As part of the government’s Great British Summer Savings campaign, children aged five to 15 can travel for free in England, including on Bee Network bus services, throughout August.

In addition to this, 16-year-olds in Greater Manchester will be able to activate their Our Pass one month earlier (from 1 August instead of 1 September), giving them an extra month of free bus and cheaper tram travel.

The move means that all young people in Greater Manchester will be entitled to free bus travel for the whole month, with under-5s travelling free on the Bee Network all year round.

So, whether visiting the Imperial War Museum at Salford Quays, soaking up the sun in Heaton Park, or shopping at the Arndale in Manchester, all under-18s in Greater Manchester can travel for free on Bee Network buses this August.

Fran Wilkinson, Customer and Growth Director at Transport for Greater Manchester, said:

“We’re pleased to be taking part in the Greater British Summer Savings scheme which will mean free bus travel on the Bee Network for everyone aged five to 15 in August. This will help make days out more affordable for families this summer.

“To complement this national scheme, we are allowing Our Pass to be activated one month early which means no young person in Greater Manchester will miss out. The Bee Network is all about making it easier and more affordable to get around Greater Manchester and this national scheme will help us do just that.”

The government’s Great British Summer Savings scheme, which is aimed at making days out more affordable for families this summer, was announced earlier this year.

The scheme offers 5 to 15-year-olds free travel on participating local bus services in England throughout August and will be available on all Bee Network buses in Greater Manchester.

No registration or sign-up is required to benefit from the Summer Savings scheme on the Bee Network, anyone aged between five and 15 can just ask the driver for a free ticket as they board the bus.

In addition to the national Summer Savings scheme, 16-year-olds in Greater Manchester will be able to activate their Our Pass a month earlier than usual this year.

Launched in 2019, Our Pass is currently used by more than 50,000 young people across Greater Manchester who are entitled to free bus travel and some half-price tram tickets.

Anyone who was aged between 16 and 18 on 31 August 2026 and is a resident of Greater Manchester is eligible to apply for a digital Our Pass via the Bee Network app, with a one-off £10 admin fee.

Once approved, the Our Pass can be activated from 1 August, instead of 1 September – and for those who apply after August 1, once approved, it can be activated immediately.

For more information, visit the Our Pass website. Anyone who does not have access to a smartphone or the internet, or those who need additional help, can call 0161 244 1000 or visit their nearest Bee Network travel and information office for a paper application form.

‘Check out my bangers,’ says Holly Willoughby, holding up a string of uncooked sausages and falling into a fit of giggles at her swanky new kitchen island.

Unveiling her twice-a-week YouTube show, the former This Morning star gives free rein to the naughty, fun-loving side we only occasionally got to see on TV.

Another clip from her sparkly new project shows her being asked close-to-the-bone questions by comedian Katherine Ryan.

The notoriously risque Ryan starts a game of ‘S**g, Marry, Avoid’, giving as choices presenter Romesh Ranganathan, actor Rob Beckett and comedian Josh Widdecombe, which prompts the giddy admission from Willoughby that she would ‘s**g Romesh’.

And the 45-year-old is left further red-faced when her guest tells her: ‘I’m just sending Romesh the video of you saying you want to s**g him!’ (Ranganathan, Holly later told me, promised to send her a ‘right to reply’ response, though she remained tight-lipped about what exactly he said.)

More laughs come as another comedian guest, Joanne McNally, dresses her in a series of tracksuits for a fashion skit.

Yes, Holly is back, but the shackles are off and she’s laughing again. Two-and-a-half years after she sensationally quit This Morning after 14 years at its helm, she gave me a sneak peek yesterday of Holly Willoughby Together, the show she will launch next week.

Seven months after I revealed the project, which she has been working on in secret for almost a year, she showed me a montage of forthcoming episodes over avocado toast and Paloma cocktails at the Langham Hotel in central London, while her 15-year-old daughter Belle watched excitedly.

In fact, says Holly, Belle provided some inspiration, since she’s of a generation that no longer watches terrestrial TV but is glued to YouTube instead.

