Andy Burnham admitted the Labour Government ‘needs to be better’ today after he was officially installed as PM by the King.

The new premier delivered his latest hint at a lurch to the Left in a speech in Downing Street, watched by an adoring crowd of aides and supporters. 

Mr Burnham said he wanted to put services under ‘stronger public control’ and ‘reindustrialise’, repeating his view that Britain has been heading in the wrong direction since Thatcher. 

He made clear his first instruction to officials would be to end rough sleeping, and revealed there would be some help on the cost of living announced tomorrow – but stopped short of giving any details. 

The address came after Mr Burnham was invited to form a Government at an audience in Buckingham Palace.

But the former Greater Manchester Mayor is already facing a crucial moment as he names his Cabinet this afternoon.

The Labour Left is still clamouring for Ed Miliband to be made Chancellor, despite alarm from businesses and moderates. Markets have been calmer following speculation that Shabana Mahmood will get the role instead, but any surprises could prompt a panicky response.

Meanwhile, the fates of big beasts such as Angela Rayner, Wes Streeting and Yvette Cooper are due to be decided.

Resignations have begun, with prisons minister Lord Timpson announcing he is going alongside Sir Keir. 

Unusually, Mr Burnham was accompanied to meet the King by wife Marie-France van Heel. Buckingham Palace said in statement: ‘His Majesty received in audience the Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP and requested him to form a new Administration. 

‘The Rt Hon Andrew Burnham MP accepted The King’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.

‘Ms Marie-France van Heel was also received by His Majesty.’

The constitutional changeover came after Sir Keir used a farewell address outside No10 to insist he has not been a failure – despite only surviving two years following a huge election victory.

Sir Keir said he was ‘closing the book on my time’, saying ‘my work is done’ and the country is ‘stronger’. He insisted Mr Burnham – who orchestrated a coup to secure the leadership – would have his ‘full support’.

‘I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything we have achieved,’ he said, thanking wife Victoria and his family. 

Close Cabinet allies including David Lammy and Rachel Reeves had gathered with hundreds of aides in a sunny Downing Street to watch Sir Keir say goodbye. London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also present for the emotional moment. 

On another momentous day in UK politics:

• Mr Burnham has revealed his Alzheimer’s-hit father does not know he is going to be PM, as he vows to overhaul social care;
• Eco-tycoon Dale Vince was spotted in Downing Street, amid confusion over whether the Government will allow more drilling in the North Sea; 
• The new PM has hinted at an earlier end to the freeze on the basic rate tax threshold, without saying how it would be funded; 
• Mr Burnham will become the first openly Catholic PM in around 500 years, with work-arounds put in place to protect the Church of England; 
• Loudspeakers have been banned near Downing Street today after protesters blighted Sir Keir’s speech announcing his resignation.

Andy Burnham was greeted outside No10 by crowds of aides and supporters, who had gathered to hear his first speech to the country

Andy Burnham was officially installed as PM by the King today after Keir Starmer bowed out 

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Unusually, Mr Burnham was accompanied to meet the King by wife Marie-France van Heel (pictured arriving at Buckingham Palace)

Eco-tycoon Dale Vince was spotted in Downing Street wearing a ‘chips are vegan’ T-shirt, amid confusion over whether the Government will allow more drilling in the North Sea

Keir Starmer is giving a farewell address outside the famous black door of No10, just two years after winning an extraordinary election landslide 

In his valedictory statement , Sir Keir said: ‘I am about to visit His Majesty The King to offer my resignation and close the book on my time as Prime Minister.

‘My work is done. In six and a half years, I took our party from a historic defeat in 2019, changed it so it was fit to face the country and won a landslide general election victory in 2024.

‘Since then, it has been the privilege of my life to serve you and this great country as Prime Minister, and I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago.

‘Our economy is stronger. Our public services are on the up, with the biggest fall in waiting times for 17 years. Children are being lifted out of poverty every single day.

