Morning Briefing: Saturday 11 July 2026
- A New Prime Minister in Nine Days: Andy Burnham is on course to enter Downing Street on 20 July — a change of government without an election. The welfare, tax and NHS choices he inherits will start shaping household budgets from the autumn.
- Petrol & Energy: Oil held near $76 a barrel as US-Iran talks resumed, but the war premium of recent weeks is now embedded in the price. The recent fall in pump prices has stalled, so budget for higher fuel and energy through the summer.
- Heat & Water: Record heat peaks this weekend under an amber health alert to Sunday, and a new hosepipe ban now covers five million households in the East. Check on elderly relatives, expect rail disruption, and mind the water restrictions.
Trump Threatens Iran With “1,000 Missiles” Over Assassination Plot
President Trump has warned Iran that “1,000 missiles are locked and loaded” and aimed at the country, with “thousands more to immediately follow”, threatening overwhelming retaliation if Tehran acts on what he says are plots to assassinate…
US and Iran to Meet in Oman as Tehran Calls Hormuz Attacks a “Mistake”
US and Iranian negotiators are due to meet in Oman today, after Iranian officials privately conceded that firing on ships in the Strait of Hormuz was “a mistake” carried out by hardliners acting without authorisation. Washington’s price fo…
Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Shipping in the Azov Sea
Ukrainian drones struck four vessels overnight in Taganrog Bay, on the Azov Sea, including a methanol tanker, killing a sailor and further disrupting a Russian grain-export corridor, Moscow said. Russia’s defence ministry said it had downe…
Venezuela Earthquake Death Toll Passes 3,500 and Keeps Rising
The death toll from the twin earthquakes that struck northern and central Venezuela in late June has passed 3,500, with more than 16,000 injured, and is still climbing more than two weeks on as rescuers reach cut-off communities. The magni…
Israel Now Controls Nearly 70% of Gaza, Nine Months Into the Truce
Israel’s military now controls close to 70% of the Gaza Strip, up from about half when the ceasefire began in October, according to a new analysis, as its footprint expands along shifting front lines that Prime Minister Netanyahu describes…
Heatwave Peaks With Records Tumbling Across the Country
The summer’s third heatwave reaches its peak this weekend, with the heat shifting west: highs of 32-34C are forecast for Wales and south-west England, and much of the country stays above 30C. The UK has now recorded eight days above 34C in…
Hosepipe Ban Takes Effect for Five Million in the East
A hosepipe ban came into force at one minute past one this morning for more than five million Anglian Water customers across the East of England, the company’s first such ban in a decade. It follows the second-driest spring on record, now…
Fire Shuts Stratford Station and Snarls East London Rail
A lineside fire near Stratford, in east London, forced the station to close on Friday evening and cascaded across the capital’s rail network, at the height of the heatwave. The blaze broke out shortly before 7pm, drawing eight fire engines…
Reform Donations Referred to Crime Agency as Police Probe Widens
The scrutiny of Reform UK’s finances has deepened, with donations linked to the party’s chairman, Richard Tice, referred to the National Crime Agency on suspicion of money laundering. One referral concerns a £1m donation to Britain Means B…
Burnham Weighs His Cabinet as the Handover Nears
With his path to Downing Street clear, attention has turned to the cabinet Andy Burnham will build. Having secured the backing of 322 Labour MPs and facing no challenger, the Greater Manchester mayor is set to be declared leader on 17 July…