Willoughby left This Morning after she learned, to her great distress and fear, that former security guard Gavin Plumb had plotted to kidnap, rape and murder her.

Plumb was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 16 years, but the psychological damage to Holly was done. Overnight, Britain’s best known TV host disappeared from our screens.

Now all that is behind her. After a short clip of some of the new show’s highlights, she exclaimed: ‘I feel like I’ve just given birth!’

I ask if she’s worried about the reaction to her new project, after all that’s happened. ‘I know I’m not everyone’s cup of tea,’ she said. ‘I know that and that’s fine. I don’t want to try to convince people if they don’t want to watch. I don’t fear what people think. I’ve had real fear, I know what that’s like. Your perspective changes after something like that.’

The show will also, you sense, finally erase the trauma surrounding the end of her friendship with Philip Schofield, her former co-host, who left This Morning after lying about an affair with a much younger colleague.

Produced by her husband Dan Baldwin’s production company, Hungry Bear Media, and sponsored by online healthcare company and leading weight-loss provider Voy, Holly’s new offering is undoubtedly a lifestyle show in the This Morning mould, with content arranged into five sections: Talk Together, Cook Together, Look Good Together, Better Together and Hang Out Together. It is, though, far glossier with a logo in unmissable pink.

In fact, no one would be surprised if the upper echelons at ITV look on enviously at their former star’s fresh take on the genre, especially as the viewing figures for This Morning, now hosted Monday to Thursday by Ben Shephard and Cat Deeley, are in the doldrums. In its heyday with Holly and Phil, ITV’s daytime flagship pulled in an audience of two to three million, but today struggles to stay above 500,000.

In the Cook Together segment, Holly shares a recipe from an A-list pro. Stanley Tucci is one of the first guests, and she is also joined by younger chefs with largely online followings, such as Lauren Leyva, King The Chef and Original Flava.

Holly hosts the fashion slot herself, joined by make-up artist Victoria Penrose, while Better Together offers practical guidance from experts on issues such as health, wellness and ‘life admin’.

But it’s the Hang Out Together section which will no doubt draw fans, with Holly’s close friends – former Spice Girl Emma Bunton and All Saints singer Nicole Appleton, for example – joining her for a drink, chat and giggle.

‘Everyone knows what happened to me,’ she says. ‘Why should I not be able to carry on doing what I do because of what happened?’

The mother-of-three insists it isn’t all laughs, however. She also wants to tell difficult stories and raise awareness of social issues.

In one episode, she wipes away tears interviewing tech safety campaigner Ellen Roome, whose son Jools took his own life after a TikTok challenge went wrong.

The show is filmed at a new, purpose-built studio in London which resembles a rather luxurious house. White walls, pretty sofas and of course a sleek kitchen, which I predict will be much talked about. Gone are Holly’s expensive floral dresses, which she wore on This Morning, and the stilettos too. Instead she has gone for more of a ‘cosy’ look of jeans and casual tops.

Notably, she is presenting her show alone. She reminds me that the only time she has done this before was on a remake of Cilla Black’s Surprise Surprise from 2012 to 2015. But she insists she has ‘plenty of people around me’.

Does she miss anything about her old days at the helm of This Morning? ‘Of course,’ she says. ‘I miss it so much. I miss my team, I miss the life. I loved that show. I really enjoyed it. We had 14 incredible years, and I felt really lucky that it was part of my life.

‘I don’t think you can work on something for 14 years, then just delete it in your mind. I had all my kids on that show. And I learned so much from it. I grew up on it, I was 28 when I started.’

Following her resignation from This Morning, Holly spent many months trying to regroup. She says she ‘couldn’t think about work’ at first, immersing herself in domestic life with her family.

Her return to TV was gradual, first hosting two episodes of You Bet for ITV and the Netflix reality show Bear Hunt in February 2025.

Since then, she has been a stay-at-home mum to Harry, 17, Belle, 15, and 11-year-old Chester, which she ‘loved’. Now, however, she is ready to get back out into the limelight.

‘Everyone knows what happened to me,’ she says.