‘Immigration is down significantly. Our defence and security are on a far stronger footing and our international reputation is greatly enhanced.’

The handover comes barely a month after Mr Burnham returned to Westminster following his victory in the Makerfield by-election.

He has been installed by Labour MPs in a ‘coronation’, without a formal vote by activists – or having to spell out any policies.

Among the vague commitments laid out by the incoming PM so far are devolving power away from Westminster.

He has announced he will scrap Sir Keir’s flagship digital ID programme to focus money and attention on the cost of living.

In an interview with The Times, Mr Burnham said he had already spoken to the Treasury about his planned announcements and stressed the importance of making people ‘feel better’.

Adding that complaints about frozen tax thresholds had been ‘lodged in his mind’ since the Makerfield contest, he said: ‘So when people, they’re just characterising me as a tax raiser, well again, it’s never that simplistic is it? The breathing space point is a really serious one.’

The comments raise more questions about how Mr Burnham will pay for giveaways, after he backed a ‘land tax’ and harked back to the 1970s condemning Thatcherite reforms.

But the weekend was dominated by bungled briefing over whether the new Government will allow new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

The leader’s team has now confirmed he will stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto, which promised not to issue new licences.

Instead he could merely allow expanded drilling at the Rosebank and Jackdaw sites – something that was being considered by Sir Keir’s administration.

That could bode badly for Mr Burnham’s relations with Donald Trump, who yesterday jubilantly hailed more drilling as a way of stopping Britain being a ‘poverty stricken disaster’.

Mr Burnham also faces a decision on whether to temporarily nationalise Thames Water as the firm struggles with a £20billion debt pile.

He has already expressed support for greater public control of essential services, and Thames Water’s main creditors have said they are willing to discuss the issue with his new ministers in an effort to agree a rescue deal and avoid the business falling into a so-called ‘special administration regime’.

Another priority is likely to be reforming social care, which he has said is something he wishes to ‘expend political capital’ on.

The Labour Left is still clamouring for Ed Miliband to be made Chancellor, despite alarm from businesses and moderates

The fates of big beasts such as Angela Rayner, pictured on the campaign trail with Mr Burnham, are due to be decided

Keir Starmer’s resignation was accepted by the King at an audience in Buckingham Palace today

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Close Cabinet allies including David Lammy and Rachel Reeves had gathered with hundreds of aides in a sunny Downing Street to watch Sir Keir say goodbye

There was a hug for Chancellor Rachel Reeves – also expected to lose her job – after the speech

Sir Keir gave his wife a kiss as they left Downing Street for the final time today 

Sir Keir and Lady Victoria got into a car to be driven to Buckingham Palace after his speech

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Kemi Badenoch warned Mr Burnham he will have to cut spending instead of increasing taxes

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has urged Mr Burnham to engage other parties to solve the ‘social care crisis’, calling for guaranteed rights for family carers, a universal safety net and protection against ‘catastrophic costs’.

Kemi Badenoch has also written to Mr Burnham, saying her party will work with him to cut the welfare bill and calling for him to rule out tax rises and back new oil and gas drilling.

Mrs Badenoch told Mr Burnham she would ‘never shirk’ from holding him to account, adding: ‘You will enter office without having set out a clear plan on any of the issues facing our country.

‘You have refused calls to come to Parliament for questions from MPs, and you have not submitted yourself to serious media scrutiny. This is not a promising start.’

Stourton was a presenter of the BBC Radio 4 programme Sunday, and was a frequent contributor to the Today programme, where for ten years he was one of the main presenters.

He died on Saturday (July 18) beside his family.

Stourton had been living with prostate cancer, a diagnosis he shared in his 2023 memoir, Confessions.

Tributes as journalist and broadcaster Edward Stourton dies aged 68

Jonathan Munro, interim CEO of BBC News and Current Affairs, paid tribute, saying: “It’s far too soon to lose Ed.

“I worked as his producer when he was ITN’s Diplomatic Editor — unflappable then and ever after.

