In The Mixer’s World Cup special

Everything you need to know about the World Cup – England updates, the games to watch and stories you missed – in five minutes, at 1pm, every day.

Primark has introduced new lower prices across hundreds of women’s, men’s, and children’s clothing lines as part of its ‘Iconic Value’ era, aiming to reinforce its reputation as the go-to high street destination for affordable fashion.

Matt Houston, chief customer officer at Primark, said: “Value matters to customers today more than ever and for more than fifty years customers have trusted us as the destination on the high street for great value fashion at prices you cannot find anywhere else.

“We want to continue to lead the way in shaping what affordable fashion looks like and give our customers the confidence that they can always trust Primark for the very best prices but without compromising on quality or on style.”

The retailer said its new pricing structure will stay in place through its 2026 Autumn and Winter collections, allowing shoppers to pick up lower-priced items without sacrificing quality, fit, or style.

Primark said the changes reflect customer priorities.

A survey commissioned by the company found that nearly half of UK shoppers (46 per cent) prioritise value for money when buying clothes for their family, with six in 10 saying good value is the most important factor in their shopping decisions.

The company also said customers can expect to see innovative fabrics, as well as improvements to fit and durability across the new lines.

To help shoppers identify the lower-priced items, Primark stores will feature prominent ‘Iconic Value’ signage on relevant products.

The new pricing comes into effect today (July 20).

Ted Baker plots comeback after disappearing from high streets

Ted Baker is plotting a major return to the high street almost two years after its disappearance from UK town centres.

The fashion brand is set to open its first new standalone UK store later this year, nearly two years after all its British locations closed following the collapse of its UK store operator, No Ordinary Designer Label.

The closures marked the end of the brand’s 36-year presence on the high street.

A spokesman for Authentic Brands Group, which owns Ted Baker, said the first standalone store will open “very soon”.

(Image: Jam Press/Ted Baker)

The brand has already begun a gradual return to physical retail through boutique concessions in Selfridges, including its latest opening at Selfridges Birmingham in the Bullring.

A similar concession was launched at the Trafford Centre in Manchester in May.

After the collapse of its UK store operator in March 2024, all 46 Ted Baker stores across the country closed by August, resulting in hundreds of job losses.

Following these closures, Authentic Brands Group relaunched the Ted Baker UK website in November, resuming online sales of menswear, womenswear, and accessories while searching for a new operating partner.

Ted Baker was founded in Glasgow in 1988 and rose to become one of Britain’s most recognisable fashion labels, operating around 550 stores and concessions worldwide at its peak.

Keir Starmer insisted he has not been a failure as PM today as he heads to see the King and officially quit.

The outgoing premier has given a farewell address outside the famous black door of No10, just two years after winning an extraordinary election landslide.

Sir Keir said he was ‘closing the book on my time’, saying ‘my work is done’ and the country is ‘stronger’. He insisted Andy 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. 

The departure will leave a vacancy that will be immediately filled by Mr Burnham, who will follow him into Buckingham Palace. He is the seventh PM in just a decade. 

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.  

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;
• 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.

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

Keir Starmer will officially exit Downing Street today – as Britain braces to find out what an Andy Burnham premiership means

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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 famous black door of No10 is given a buff up as the big moment looms 

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

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

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.’

The official X account for the State of Palestine has mocked Israel after Spain defeated Argentina to win the Fifa World Cup on Sunday.

Spain secured a 1-0 victory thanks to an extra-time winner from Ferran Torres, ending Lionel Messi’s final World Cup campaign in defeat.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made no secret of the fact that he had wanted their ally to take the trophy, saying on Saturday: “We support Argentina in so many ways, including tomorrow. I don’t hide that I’m rooting for Argentina. I think most Israeli citizens are rooting for Argentina. Good luck! Vamos Argentina.”

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also expressed his support for the country to win.

The Palestinian social media account @Palestine_UN reposted a picture of Argentinian ambassador to Israel, Shimon Axel Wahnish, gifting Netanyahu a football and shirt on the day Netanyahu declared support for the team, with a picture of the Spanish winners and the caption “Campeones del Mundo” (champions of the world).