‘Why should I not be able to carry on doing what I do because of what happened?’

The King said he was impressed by the design of the mosque, which has several environmentally-friendly features

King Charles said he was impressed by the design of Europe’s first eco mosque on a visit to Cambridge. He praised “all the care and attention which has been lavished on it”.

The King, 77, was told about the environmental credentials of Cambridge Central Mosque on a tour. He was greeted by cheers from well-wishers in the street as he stepped out of a maroon Bentley in front of the mosque on Monday afternoon (July 20).

He spoke to dignitaries in a paved garden area with a fountain before moving inside the mosque, where he spoke to more line-ups of people. Charles took off his shoes before walking through to a prayer hall where he spoke to more people. He joked with some schoolchildren that he hoped he had not “ruined the holidays too much by dragging you in here”.

Back in the first room, having put his shoes back on, Charles unveiled a plaque marking the 75th anniversary of Cambridge being granted city status by King George VI. Charles was then presented with a book about the mosque.

The mosque says that its “emphasis on sustainability and high reliance on green energy make this Europe’s first eco-mosque”. The building has solar panels on the roof and is heated and cooled by heat pumps in the basement that produce more energy than they consume.

Grey water – such as from bathroom sinks – and rainwater are collected to flush toilets and irrigate the grounds. The building is naturally lit all year round by large skylights in the roof, supplemented by low energy LED bulbs.

After Charles unveiled the plaque, he said it had been a “pleasure” to visit the mosque. Addressing those in the room, he said: “If I may say so I’m so impressed by the quality of the design, of all the care and attention which has been lavished on it, and the fact you have a purpose-built mosque here with the community centre attached.

“It makes a huge contribution I’m sure not only to the Muslim community but to Cambridge itself. So I congratulate you and I pray with all my heart that you continue with every possible success and that you continue your work together with other faiths in this area to set a remarkable example of integrated faith activity.” He thanked those present for having him to visit.

As he walked back to his waiting car Charles spotted a group of children with flowers among the crowd in the street and took the time to speak to them, with security staff following him to the crowd. The children gave him the flowers and the King spoke with them.

Angharad Walter, 45, of Cambridge, brought her nine-year-old daughter Indigo along after a friend told them that Charles would be visiting that day. She said one of the mosque volunteers had gone to a local cafe and got some flowers that “they get gifted… from companies when they’re going to go past their sell-by date”.

“We were really surprised when he came over, it was really nice,” said Ms Walter. Her daughter, Indigo, said it was “amazing” when Charles came across and “I felt so excited”. “He was very nice and kind,” she said.

Zeynep Coskun, a trustee at the mosque, said it was “such an honour to be able to host the King here today”. “He was very kind, he talked to everyone, he tried to understand everyone’s role,” she said.

She continued: “He was especially interested in the gardens and the environmental features of the mosque. This is an eco-friendly mosque. It’s a hot summer day but it’s still cool inside, it’s all passive heating and cooling.”

In a separate visit later in the day, Charles officially opened the city’s new Whittle Laboratory, a centre for disruptive innovation in net zero aviation and energy. He had broken ground on the project in 2023 and also previously visited in 2020 and in 2022.

The original Whittle Laboratory, an aerospace and energy laboratory, was opened in 1973 by Sir Frank Whittle, who founded the company that invented the jet engine while still an undergraduate at Cambridge.

The Sustainable Markets Initiative (SMI), founded by the King in 2020, has helped bring together leaders from across sectors to support the lab, and to unlock investment and foster cross-sector collaboration.

Michael Carrick’s Manchester United have been handed an update on the future of Roma star and France international Manu Kone, following the conclusion of the World Cup

Manchester United have reportedly begun talks to sign Roma star Manu Kone this summer, with the midfielder’s wish becoming clear. United have been linked with a move for the France international for some time as they continue their plans to strengthen their squad.

Two midfielders have already been signed by United this summer, with Andrey Santos the first through the door at Old Trafford after a £50million deal was agreed with Chelsea.

Youri Tielemans was then signed by United after the Reds agreed to pay the £35million release clause in the Belgium international’s contract at Aston Villa.