“Many years later I was listening to his superb analysis of the new Pope for the BBC — another of his many areas of expertise.

“Not many broadcasters can present Today, BBC One’s One O’clock News, The World at One and Sunday — but he did.”

Mohit Bakaya, controller of BBC Radio 4, said: “Ed was an absolutely outstanding broadcaster.

“He brought intelligence, authority and an extraordinary hinterland to everything he did.

“When Ed was behind the mic, whether on Sunday or the various news programmes he regularly presented for Radio 4, you felt you understood the world that little bit better.”

Life and career of Edward Stourton

Born in Nigeria in 1957, he was raised in the UK and went on to study English literature at Cambridge University.

Stourton began his journalism career at ITN in 1979 and became a founding member of Channel 4 News in 1982.

He was appointed the programme’s first Washington correspondent in 1986 before joining the BBC as its Paris correspondent in 1988.

He returned to ITN as Diplomatic Editor before moving back to the BBC in 1993 to present the One O’Clock News.

Stourton later became a familiar voice on BBC Radio 4, joining the Today programme in 1999 and remaining for nearly a decade.

He went on to present The World at One and The World This Weekend from 2009 onwards.

As a Roman Catholic, he fronted Radio 4’s religious programme Sunday, as well as The Heaven and Earth Show and the BBC Two documentary series Absolute Truth, which explored the Catholic church.

Stourton also hosted Panorama, Any Questions, and his own Radio 4 phone-in, Call Ed Stourton.

He is survived by his wife, Fiona Stourton, and their four children.

Do you have fond memories of watching or listening to Edward Stourton? Let us know in the comments.

By PHILLIP NIETO, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 12:27 BST, 20 July 2026 | Updated: 12:52 BST, 20 July 2026

Two US soldiers killed by Iranian strikes in Jordan have been identified on Monday as Donald Trump prepares to expand his war against the regime. 

1st Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, and Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, were killed following an attack on an American air base in Jordan on Friday, the Department of War announced. 

Gonzales, a Texas native, died Friday; Feehan, of Hawaii, died Saturday. They are the first American troops killed in the war with Iran since March, bringing the overall US death toll to 17.

A third US soldier was killed in northern Iraq on Saturday during the controlled detonation of unexploded Iranian drone. The Pentagon has not released the soldier’s identity. 

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As American deaths continue climbing, Trump’s confrontation with Iran is spiraling toward a far wider conflict with the US unleashing its ninth consecutive wave of strikes.

Trump, speaking at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday night after attending the World Cup final, said the US had ‘hit them very hard again’ in a fresh barrage launched to avenge the fallen soldiers. 

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US Vice-President JD Vance has announced the birth of his fourth child, a boy, with his wife Usha Vance.

Alec Neel Vance was born on Sunday morning, the vice-president said in a statement on social media.

“Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he added, also thanking the military doctors and staff at Walter Reed Medical Center for their care.

It is the first time a baby has been born to a sitting vice-president while in office for more than 150 years, according to the Associated Press. President Donald Trump hailed the news, writing in a post: “Congratulations! A perfect baby boy for the wonderful Vance family.”

The pair have three other children: Ewan, 9, Vivek, 6, and four-year-old Mirabel.

Usha Vance (née Chilukuri) was born and raised in the working-class suburbs of San Diego, California, to a mechanical engineer father and a molecular biologist mother who had moved to the US from Andhra Pradesh, India.

She met JD Vance as a student at Yale Law School in 2010, when they joined a discussion group on “social decline in white America”.

During a game of S**g, Marry, Avoid, a giddy Holly Willoughby admitted she would s**g comedian Romesh Ranganathan.

It was pal Katherine Ryan who asked her to pick from Romesh, Rob Beckett, and Josh Widdicombe in the cheeky game. Then, teasing Holly, she said, ‘I’m just sending Romesh the video of you saying you want to s**g him!’. 

It appears the presenter has finally got her spark back in a first look at her new YouTube show, Together. 

