Evening Briefing: Thursday 16 July 2026
- Petrol & Energy: Oil is holding above $85 a barrel as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz collapses under the US blockade, and pump prices — near 151p a litre — are climbing again. The wholesale gas price that sets energy bills is exposed to the same shock, so budget for higher motoring and heating costs.
- A New PM on Monday — and Tax Rises Ahead: Andy Burnham is confirmed leader on Friday and Prime Minister on Monday, with Shabana Mahmood tipped as his Chancellor. He has not ruled out a wealth tax and has hinted at “asking for a little more”, so expect tax rises in the autumn Budget. Separately, British Steel is now in public ownership.
- Heat, Fire & Water: The heatwave has passed its peak and a cooler, more unsettled spell arrives from Saturday. Yellow heat-health alerts run until Friday evening, and fresh hosepipe bans from Cambridge Water and Affinity Water take effect on Friday. Keep saving water and check on the elderly and unwell.
US Strikes Iran for a Sixth Day as Iran Fires on Gulf Bases
The US and Iran traded fire for a sixth consecutive day. US Central Command ran a fresh strike operation against Bandar Abbas, Greater Tunb island and sites across northern and central Iran, targeting command centres, air defences and miss…
Hormuz Shipping Collapses as Oil Holds Above $85
Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, which normally carries about a fifth of the world’s oil and gas, has all but dried up under the US blockade: trackers counted just seven vessels crossing on Wednesday, down from thirteen the day before…
Trump Weighs Widening the War as Iran Calls It “Existential”
President Trump is reported to be weighing options to broaden the operation against Iran, with more airstrikes, the seizing of Gulf islands or of Kharg Island, Iran’s main oil terminal, and strikes on fortified sites all said to be under c…
Zelensky Reshuffles His Government After a Deadly Kyiv Strike
President Zelensky dismissed his defence minister, Mykhaylo Fedorov, in a government reshuffle that also followed the recent removal of his prime minister, as Ukraine looks for fresh momentum in the war. The shake-up came hours after Russi…
Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Passes 2,000 Cases as It Outruns Containment
The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has passed 2,000 confirmed cases and more than 750 deaths, the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record and now the third-largest ever. The medical charity Médecins Sans Front…
Starmer’s Farewell in Kyiv: £255m for Fighter Jets
On his final overseas trip as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer met President Zelensky in Kyiv and announced £255m, jointly with Sweden, to help deliver a squadron of 16 advanced Gripen fighter jets to strengthen Ukraine’s air defences. He…
British Steel Taken Into Public Ownership
The government took British Steel into full public ownership today, after the Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Act received Royal Assent yesterday, in one of the final acts of the Starmer government. The move secures the Scunthorpe blast f…
Burnham Locked In as Mahmood Is Tipped for Chancellor
Andy Burnham’s path to Downing Street is complete, unopposed, with the trade-union nomination window closing this evening; he is confirmed Labour leader at a special conference on Friday and becomes Prime Minister on Monday. Speculation ov…
Widdecombe Suspect Still Held as a Separate Arrest Is Made Over Online Abuse
The man arrested over the killing of Ann Widdecombe remains in custody without charge this evening, held under a Terrorism Act warrant while Counter Terrorism Policing leads the investigation; officers stress it has not been declared a ter…
The Heat Passes Its Peak as a Cooldown Nears
Britain’s third heatwave of the year has passed its peak, with temperatures reaching the low-to-mid 30s in the South East on Thursday — below the 35C recorded earlier in the spell — before a cooler, more unsettled spell arrives from Saturd…