Even though two midfielders have already been signed, United are reportedly looking to go into the market again for reinforcements, with Kone emerging as a target over the last few weeks.

L’Equipe have now reported that United have opened initial talks with Roma about the possibility of signing Kone, and are also ahead of Arsenal in the battle to secure the 25-year-old’s signature.

The report also claims that Kone has expressed a desire to see his future sorted out as soon as possible, which could mean that a transfer may end up being finalised in the near future.

Kone starred for France at the World Cup this summer, where he helped Les Bleus reach the semi-final of the tournament before going on to get knocked out by Spain and subsequently lose to England in the third-place play-off match.

It has also been reported that United have identified Kone as a priority target this summer, but may also face competition from two unnamed Premier League clubs.

There have also been suggestions that Kone’s initial €50million (£42.5m) price tag may have increased to €60million (£51m) after featuring at the World Cup.

FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE! Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page

The update on Kone comes amid continued uncertainty around the future of Atalanta star Ederson, with United having agreed a £38.8million package deal with the Serie A club earlier this summer, and it remains to be seen if the transfer will go ahead.

United are currently in the early days of their pre-season preparations and recently lost 1-0 to Wrexham in their opening friendly fixture of the summer in Finland.

Michael Carrick & Co will travel to Norway next as they prepare to face Rosenborg on Friday in their next pre-season friendly.

Why are Mercedes struggling to understand George Russell’s straight-line deficit? They must have all the data on his battery deployment, ICE output, e-motor power, plus how much drag his aero and car set-up, such as rake angle, generates – Sean

At the Belgian Grand Prix, Mercedes experienced unexplained behaviour from their power unit.

Russell suffered for this, by having a mystery lack of energy over a lap in qualifying. It cost him some but not all of his deficit to team-mate Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff put the loss from the engine at about 0.2-0.25 seconds.

A pretty much identical thing happened at McLaren to Oscar Piastri in relation to Lando Norris.

Both drivers also experienced a shortfall of energy on the first lap that contributed both to Russell’s incident with Hamilton and Antonelli being passed by Max Verstappen on the approach to Eau Rouge.

As Wolff said: “All Mercedes engines had a lack of energy out of Turn One so that wasn’t only George. It affected him more than Kimi but also Kimi had that issue to a certain degree.”

The one in the race was, Wolff said, “a new issue”.

Mercedes said they did not understand why either situation had happened.

The fundamental issue is that the latest F1 hybrid engines are highly complex, as are the rules by which they have to be operated, and the manufacturers and teams are still learning about them.

One of the impacts of this is that small nuances of driving can have a disproportionately large impact on energy availability. It’s one of the reasons why the drivers do not like these engines.

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella, among the best technical communicators in the sport, has talked about this extensively this season.

At the weekend in Spa he said: “To operate these power units, you don’t operate them in an open-loop way, whereby I would be able to have an off-line simulation and say, ‘Oh, that’s how the electrical power will be deployed and it will always be identical to itself’.

“There’s a large component of the controller that operates the power unit that happens with live calculations and the power unit forward-thinks, forward-calculates what it has to do. There’s a lot that happens as the car goes.

“This is why it’s not so easy to understand what kind of calculations have been made as the car was going.

“I’m sure we will understand the reason, but at the same time you need to be able to anticipate and make sure that the operation of the power unit unfolds as expected.

“Because this is not only for the influence it has in the power-limited sections, [and] in the straights, but also because it affects the braking points.

“Because if you have an additional amount of harvest before braking, then you are approaching the braking 10km/h slower and your braking point changes.

“This is quite difficult to master for the drivers, and it’s one of the reasons why they talk about the difficulties of exploiting the power unit from a driving point of view.

“It’s not only to get the most out of the power unit, but also because the variations of the power unit affect the references as you approach a corner.

“But the variations that are significantly relevant are so small that they may happen from one lap to the other, even if you have learned from the previous laps.”

This complexity also explains why McLaren have been frustrated this season by some aspects of their relationship with Mercedes, particularly in terms of how much information they have been given about the operation of the engine.

