Evening Briefing: Monday 13 July 2026
- Petrol & Energy: Oil surged nearly 6% to over $80 a barrel today as President Trump reinstated a blockade of Iran and a shipping toll on the Strait of Hormuz and Iran declared the strait shut. Expect the pressure on pump and energy prices to build through the week.
- A New Prime Minister Next Week: Andy Burnham is set to be confirmed Labour leader on Friday and Prime Minister on 20 July. Tonight he backs the government’s immigration Bill despite nearly 80 of his own MPs urging him to soften it — the first real test of his authority.
- Heat, Fire & Water: The heat holds into Wednesday under an amber alert, with a major wildfire incident in North Wales and hosepipe bans widening across England. Keep away from open water, ditch disposable barbecues, and save water.
Trump Declares the US “Guardian” of Hormuz and Demands a 20% Toll
President Trump announced that the United States will become “the Guardian of the Hormuz Strait”, reinstating its naval blockade of Iran and charging all commercial shipping a fee “at the rate of 20% on all cargo” to cover the cost of poli…
US Strikes Iran a Fourth Time as Iran Hits Bases Across the Gulf
American forces launched a fourth wave of strikes on Iran, using sea-launched attack drones for the first time and hitting dozens more targets — taking the week’s tally past 300, according to US Central Command. Iran retaliated with drones…
Oil Surges Past $80 as Hormuz Shipping Collapses
Brent crude jumped almost 6% to more than $80 a barrel, its highest in weeks, as the blockade threat and the strikes drove a war premium back into oil. Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz has all but stopped: maritime trackers counted onl…
Wildfires and Record Heat Force Mass Evacuations Across Europe
A severe heatwave has driven major wildfires across France, Spain, Greece, Portugal, Italy and Turkey, forcing mass evacuations. Around ten thousand people were moved in the French Pyrenees and tens of thousands were under evacuation or sh…
Russia’s Barrage Kills Eight in Ukraine as Defences Run Low
A mass Russian attack on Ukraine — ballistic and cruise missiles and more than 120 drones — killed at least eight people and wounded dozens, with glide bombs on Sumy killing five. President Zelensky again pressed allies to speed the air de…
Burnham Backs the Immigration Bill as 80 MPs Press Him to Soften It
The government’s Immigration and Asylum Bill was debated in the Commons this afternoon, with the crucial vote expected late tonight, and it has become the first test of Andy Burnham’s incoming leadership. Nearly eighty Labour MPs signed a…
Government Moves to Deport Rochdale Grooming Ringleader
The home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, set out plans to deport Shabir Ahmed, the freed ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang, jailed for 22 years in 2012 and recently released on licence. Ahmed was stripped of his British citizenship afte…
Heatwave Holds Into Wednesday as North Wales Fights a Major Fire
The heatwave will hold into the middle of the week, with amber heat-health alerts across much of England until Wednesday evening and the wildfire risk rated “exceptional”. A mountain fire at Conwy in North Wales, which broke out on Sunday,…
Burnham’s Coronation Week: 322 Nominations and “Manchesterism”
Andy Burnham has the backing of 322 of Labour’s 403 MPs, leaving him effectively unopposed as nominations close on Wednesday. He is set to be confirmed leader on Friday and to become Prime Minister on 20 July. He has sketched an economic p…
Hosepipe Bans Widen Across England as Drought Deepens
Water restrictions are spreading with the heat. Anglian Water’s ban across the East of England, its first in a decade, is now in force for millions of customers, alongside restrictions from South East Water in Kent and a first ban in aroun…