A generation of young Britons who were locked out of the 2016 EU referendum because of their age now believe that Brexit has failed, with a majority demanding a fresh vote to rejoin the EU, exclusive polling shows.Northern Ireland | Former DUP leader, Jeffrey Donaldson, has been found guilty of 18 sexual offences against two victims who were children at the time of the abuse more than 30 years ago.Heatwave | Met Office forecasters have issued a rare red weather warning for Wednesday and Thursday in the face of extreme heat and humidity, while a red heat health alert has been issued in England indicating “a risk to life for even the healthy population”.Middle East | Iran has agreed to allow UN nuclear inspectors back into the country as part of an agreement under which Washington will lift sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports and the strait of Hormuz will reopen, the US vice-president, JD Vance, has said.UK news | The Metropolitan police is to expand its use of live facial recognition (LFR) technology, first into London’s West End by Christmas and then into a further six areas next year. Continue reading...

‘Borrowed’ supporters from across the political spectrum voted to trounce Reform UK politics – live updatesHow quickly could Burnham become PM?The morning after Andy Burnham secured a landslide byelection victory in Makerfield, returning him to Westminster after nine years as Manchester mayor, it is hard to avoid the large, red placards bearing his face.But Burnham’s win was not just thanks to Labour loyalists. Instead, it appears that a coalition of voters from the left, centre and even the right united to back him at the ballot box. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham’s resounding win in the Makerfield byelection has set the stage for a leadership battle with Keir Starmer. The outgoing mayor of Greater Manchester received more votes than Reform and Restore combined, and the nature of the victory has prompted speculation he could replace Starmer as prime minister within weeks, if not days. Annie Kelly speaks to political correspondent Alexandra ToppingUK politics – live updatesAndy Burnham wins by huge majority Continue reading...

Nigel Farage admits result was ‘disappointing’ after party hoped for tightly fought battle with BurnhamUK politics – live updatesAndy Burnham wins by huge majorityReform UK is examining whether sexist comments by its candidate in the Makerfield byelection might have harmed the party’s chances, after Nigel Farage accepted the result had disappointed him.The party’s examination of its defeat comes after Andy Burnham won 55% of the vote share in a poll which Reform hoped would be a tightly fought battle between the Labour leadership hopeful and its own candidate, the local plumber Robert Kenyon. Continue reading...

In today’s newsletter: The mayor of Manchester is set to return to Westminster after decisively beating Nigel Farage’s ReformGood morning. Andy Burnham is heading back to the Commons after a resounding victory in Makerfield, putting Keir Starmer’s leadership on notice – and giving Reform something to think about. The – now to be former – mayor of Manchester described it as the “most consequential byelection of our lives”, that he promised would not only change the constituency, but the country. Already, he has touted his win as a “turning point”. The coming days will tell us more about what happens in terms of his expected challenge to Starmer’s premiership. But his stunning win against Reform is already being unpacked by politicians and pollsters.This morning I’m bringing you the latest from the count at the Edge conference centre in Wigan – and from Scotland, where two other byelection results were declared overnight.Middle East | Talks set to take place on Friday between the ⁠United States ⁠and ​Iran on implementing the 14-point agreement to end their war have been cancelled, Switzerland’s foreign ministry has announced.Brexit | Michel Barnier has said Britain could regain its special terms if it rejoined the EU and claimed it was becoming clearer every day to the British people that they would be stronger in Europe.Ukraine | Ukrainian drones have hit several locations across Moscow in Kyiv’s biggest air raid on the city since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, setting a major ⁠oil refinery on fire and forcing evacuations at the country’s largest airport.UK politics | The attorney general has told his office to no longer post on X, making it the first UK government department to stop using the Elon Musk-owned platform amid increasing worries about its use to incite violence and racism.Environment | The environmental damage bill racked up by the highest-consuming 10% of the world’s population has reached up to $5.7tn a year – larger than the economy of every country except the US and China, a study has found. Continue reading...

Greater Manchester mayor beats Reform UK and hardline Restore Britain to return to Westminster after nine yearsUK politics – live updatesAndy Burnham has won the crucial Makerfield byelection by a huge majority, paving the way for a challenge to Keir Starmer’s premiership.The Greater Manchester mayor beat the Reform UK candidate, Robert Kenyon, and the new hardline Restore Britain party. Continue reading...

