Category: News Story

STORY

Keir Starmer has authorised civil service access talks for prospective Labour leadership candidates as Andy Burnham prepares for the possibility of entering Downing Street. Starmer and Burnham held an hour-long off-site meeting, their first since Burnham won the Makerfield by-election and returned to the House of Commons.

The talks are intended to allow Burnham, and any other qualifying candidate, to receive briefings on the work of Government before the leadership process is complete. Starmer told ministers that he wanted an orderly transition and that he would try to make the handover as smooth as possible.

Burnham is now the front-runner to replace Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister. If no rival emerges with sufficient parliamentary support, he could take office before Parliament rises for the summer, although the formal leadership process still needs to run through its scheduled stages.

STORY

Darren Jones has ruled out standing for the Labour leadership and has endorsed Andy Burnham, leaving the former Greater Manchester mayor with a clearer route to becoming prime minister. Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, had been discussed as a possible candidate who could force a contest over Burnham’s policy platform.

Jones said he had been reassured after speaking to Burnham about economic policy. He told broadcasters that Burnham was likely to be the next prime minister and that he would win a contest of Labour members if one were held. His decision follows the withdrawal of other possible contenders and strengthens expectations that the leadership contest may be resolved quickly.

Keir Starmer announced on Monday that he would step down after pressure from within Labour and poor polling for the party. Under Labour’s timetable, nominations are due to open in July and Burnham could enter Downing Street in mid July if he remains the only candidate with enough support from Labour MPs.

STORY

The Competition and Markets Authority has ordered StubHub UK to refund more than 50,000 customers after finding that the company broke consumer law by failing to show mandatory fees upfront. The regulator said the ticket marketplace must repay more than £590,000 to customers and pay a financial penalty close to £900,000.

The CMA said some customers buying tickets for gigs and sports events between April and December 2025 were required to pay unavoidable service and delivery fees that were added only at the final stage of checkout. The regulator said the practice, known as drip pricing, could prevent customers from comparing prices accurately at the start of the buying process.

Affected customers will not need to take action, with StubHub UK expected to contact them and issue refunds automatically to the card used for the transaction. The CMA said StubHub UK had admitted breaking the law, settled early and received a 40 per cent reduction in its financial penalty.

STORY

The Government has announced up to £60 million for two new artificial intelligence research labs led by Oxford and University College London. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the labs would focus on making AI cheaper, more reliable and easier for businesses and public services to use.

The Government said the research would be backed by UK Research and Innovation and access to large scale computing power. The labs are expected to examine fundamental changes in how AI systems operate, including open source technologies that could run on more widely available hardware and methods that do not rely on vast centralised computing capacity.

AI minister Kanishka Narayan said the funding was intended to help Britain set the agenda for the next phase of AI development. The announcement forms part of the Government’s wider argument that public investment in research can support economic growth, productivity and national security.

STORY

The Government has announced plans for new rules aimed at preventing products sold in Great Britain from contributing to illegal deforestation overseas. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said the measures would cover commodities linked to rainforest loss, including soy, palm oil, cocoa and rubber.

Businesses trading in those goods would be required to check that their supply chains were not linked to illegal deforestation. The Government said the products affected are found in everyday items such as chocolate, cooking oils, shampoo and cosmetics, and that voluntary corporate action alone could not address the scale of the problem.

Nature minister Mary Creagh said tackling global deforestation was one of the most effective ways to address climate change and protect wildlife. The British Retail Consortium welcomed the announcement, while also calling for a pragmatic approach to enforcement given related EU rules due to take effect in Northern Ireland.

STORY

The Work and Pensions Committee has welcomed the Government’s Connect to Work programme but warned that inconsistent delivery could undermine its success. The cross party committee described the scheme as a positive evolution in supporting people with disabilities or health conditions into employment.

The programme is intended to help people with the most challenging barriers to work, with the Government forecasting that it will support 300,000 people over the life of the scheme. MPs said local authority delivery could allow support to reflect local business needs, skills and services, but warned that inconsistent support from Whitehall had created uncertainty for some providers.

Committee chair Debbie Abrahams said disability was not a niche issue and that one in four people were disabled or had a health condition that could affect them at work. The committee called on the Government to set out how it will address variations in delivery and avoid a postcode lottery.

STORY

The Government has confirmed plans to bring forward legislation banning social media platforms from offering services to children under 16. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said the measures were expected to be introduced to Parliament before Christmas, with protections due to come into force in spring 2027.

The proposal would apply to social media platforms and is intended to reduce the amount of time children spend scrolling online. The Government said 16 and 17 year olds would still be able to access social media, but that some functions, including live streaming and communication with strangers, would be restricted by default.

The announcement is likely to lead to further debate over enforcement, privacy and age verification. The Government has said the policy is about protecting children, while critics have raised questions about how platforms will verify age, how data will be handled and whether children will try to bypass restrictions.

STORY

The Government has published a Green Paper setting out options to make trusted news sources more prominent on social media and video sharing platforms. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport said the proposals were intended to improve access to reliable news and support the long term future of public service media.

The consultation could require platforms to ensure that content from public service media, including the BBC, ITV, STV, Channel 4, S4C and 5, as well as other trustworthy providers, is easier to find. The Government said the changes could mean recognised national and local news publishers appearing more prominently when users search for news during periods of crisis or public disorder.

The Green Paper also considers wider reforms to the public service media system, including the future of television distribution, listed events and the prominence of regulated broadcasters on third party platforms. The consultation will run until 31 August.

STORY

Peter Murrell has been sentenced to five years and three months in prison after admitting that he embezzled more than £400,000 from the SNP. The former party chief executive appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh after pleading guilty to taking party funds over a period of more than a decade.

Murrell had admitted embezzling the money from the party, with separate reporting saying the court heard that funds had been used for vehicles and luxury purchases. The case formed part of the long running investigation into SNP finances, which had previously involved searches and interviews with senior party figures.

Murrell was married to the former Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon during the period covered by the case, though she has denied knowing about the misuse of funds. The sentence represents a major development for the SNP at a time when the party has already faced political pressure over its record in Government and its handling of internal governance.

STORY

Ed Davey has challenged Andy Burnham to support an amendment calling for the UK to rejoin the single market. The Liberal Democrat leader made the intervention on the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, saying Burnham should move beyond what he described as the Government’s timidity over Europe.

The Liberal Democrats said the referendum anniversary marked a lost decade for living standards and economic performance. Davey also linked the argument to Nigel Farage, referring to the £5 million gift that Farage has said was a personal reward for his role in delivering Brexit.

The party is seeking to use the Labour leadership transition to press for a more explicit shift in UK-EU policy. Burnham has previously presented himself as a politician able to appeal beyond Labour’s existing base, but any move towards single market membership would be politically contested inside Labour and among opposition parties.