Evening Briefing: Friday 17 July 2026
- Petrol & Energy: Brent crude jumped around 2% to about $86 a barrel as the US widened its strikes on Iran and Iran hit a Gulf power plant. Pump prices, near 151p a litre, will keep climbing, and the wholesale gas price that sets energy bills is exposed to the same shock.
- A New Prime Minister on Monday: Andy Burnham was confirmed Labour leader today and enters No 10 on Monday. He has signalled a more interventionist course — greater public control of essential services, more social housing, and he has not ruled out a wealth tax — with Shabana Mahmood tipped as Chancellor. Expect a shift in economic direction and likely tax rises in the autumn.
- Heat, Fire & Water: Today was forecast to be the hottest of the spell, up to 35 to 36C in the South, before a cooler, more unsettled weekend brings a risk of heavy showers and thunderstorms. Hosepipe bans now cover millions of households. Save water, and take care in any sudden downpours.
US Strikes Iran’s Bridges and Bandar Abbas Port on a Sixth Night
American forces widened their campaign against Iran overnight, striking five road and rail bridges in Hormozgan province in an apparent bid to sever the port city of Bandar Abbas from its links to Tehran. US Central Command said precision…
Iran Hits a Kuwaiti Water and Power Plant, Widening the War
Iran’s retaliation reached deep into Gulf civilian infrastructure, with Kuwait reporting that an Iranian strike damaged a combined desalination and electricity plant, starting a fire and knocking out several generating units. Desalination…
Oil Climbs Toward $86 as Iran Threatens a Second Chokepoint
Brent crude rose around 2% on Friday to roughly $86 a barrel, its highest in weeks, after the strike on Kuwait’s power plant and the widening US campaign, with tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz at a two-month low. Adding to the a…
Russian Strikes Kill Four in Ukraine as the Reshuffle Backlash Grows
Russian attacks overnight killed at least four people and wounded around twenty across Ukraine, with two dead in Odesa, two in Zaporizhzhia and injuries in Kharkiv. The strikes came as Ukraine fights under an interim defence chief followin…
A Spanish Wildfire Forces Evacuations as Europe’s Heat Rebuilds
Firefighters in north-eastern Spain battled a wildfire near Ores in Aragon that spread past 12,000 hectares overnight, forcing more than a thousand people to evacuate, with some 30 aircraft and 300 military personnel deployed. Further fire…
Burnham Declared Labour Leader, Vowing the “Biggest Rebalancing”
Andy Burnham was formally declared leader of the Labour Party at a special conference in London today, the last step before he enters Downing Street on Monday as Prime Minister. The sole candidate, backed by the overwhelming majority of La…
Burnham’s Economic Pitch: Public Control of Essentials
In his first remarks as leader, Andy Burnham set out an interventionist economic direction, arguing that the government could not control inflation without greater public control over essential services. He named a ramp-up in social housin…
Mahmood Set for Chancellor as the Cabinet Takes Shape
Reports say Andy Burnham is set to name the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, as his Chancellor, having chosen her over Ed Miliband, Yvette Cooper and Wes Streeting. Mr Miliband, once the favourite, is now seen as unlikely for the Treasury…
China Rebukes Britain Over the British Steel Nationalisation
China reacted angrily to the nationalisation of British Steel, with its commerce ministry saying it was “strongly dissatisfied” and warning the move had dealt “a severe blow to Chinese companies’ confidence in investing in the UK”. The gov…
Heatwave Peaks as Thunderstorms Loom for the Weekend
Friday was forecast to be the hottest day of Britain’s third heatwave, with temperatures expected to reach 35 to 36C in southern and eastern England under heat-health alerts that ran until this evening. A cooler, more unsettled spell is du…