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor hopes a win over Reform UK will help force the prime minister to step asideGood evening, and welcome to the Guardian’s Makerfield byelection live blog. The polls have just closed and we may have to wait until around dawn (quite early in the summer, of course) until we get a result. But, as the votes are counted, it should become clear well before then who is going to win. Andy Burnham, the Labour former cabinet minister, current mayor of Greater Manchester, and potential future prime minister, is widely expected to be the new MP, but at this point no one knows for sure.Here is our latest story about what has been happening today, and what may unfold in the hours to come.At the time of going to print, Op Makerfield is not a totally done deal. Two of Burnham’s top team parrot the same line: ‘It’s closer than you think.’ But those advising the Manchester mayor think the scale of any win will determine the speed of events. ‘If he wins by low single digits, Keir Starmer digs in and says: “You can’t come for me until after the Manchester mayoral election on 30 July,” and it’s bloody trench warfare,’ one says. ‘If it’s a comfortable, single-digits win, the soft left will try to take power through a conversation, but they will probably discover that power has to be taken by force. If Andy gets more than Reform plus Restore combined, start the clock. There will be an avalanche.’ Continue reading...

Labour’s Greater Manchester mayor predicted to beat Reform but Keir Starmer is unlikely to easily step asideMakerfield byelection – latest updatesPolls have closed in Makerfield, Aberdeen South, and Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, with the result in the north-west of England constituency byelection poised to decide the future of UK politics.The population of Makerfield, a constituency sitting just outside Wigan, has found itself at the centre of the British political world in recent weeks after Andy Burnham quit as mayor of Greater Manchester to contest the seat that he hoped would lead him not only to Westminster, but to the front door of 10 Downing Street. Continue reading...

Andy Burnham hopes a successful byelection will mean he can encourage Keir Starmer to step aside as prime ministerReform UK’s candidate Robert Kenyon has visited St Aidan’s Parish Centre in Wigan, accompanied by party leader Nigel Farage, to cast his vote in today’s byelection.Kenyon was pictured wearing a replica England shirt (looks like Italia 90 to me, most closely associated with Gazza blubbing at the end of a hard-fought contest…), following last night’s World Cup win for Thomas Tuchel’s men. Continue reading...

Up to 3,000 activists – including cabinet ministers and other MPs – descending on constituency to back Andy BurnhamUp to 3,000 Labour campaigners are expected to descend on Makerfield for Andy Burnham, prompting fears among organisers that the hordes of activists may end up overwhelming voters during Thursday’s byelection.Local hotels are fully booked and party members are expected to be dispatched to polling stations, and to leaflet people waiting at bus stops and school gates to avoid swamping residents on their doorsteps. Continue reading...

Rouser Lab says the steel structure will record ‘every step’ humanity takes towards climate catastropheGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIt was designed to survive the apocalypse, as humanity’s last testament to its failure. But for a while it seemed the “Earth’s Black Box” hadn’t even survived its own planning process.Now, five years after it was announced to much fanfare, followed by years of ominous silence, the box is back. Its creators say parts assembly is under way and, in December, the full monolith will be installed near Queenstown on the edge of a remote western Tasmanian airfield. Continue reading...

Left-leaning voters more willing to back Andy Burnham than Restore supporters are to vote ReformUK politics live – latest updatesTactical voting could be fundamental to a Labour victory in Makerfield, with Green and Liberal Democrat supporters willing to back Andy Burnham to stop Reform from winning.Conversely, Reform’s main competitor for votes on the right is Rupert Lowe’s Restore Britain party. Polling experts have said that current data suggests the size of their vote share is roughly similar to Labour’s poll lead. Continue reading...

Nearly one in six pieces of news shared in local Facebook groups during the campaign is false, Social Market Foundation report findsGood morning. Andy Burnham seems to be on course to win the Makerfield byelection on Thursday. But, if he does win, it will be despite a huge increase in the amount of hostile, fake news about him circulating on local Facebook groups. This has been documented in a report out today by the Social Market Foundation thinktank that has important implications not just for Makerfield, but for how politics functions today in a social media environment awash with lies.In its report, the SMF says:Nearly 1 in 6 pieces of news shared in local Facebook groups during the campaign is false, with misinformation heavily targeting Labour and its candidate Andy Burnham, a new study has found.The Social Market Foundation analysed over 1,800 posts across four local Facebook groups – representing different towns and settlements within the constituency with 66,000 members across them in total – and found that the share of news posts classified as misinformation jumped from 4% before the by-election was called to 16% during the campaign, a four-fold increase. Continue reading...