But it wasn’t just giggles. Later, Holly is seen wiping away tears as she interviewed a grieving mother whose son took his own life.

It’s quite the new project for Holly, 45.

For 14 years, she was the much-loved presenter of ITV’s flagship show, This Morning.

Watched by millions, Holly would interview celebrities, politicians, and of course members of the public on the show’s famous sofa.

During a game of S**g, Marry, Avoid, a giddy Holly, 45, admitted she would s**g comedian Romesh, 48

But three-and-a-half years since she quit following a horrific and terrifying plot to kidnap, rape, and murder her by former security guard Gavin Plumb, Holly is back – and she’s doing it alone.

On Wednesday morning, she unveiled her YouTube programme, Holly Willoughby Together, which will feature lifestyle content very similar to This Morning, dropping two episodes per week.

And on Monday, she gave a first look at the purpose-built studio in London.

In one shot, a stunning kitchen can be seen where she will make a recipe from her own repertoire or will learn from a top chef in front of a cream SMEG fridge and aesthetic décor. 

Holly is seen leaning on the counter, dressed in a chic white blouse and blue jeans, smiling for the camera. 

It’s there she will present the show – and she has already attracted some big name guests, including Stanley Tucci and Katherine Ryan.

Meanwhile, Emma Bunton and Nicole Appleton – two of the members from Holly’s girl gang who supported her through her kidnap plot ordeal, will also join her on her show.

There are also real-life guests, including tech safety campaigner Ellen Froome, chefs like Lauren Leyva, King The Chef, and Original Flava, plus makeup artist Victoria Penrose and florist Sally Parkes.

On Wednesday morning, she unveiled her YouTube programme, Holly Willoughby Together, which will feature lifestyle content very similar to This Morning, dropping two episodes per week

It’s there she will present the show – and she has already attracted some big name guests, including Stanley Tucci and Katherine Ryan

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Together centres on five themes. Talk Together, which features honest in-depth conversations with those who’ve been through extraordinary things; Cook Together, where Holly makes a recipe from her own repertoire or learns from the person who knows it best; Look Good Together, for fashion and beauty access.

Then there is Better Together, practical guidance from leading experts around the everyday challenges, health, wellness, and life admin.

Tech health provider Voy joins Holly Willoughby Together as its founding brand partner. 

The Mail on Sunday first revealed in January that Holly, who has worked in television for almost 25 years and was reportedly paid £730,000 a year at ITV, was working on a new digital project. 

‘Holly has done television for 25 years, and now she wants to make her own thing,’ a friend of the star said at the time. 

On Monday, Holly was seen arriving at the launch event for the show with a big smile on her face. 

Speaking at the lavish breakfast event, the presenter shared: ‘It is something new. When I was thinking about what I wanted to do, and I asked myself that question a lot, and I didn’t have the answer for a while, but I knew that when I had it, it would feel right. 

‘And I think being a little braver and not just going for the obvious option really got me.’

Holly Willoughby Together launches on 28th July with two episodes per week, available on YouTube, digital streaming platforms and across social media. Holly Willoughby Together is produced by Hungry Bear Media. 

Alexander Robson advertised his services on social media and used flyers faking the Gas Safe logo, despite not being on the Gas Safe Register

He was said to have performed illegal gas work at five properties, with lives put in danger at one of those homes.

Robson, 38, of Fenham, Newcastle, who was not registered, used flyers carrying the Gas Safe logo while trading under names including GasnHeat Plumberz and North East Renocationz.

Unregistered gas fitter Alexander Robson caught on a customer’s ring doorbell camera (Image: HSE)

He undertook gas work on boilers and gas fires at homes in Blyth, Ryton, Hexham, Winlaton and Newcastle.

Not only was the work he carried out illegal, it was also said to be sub-standard, endangering the lives of people living in the properties.

Carrying out gas work without registration is illegal and potentially dangerous, as unqualified work can lead to gas leaks, fires, explosions, and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Robson had previously been on the Gas Safe Register aligned to various businesses until February 1, 2024, but continued carrying out work for several months after that while no longer registered.