As Stella said: “It’s only now, and we are mid-season, that we are starting to have the required tools in order to be able to anticipate, optimise, and study these sensitivities.”

It was revealed to viewers of the ITV soap last month that Sarah was the one responsible for the abuser’s death

Coronation Street fans think they have rumbled what will happen to Sarah Platt following her arrest for the murder of Theo Silverton, and it could see her get away with it.

It was revealed to viewers of the ITV soap last month that Sarah was the one responsible for the abuser’s death, after he lured her to his flat under false pretences by using his husband Todd Grimshaw’s phone.

Corrie fans will recall that Theo’s lifeless body was found by a horrified Betsy Swain on the night of her mum, Lisa Swain’s, wedding to Carla Connor back in April.

Click here to sign up for more Coronation Street updates in our newsletter

Viewers first learned that Theo was among the five villains at risk of being killed off during an episode of Corrie in February, which featured flashforward scenes showing Betsy being interviewed by the police about finding the dead body of someone she knew.

Eventually, a week after the wedding aired, it was revealed that Theo was the victim, which came after he tried to torment Todd one last time. His death has since triggered a murder investigation, with Corrie confirming Todd as a suspect, along with George Shuttleworth, Summer Spellman, Christina Boyd, Gary Windass and Danielle Silverton.

But as Corrie fans now know, it wasn’t any of the six, as it was Sarah who appeared to deal the blow that sent a drunk Theo tumbling off the scaffolding outside his flat and plummeting to the ground – before she called on her former flame, Gary Windass, for help.

Corrie fans later watched as Sarah confessed the truth to Todd, while Kit remained determined to pin Theo’s murder on Gary, not realising that he has been covering for Sarah. That was until she confessed to her copper beau last week, just as he was trying to pop the question.

Advertisement

Kit eventually promised that he would protect Sarah from getting arrested and offered to get her and Gary’s phones scrubbed clean. However, he could be heard asking for a copy of the phone’s data, suggesting his plan wasn’t to help Gary at all. But it was during Monday’s (July 20) edition of Corrie that the police finally made a major move in their investigation.

Aware that the police were closing in, a panicked Sarah was disrupted by her brother, David Platt, who wanted them to record a birthday message with her son, Harry, for Audrey Roberts. Bethany went on to join them in Sarah and Kit’s flat, but they were soon interrupted by the police barging in through the door and arresting Sarah on suspicion of murder.

Down at Weatherfield police station, Lisa interrogated Sarah before providing evidence that they had found splatters of Theo’s blood on her clothing from the night of the crime, after her clothes were taken in as evidence from her own attack by Jodie Ramsey, which came after Theo’s murder took place.

Run by Breastfeeding Together, the free weekly walks are open to all ages and provide an opportunity for pregnant women to meet other mums, ask questions, and build new connections.

Parents with babies are also encouraged to join, with friends and family welcome too.

The walks take place every Monday from 10 am to 11 am, meeting at Horwich Library, BL6 7AJ, and every Thursday from 1 pm to 2 pm, meeting at Moss Bank Park, BL1 6LU.

No booking is required – people can simply turn up on the day.

For more information, call 07742 234496, email enquiries@breastfeedingtogether.co.uk, or visit Breastfeeding Together Bolton.

Nine-year-old Eva was watching an episode of the children’s show Horrible Histories about the stone age recently when a question popped into her head. The cave men were speaking a broken form of English, but Eva thought that didn’t sound right and she wondered: how was the first language formed?

She joined our host Eloise to get some answers from anthropologist April Nowell on The Conversation’s Curious Kids podcast.

In each episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids, a child joins host Eloise to ask a top researcher their burning question.

To listen to season two, follow us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen on the Yoto Player via the Discover section on the Yoto interactive audio platform for kids.

You can also listen back to season one and read lots of answers to questions sent in by children around the world in our Curious Kids series.

Got a question? Pop it in an email, or record it and send us the audio to curiouskids@theconversation.com.

