Morning Briefing: Thursday 30 July 2026
- Petrol: With the United States now striking Iran directly, oil is holding near $90 a barrel — petrol and diesel prices are likely to rise. Watch the pumps in the days ahead.
- Mortgages: The Bank of England decides interest rates at noon today and is expected to hold, but gilt yields have climbed to 5.06 per cent and lenders are raising mortgage rates. Borrowing costs look set to stay high.
- Water: Drought now covers more than half of England, with hosepipe bans affecting 23 million people even as the heat eases. Keep using water sparingly.
US Launches Direct Strikes on Iran
The United States launched a wave of direct strikes on Iranian soil overnight, a sharp escalation from the attacks on Iran-aligned militias in Iraq the day before. Central Command said it had hit “dozens” of Revolutionary Guard targets — c…
Jordan Intercepts Five Iranian Missiles Overnight
Jordan’s military said it shot down five Iranian missiles heading for the kingdom early on Thursday, with no casualties reported. The interception came hours after the United States struck targets inside Iran, and pointed to the widening a…
Russian Missiles Kill Seven in Kyiv
Russian ballistic missiles struck the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing at least seven people, Ukrainian officials said. The attack came a day after President Zelensky returned from Washington warning that Ukraine’s safety depended on i…
Japan Quake Rescuers Search On as Toll Stands at 18
Rescuers in southern Japan searched through a second day for survivors of the powerful earthquake that has killed at least eighteen people, with several still missing. Crews picked through a collapsed shopping mall and a paper factory in K…
Iraq Condemns US Strikes as Violation of Sovereignty
Iraq condemned the joint US and Saudi strikes on Iran-aligned militias on its soil as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, and its prime minister cancelled what would have been his first official visit to Saudi Arabia in protest. The…
Bank of England to Decide as Oil Spike Revives Inflation Fears
The Bank of England announces its interest-rate decision at noon on Thursday, with economists expecting it to hold Bank Rate at 3.75 per cent even as the oil-price surge from the Iran war revives fears of stubborn inflation. Gilt yields cl…
Burnham to Unveil £8.4bn Nuclear-Submarine Investment
The government will announce an £8.4bn investment in Britain’s next generation of nuclear submarines, tied to a visit to the shipyards at Barrow-in-Furness. Ministers cast the money as protecting the country and securing thousands of skill…
Manchester Votes for a Mayor to Replace Burnham
Voters in Greater Manchester go to the polls on Thursday to choose a successor to Andy Burnham as mayor, following his move to Downing Street. The by-election is an early test of the new Prime Minister’s standing and of Labour’s grip on a…
Heatwave Eases but Drought Still Grips England
Cooler weather is forecast to spread across parts of Britain on Thursday after the fourth heatwave of the summer peaked at 35C, but there is still no rain in sight for the drought-hit regions. Drought has been declared across more than hal…
Reform Donor Moved $2m to Mother Before Party Gifts
A close associate of Reform UK, George Cottrell, transferred around $2m to his mother shortly before she made a series of donations to the party, according to an investigation that raises fresh questions over the source of its funding. The…