An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Robson had carried out work at the homes in question between June and September 2024.

This included boiler replacements as well as installing gas pipework, undertaking gas work on boilers and gas fires, and disconnecting gas appliances.

Appearing before South Tyneside magistrates, on Tuesday (July 14) Robson, of Bavington Drive, Fenham, admitted ten breaches under the Gas Safe (Installation and Use) Regulations 1999.

He was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Robson was ordered to complete a six-month mental health treatment requirement and complete 30 days of rehabilitation activity overseen by the Probation Service.

He was also ordered to pay £450 compensation and £200 towards prosecution costs.

Following the hearing, HSE inspector Darian Dundas said: “These breaches were carried out brazenly and in the open, using social media and faking the Gas Safe logo to tout for business.

“Little did people know what they were signing up for when they asked him for help, a rogue trader who was not competent to safely carry out the work.

“All gas work must be carried out by registered Gas Safe Register engineers to ensure the highest standards are met.

“When they are not, the consequences can be deadly.

Read next … more court stories from The Northern Echo by clicking here

“The public should always ask to see the gas engineer’s identification and check the registration number online.”

Gas engineers and consumers can contact the Gas Safe Register by email to enquiries@gassaferegister.co.uk, or by phoning 0800 408 5500 (consumers), or 0800 408 5577 (engineers).

This Prosecution was brought by HSE Enforcement Lawyer Iain Jordan and supported by Paralegal Officer Stephen Grabe.

Holly Willoughby couldn’t contain her smile as she arrived at a launch event in London for her new This Morning-style YouTube show. 

The former ITV presenter, 45, confirmed last week that her new lifestyle show, titled Together, will launch at the end of this month, as she unveiled its bold pink logo.

On Monday, Holly looked typically chic in a stylish blue jacket and trouser co-ord for the lavish breakfast event. 

She completed her ensemble with black strappy heels, a matching handbag, and sunglasses, and flashed a big smile before heading inside. 

The Mail on Sunday first revealed in January that Holly, who has worked in television for almost 25 years and was reportedly paid £730,000 a year at ITV, was working on a new digital project.

Holly Willoughby Together will launch on July 28 as a twice-weekly broadcast under five sections: Talk Together, Cook Together, Look Good Together, Better Together, and Hang Out Together.

The former ITV presenter, 45, confirmed last week that her new lifestyle show, titled Together, will launch at the end of this month, with guests including Stanley Tucci and Emma Bunton

The new project, which she is self-funding, will involve both producing and presenting her own show, as well as celebrity interviews.  

She is working with a team at her husband Dan Baldwin’s television production company Hungry Bear, which is behind shows such as Gladiators and Michael McIntyre’s Big Show, both screened on BBC One.

‘Holly has done television for 25 years, and now she wants to make her own thing,’ a friend of the star told The Mail on Sunday in January. ‘And now daytime television is very much on the slide and it’s time for something new. She is excited, it is something so new and innovative, hopefully it will work.

‘The television landscape has changed so much, people are consuming content on TikTok and other digital platforms.

‘Holly has seen an opportunity now to start something new, which has a future, unlike the kind of stuff she has done in the past.’

When Holly left This Morning after learning of an extraordinary plot to kidnap, rape, and murder her, she found herself with much more time on her hands.

For 14 years, she’d been up at the crack of dawn to sit on the sofa and present the show next to her former co-star and friend, Phillip Schofield. Holly had been ITV’s busiest star, and bosses at the network wanted her on screen as much as possible.

But Holly had been left badly shaken by the kidnap threat, for which former security guard Gavin Plumb was handed a life sentence in 2024.

For 14 years, she’d been up at the crack of dawn to sit on the sofa and present the show next to her former co-star and friend, Phillip Schofield

While she began to dip her toe back into live television, hosting two more series of Dancing On Ice and Netflix’s big-budget reality series, Celebrity Bear Hunt, Holly believes her future lies away from terrestrial broadcasting.