This season of The Conversation’s Curious Kids is supported by the University of Southampton in the UK, a world-leading research-intensive university with a global network of international students and campuses in Malaysia and Delhi.

Disclosure statement

April Nowell does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Credits

This episode of The Conversation’s Curious Kids was hosted and mixed by Eloise Stevens. The producer was Katie Flood and the executive producer was Gemma Ware. Credits in this episode to Horrible Histories, Pysched for Nature and Wild Ambience.

By HUGO DUNCAN, BUSINESS EDITOR

Updated: 08:15 BST, 21 July 2026

Andy Burnham has sent borrowing costs soaring as he vowed to exploit ‘any flexibility’ in the fiscal rules before naming John Healey Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The yield on ten-year gilts – a key measure of how much it costs the UK government to borrow – rose above 5.04 per cent yesterday afternoon as investors fretted over the new Prime Minister’s tax and spending plans.

It slipped to 5.03 per cent in early trading this morning amid ongoing nervousness about Mr Burnham’s ability to fund his spending spree. 

It puts the yield over the 5 per cent level that until this spring had not been breached since 2008 – and well above the levels seen under Liz Truss.

Advertisement

The rise in UK borrowing costs was the fastest in the G7 in what Rupert Harrison, an advisor to George Osborne when he was Chancellor, described as ‘some early warning signs from the gilt market for Andy Burnham’.

It already costs Britain more to borrow than any other country in the G7 as investors demand more to lend to the UK than to the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Japan.

John Healey is appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer by new PM Andy Burnham

Advertisement

Higher government borrowing costs feed through to mortgages and business loans – piling pressure on household finances and corporate profits.

Investors are fretting over Mr Burnham’s economic plans and what Mr Healey will announce in his first Budget expected this autumn.

It follows the sacking of Rachel Reeves, who also presided over a sharp rise in borrowing costs as Chancellor despite being seen as relatively ‘market-friendly’ due to her adherence to the fiscal rules.

The appointment of Mr Healey comes after weeks of speculation that the job would go to either Ed Miliband or Shabana Mahmood.

Advertisement

Mr Healey quit Sir Keir Starmer’s government last month in a row over military spending.

He will now be charged with finding the money to fill a hole in the defence budget that Ms Reeves refused to fill.

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Mr Burnham promised ‘to give people some breathing space, now, some help with the cost of living’ but at the same time ‘meet our fiscal rules’.

He later added: ‘I’ve said we’ll stick to the fiscal rules, and by that I mean the existing fiscal rules, and use obviously any flexibility within them.’

Advertisement

The comments fuelled fears he is planning a fresh round of tax hikes and more borrowing to fund increased spending – potentially triggering an adverse reaction on financial markets.

Matt Amis, investment director at Aberdeen, said talk of ‘using flexibility in the fiscal rules seems to have got the market’s attention.’

He added: ‘It just shows this week in particular the language from the Burnham administration, the new chancellor, is going to be key here. The gilt market is on edge.’

Mohamed El-Erian, chief economist advisor at Allianz and a bond market expert, said: ‘Once again, the UK is experiencing the largest move in government bond yields. This coincides with the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, recommitting to existing fiscal rules while also seeking “flexibility” within them.’

Advertisement

Analysts said the reaction could have been worse had Mr Miliband been appointed Chancellor – but warned of uncertainty in the months ahead.

Enrique Díaz-Alvarez, chief economist at global financial services firm Ebury, said: ‘The lack of policy detail from the new premier casts a pall of uncertainty over British assets.’

Stuart Widdowson, a fund manager at Odyssean Investment Trust, said: ‘Each shift in leadership brings fresh uncertainty over tax, spending and regulation, and summer 2026 looks no different.’

DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS

AJ Bell

AJ Bell

Easy investing and ready-made portfolios

Hargreaves Lansdown

Hargreaves Lansdown

Free fund dealing and investment ideas

interactive investor

interactive investor

Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month

Freetrade

Freetrade

Investing Isa now free on basic plan

Trading 212

Trading 212

Free share dealing and no account fee

Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.

Advertisement

Compare the best investing account for you