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The Government has announced further action to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children in England. Ministers said the measure was intended to protect children’s health and respond to concerns from parents, schools and public health experts.

The Department of Health and Social Care said the policy would cover drinks with high caffeine content and would build on voluntary restrictions already used by many retailers. The Government said consistent national rules would make enforcement clearer and reduce children’s exposure to products linked to sleep and concentration problems.

Public health organisations have welcomed the move, while the drinks industry is expected to examine the detail of the restrictions. Ministers will need to define which products are covered and how the rules will be enforced across shops and online sellers.

STORY

The Government has announced new measures aimed at protecting 16 and 17-year-olds from addictive social media features and overnight use. Default curfews from midnight to 6am are expected to be introduced on social media apps as part of a wider online safety package.

Ministers said the measures followed a Government pilot involving more than 300 teenagers and parents. Families involved in the pilot reported that overnight curfews helped improve sleep and concentration, according to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

The proposals will add to the wider debate about the responsibilities of technology companies and the role of Government in regulating children’s online lives. Social media firms are likely to face pressure to show that new safeguards are practical, effective and not easily bypassed.

STORY

The Government has formally designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Islamic Movement of Companions of the Right and Russia’s GRU Volunteer Corps under the National Security (State Threats) Act 2026. The Home Office said the designations were intended to protect the safety of the United Kingdom.

The new powers make it a criminal offence to support, assist or accept a material benefit from the designated bodies. Ministers said those convicted of the offences could face up to 14 years in prison, while more serious hostile activity on behalf of the groups could lead to longer sentences.

The designations are the first made under the new state threats regime. The Government said the measures would strengthen the ability of police and prosecutors to deal with hostile activity linked to foreign powers, including espionage, sabotage and interference in democratic life.

STORY

Andy Burnham is preparing to become Prime Minister on Monday after being confirmed as Labour leader without a membership ballot. The former Greater Manchester mayor was the only candidate to secure the required parliamentary backing after Sir Keir Starmer announced that he would stand down.

Burnham used his first speech as leader to call for a new politics, greater devolution and a Government that gives communities more control over decisions affecting their areas. He is expected to announce senior cabinet appointments when he formally takes office.

The transition means Britain will have another mid-Parliament change of Prime Minister without a general election. Burnham will take office with Labour still holding a Commons majority, but facing pressure over public services, living costs, immigration and the advance of Reform UK.

STORY

Care workers are set to be represented in a new Fair Pay Agreement process, with the Government announcing plans for a £500 million package to support improved pay and conditions. Ministers said the measure was intended to tackle low pay, insecure work and high turnover in the adult social care workforce.

The agreement process is expected to bring together unions, employers and Government to consider pay, training and wider employment standards. Ministers have argued that improving conditions for care workers is essential to stabilising a sector under long-term pressure.

Councils and care providers will be watching closely for details of how the funding will be distributed. The policy is likely to be welcomed by unions, but providers may warn that any new wage commitments must be fully funded to avoid further strain on local care markets.

STORY

Reform UK has won the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner by-election, in a shock result which underlines Labour’s continuing problems in the county after Norwich South MP Clive Lewis called earlier this year for Sir Keir Starmer to step down. Colin Sutton, a former detective, was elected as Norfolk’s new police and crime commissioner after securing 32,647 votes.

The Labour candidate, Beth Jones, finished fifth with 14,192 votes, behind Reform UK, the Conservatives, the Greens and independent candidate Marcus Pearcey. The result will add to concerns about Labour’s position in Norfolk, where the party has struggled since the local elections and where internal criticism of Starmer’s leadership became unusually direct.

Sutton’s victory also makes him the first Reform UK police and crime commissioner. ITV News reported that he is a retired detective who helped bring Levi Bellfield to justice and that he won 26.6% of the vote in a low-turnout contest.

The by-election was held on 16 July after Sarah Taylor resigned as Norfolk’s police and crime commissioner with immediate effect in June. The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk said Taylor’s resignation had been received on 4 June, while later reporting said she had cited complex family reasons.

The official declaration showed turnout was just 17.14%, with 429 rejected ballot papers. Matthew Taylor, the Conservative candidate, came second with 18,343 votes, followed by Green candidate Martin Schmierer on 16,907, independent Marcus Pearcey on 16,402, Labour’s Beth Jones on 14,192, Restore Britain’s Mark Buckton on 13,319 and Liberal Democrat Christopher Brown on 10,499.

The result comes little more than two months after Lewis said Starmer should step down following Labour’s heavy local election losses. Speaking to ITV News Anglia in May, Lewis said the results were not merely a difficult night or a messaging problem, but a “political crisis” which risked becoming terminal if Labour did not face it honestly.

Lewis said at the time that the Prime Minister had reached the point where the question was no longer whether he could recover, but whether staying on would cause lasting damage to Labour’s ability to govern, rebuild trust and stop the advance of the right. He added that a timetable for Starmer’s departure was necessary and warned that Labour’s base was collapsing in provincial England.