The source explained: ‘While she still has a good relationship with ITV, she has walked away from shows there and she has no intention right now to go back.

‘She was offered the chance to host You Bet but she declined and there have been other opportunities too: She could have taken them and carried on where she left off when she had that awful time with Gavin Plumb.

‘But Holly has an idea and she knows if she doesn’t do it now, she will never know if it will work. Of course it is a risk, but she wanted a change. Not only will she be in front of a camera but she will be in charge behind it, too, and that is very exciting.’

But the friend added: ‘Of course there is a lot of misogyny towards Holly, there will always be those people who say she hasn’t got a job at the moment or that she’s finished – but they are just bitter, and are usually men.’

Emergency services attended

A body has been recovered from a Cambridgeshire river, police have confirmed. Cambridgeshire Police were called to Town Bridge in Peterborough at around 8am on Monday, July 20.

It followed reports that a body could be seen in the River Nene. The force confirmed a body of a man has been recovered from the river.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called to Town Bridge in Peterborough at just after 8am today with reports that a body could be seen in the River Nene. The body of a man has been recovered.”

A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “At 8.22am crews from Dogsthorpe and Stanground along with the north roaming fire engine were called to assist police colleagues near Fletton Quays. Crews returned to their stations by 9.30am.”

A group of ancient Egyptian cemeteries unearthed along the Mediterranean coast have given new insight into the ancient culture – with artefacts found at the site including golden tongues and coffins.

The excavations at Marina el-Alamein, a site 60 miles west of ancient Egyptian capital Alexandria, revealed about two dozen ‘tongues’, which were customary to place into the mouths of some deceased at the time.

It was thought that they would help the dead communicate in the afterlife.

A statement released by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities explained that one of the objects found is shaped like the Eye Of Horus — a symbol which is commonly associated with healing.

‘Gold tongues are a well-documented feature of some burials dating to the Ptolemaic and Roman periods in Egypt,’ Hesham Hussein, undersecretary for Lower Egypt and Sinai archaeology, told Live Science.

‘They are generally interpreted as symbolic funerary amulets intended to enable the deceased…to communicate and recite sacred formulas in thenext world.’

Golden tongues have also been found in recent years in the Taposiris Magna temple, near Alexandria, and the ancient city of Oxyrhynchusm about 200 miles south-east of the current discovery.

According to Smithsonian magazine the practice of placing a golden tongue in a dead person’s mouth comes from spell 158 in the Egyptian Book of The Dead which asks for a ‘golden collar…to be set on the throat of the deceased on the day of internment.’

Most of the tombs unearthed in the latest find were in an ‘exceptional’ state of preservation, having been kept closed by stone slabs since they were built.

Experts have said they were likely part of the ancient city of Leukaspis, mentioned by the Greek geographer Strapo.

Leukapsis, founded by the Greeks in the second century, was a thriving commercial hub known for its wine, wheat and olive trade.

However, it was destroyed in July 365 AD by a massive underwater earthquake in Crete.

The tremor – which geologists have estimated had a magnitude of around 8.5 – triggered a tsunami which devastated the southern coast of the Mediterranean, with Alexandria and the Nile Delta also suffering severe damage.

Other items of note in the discovery included a water well and surface burials near the newly discovered tombs, which experts say reflects the social diversity of the city’s occupants as wealthy elites would traditionally have had deeper burials.

The finds point to Egyptian funeral rituals, as well as architectural influences, lasting into the Ptolemaic and and Roman eras, according to researchers.

A limestone altar, featuring an incomplete marble statue thought to represent the goddess Aphrodite, had what experts describe as ‘distinctive architecture’ pointing to an ‘imaginary door’ — a gateway between the living and the dead which is a part of Egyptian funeral doctrine.

Another of the cemeteries featured a 2.5 metre granite coffin which contained the remains of a plaster sphinx, while pottery, dishes, camphor and basins were also found at the site of the tombs.

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