Morning Briefing: Tuesday 14 July 2026
- Petrol & Energy: Oil has climbed above $85 a barrel, a one-month high, as Trump’s reinstated blockade and 20% Hormuz toll and Iran’s closure of the strait bite. Expect pump and energy prices to keep rising; the recent falls are firmly over.
- A New Prime Minister Next Week: The government’s immigration Bill passed last night with Andy Burnham’s backing, 14 Labour MPs rebelling. He is confirmed leader on Friday and Prime Minister on 20 July, and his hard line on migration is now set.
- 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’s Hormuz Toll Draws Global Pushback as Oil Tops $85
President Trump’s plan to blockade Iran and charge a 20% toll on all shipping through the Strait of Hormuz has run into a wall of opposition, even as it sends oil to a one-month high. The UN’s maritime body said there is “no legal basis” f…
US Strikes Iran for a Third Night as Iran Hits Gulf Bases
American forces struck Iran again overnight in an operation US Central Command said lasted more than five hours, hitting missile and drone sites and the ports of Bandar Abbas and Bushehr — a third consecutive night of bombing. Iran answere…
Two Tankers Set Ablaze in Hormuz, Indian Sailor Killed
Iran fired cruise missiles at two oil tankers, the Mombasa and the Al Bahiyah, in Omani waters at the mouth of the Strait of Hormuz, setting both ablaze, according to the United Arab Emirates. One Indian crewman was killed and around six t…
Typhoon Bavi Kills 18 in the Philippines as Millions Flee in China
Typhoon Bavi has killed at least 18 people in the southern Philippines, where monsoon-amplified rains triggered landslides and floods, before making landfall in eastern China. Chinese authorities evacuated well over a million people — by s…
Europe’s Wildfires Burn On as the Heat Grips the Continent
The wildfires driven by southern Europe’s heatwave are still burning across Spain, France, Greece, Portugal and beyond. A blaze in Almería, in southern Spain, has killed at least twelve, with more than twenty missing, and tens of thousands…
Immigration Bill Passes as 14 Labour MPs Rebel and Burnham Backs It
The government’s immigration Bill cleared its Commons second reading late last night by 264 votes to 90, a majority of 174, with 14 Labour backbenchers rebelling. Andy Burnham, the prime minister-in-waiting, voted in favour, as expected —…
Heatwave Holds Into Wednesday as North Wales Fights a Major Fire
The heat holds into the middle of the week, with amber heat-health alerts across much of England until 9pm on Wednesday and the wildfire risk rated “exceptional” in places. A mountain fire near Sychnant Pass on Conwy Mountain in North Wale…
Burnham Set for Coronation as Starmer Faces His Final PMQs
Andy Burnham’s path to Downing Street is all but complete: backed by 322 of Labour’s MPs and the only declared candidate, he is set to be confirmed leader when nominations close this week and to become Prime Minister on 20 July. Sir Keir S…
UK Petrol Braces to Climb as Oil Tops $85
The escalation in the Gulf has driven oil to a one-month high above $85 a barrel, and British drivers and households will feel it. Pump prices, already near 151p a litre for petrol and among the highest in over two years, are set to rise a…
Hosepipe Bans Widen as Drought Deepens
Water restrictions are spreading with the heat. Bans are now in force across the East of England, Cambridge, parts of Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, covering millions of households, with Anglian Water’s the first in a decade and Ca…