Australia stepped off the team bus in suits and holding designer pouches, showing they’ve come ‘a long way from a Country Road bag on the side of the field’Video: Is this Australia’s greatest World Cup win in 20 years?As suited and booted Socceroos stepped off the bus in Vancouver and towards a 2-0 victory against Turkey, many dangled designer pouches. Tete Yengi and Mo Touré carried what appeared to be Goyard, the it-bag of choice for athletes world wide. Burberry checks and monograms from Louis Vuitton and Dior were also spotted.“They’ve come a long way from a Country Road bag on the side of the field,” said Benjamen Judd, Esquire Australia’s head of content. Continue reading...

• Chinese football fans are focusing their attention on referee Ma Ning after China failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 2002. • Ma Ning has become a viral sensation and attracted major brand sponsorships due to his stern officiating style. • This shift in focus follows two decades of decline in Chinese football, marked by funding crises and widespread corruption that led to lifetime bans for officials and players.

Helen Pidd goes to Makerfield where the Labour candidate and would-be prime minister Andy Burnham faces Reform UK in a crucial byelection. With reporting from Josh HallidayOn Thursday, Makerfield is hosting what is surely the most consequential byelection in memory.If he wins, Andy Burnham will challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership – and attempt to save the party and the government from its current malaise. Continue reading...

Failure to clear up rotting, rat-infested site is a key issue for local people as they weigh up politicians’ promisesA mountain of rubbish sits behind a metal fence in the village of Bickershaw, where it has remained for more than 20 months. For many residents, it is a physical manifestation of the north-south divide as well as a rotting, rat-infested symbol of a broken system in which organised criminal gangs make millions while communities endure the toxic impact of their trade.The 25,000 tonnes of household and trade rubbish is one of the largest toxic waste dumps in the country. Unlike many illegal dumps that appear in woodlands, by rivers and on farmland, this one is in the heart of a residential street, right next to a primary school. Continue reading...

Endorsement by former soldier, despite party’s apparent efforts to distance itself from him, is likely bid to attract Restore Britain votersReform UK’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection has been criticised for welcoming an endorsement by Ant Middleton, the former soldier and TV presenter who the party had distanced itself from over his increasingly extreme views.Robert Kenyon shared a video of himself with Middleton, who he described as “one of my heroes”. Middleton has previously said “well done Southampton” in the wake of violence after the murder of Henry Nowak, and has repeatedly used his own X account to make anti-Muslim comments. Continue reading...

Hundreds of Labour activists and MPs have ‘made the pilgrimage’ to the seat, where they are pounding the streetsFor a few short weeks, the centre of political gravity in Britain has shifted from the Palace of Westminster to the bar of a former Labour club in Wigan.In London, even as Keir Starmer insists he will fight to stay in No 10, the walls seem to be crumbling around him, especially with Thursday’s resignation of the defence secretary, John Healey. Continue reading...

Survey in run-up to byelection also finds support for water renationalisation, wealth tax and cap on political donationsA majority of voters in Makerfield say they would be less likely to vote for an election candidate if they have posted offensive content on social media, polling shows.The polling for the campaign group 38 Degrees, undertaken by Survation, asked 518 voters in the Makerfield constituency for their views on a range of issues, with 55% saying they would be less likely to vote for a politician who has posted offensive material online. Continue reading...

• Astronomer Julia Seidel and her team discovered evidence of magnetic fields on Jupiter-like exoplanets by measuring their atmospheric wind speeds. • The study reveals that some of these distant worlds possess magnetic fields comparable in strength to those found within our own Solar System. • This discovery is significant because magnetic fields can protect a planet's atmosphere from being stripped away by stellar radiation, potentially influencing habitability.

• The 2026 FIFA World Cup will expand to a 48-team field, marking the largest tournament in the event's history. • The competition will be joint-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, making it only the second World Cup held across multiple nations. • This expansion necessitates a revised tournament format, including new seeding and group stage structures to accommodate the additional teams.

Zulkernain Ahmed was in pursuit of a group on bikes when he hit Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Taleb, who was walking on pavementTwo brothers have been jailed for killing a 16-year-old boy who was “in the wrong place at the wrong time” when he was hit while walking by a car being deliberately driven at a group on bikes.Abdullah Yaser Abdullah Taleb, who had come to the UK “in search of safety and a better life”, was hit by the vehicle, driven by 21-year-old Zulkernain Ahmed in Sheffield in June 2025. Continue reading...

Light from nearly 4m galaxies measured as it twisted and travelled through intergalactic spaceFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA cosmic map of magnetic fields – the largest ever produced – could help scientists delve into one of the major and most mysterious forces in the universe.A global team led by Australia’s national science agency, the CSIRO charted the magnetic fields by measuring light from nearly 4m galaxies as it twisted and travelled through intergalactic space. Continue reading...