The image has since been viewed nearly nine million times at the time of writing.

Netanyahu and Argentinian president Javier Milei share a close relationship, with the Israel leader calling Milei a “great friend” of the country. After US-Israel attacks in Iran, Milei said that he was “proud to be the most Zionist president in the world”.

During Israel’s 78th independence day celebration in April, Milei said Israel and Argentina shared “unbreakable bonds for life, united by shared moral values”.

Meanwhile, Spain has been one of Israel’s most ardent critics with prime minister Pedro Sanchez openly accusing the country of committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. Israel has repeatedly denied it is committing a genocide.

After Spanish player Lamine Yamal, 19, waved a Palestinian flag at Barcelona’s title parade earlier this year, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz accused him of choosing to “incite hate against Israel”.

Yamal’s actions led to murals of the player being painted among the rubble in the Gaza Strip as Palestinians took to social media to show their support for the teenager.

There has been growing backlash to Israel’s participation sporting tournaments following their military campaign in the Gaza strip, which has killed over 73,000 people and rising as the bombing continues.

In October last year, when Norway faced Israel for a qualifying match, the Norwegian Football Federation announced that all proceeds from the win would be donated to relief aid in Gaza. Palestinian flags were unfurled in the stands and chants of “Free Palestine” rang out.

Israel participated in the World Cup qualifiers but did not advance to the play-offs.

The Palestinian Football Association has been pushing for Israel to be suspended from the tournament in the same manner as Russia was excluded following its invasion of Ukraine. It cited atrocities in Gaza, football clubs operating in illegal West Bank settlements, and discrimination against Arab athletes.

Israel also drew criticism after a Palestinian aid official who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza was killed moments before a highly-anticipated screening of an Egypt versus Argentina match on 8 July this year.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that Israeli strikes have killed at least 894 Palestinian athletes since October 2023.

Other Argentinian players including Diego Maradona have expressed open sympathy with the Palestinian cause with the football legend declaring: “In my heart, I am Palestinian” in 2018.

The yearly statement of fees shows any charges that have been paid over the past 12 months, such as overdraft fees or from using your card abroad

Santander will soon no longer send customers an annual statement showing them any fees they have been charged.

The yearly statement of fees shows any charges that have been paid over the past 12 months, such as overdraft fees or from using your card abroad.

For example, Santander current accounts typically charge a standard variable rate of 39.94% for arranged overdrafts. The yearly statement of fees also shows any interest you may have earned.

This statement will be axed from August, but Santander says customers can already check any fees they may have been charged through online or mobile banking.

Your regular bank statements also show any fees or charges on your account. But in better news for customers, Santander recently launched a new regular saver account that pays 8% interest.

A regular savings account allows savers to put aside a certain amount of money each month in exchange for a higher interest rate.

The new Santander account comes with a rate of 8% which includes a 5% bonus for the first 12 months. After 12 months, the rate reduces to 3%. The rates are variable, which means they can be changed.

Santander customers save up to £200 a month through this regular saver, meaning you maximum they can build up with interest after one year is £2,504, then £5,018 in year two.

Customers can make withdrawals without penalties, but only by moving the money to a Santander current account. The regular saver is exclusively available to all Santander current account customers.

It comes after the Spanish owner of Santander revealed plans to cut costs by more than 500 million euros (£433 million) by accelerating the use of artificial intelligence (AI).

Banco Santander said it is targeting more than one billion euros (£860 billion) in extra revenues and cost savings from AI by the end of 2028, with over half expected to come through cost-cutting.

The savings are set to come from automation, productivity gains and process simplification. The lending giant did not disclose how many jobs will be impacted as part of the plan.

It is understood the group has not announced a programme to cut its workforce linked to the AI rollout.

The suspect in the alleged murder of Ann Widdecombe had pinned newspaper clippings of Reform UK leader Nigel Farage on the walls of his house, it was reported today.

Joshua Kerry, 28, was detained by police at his home in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, on suspicion of the killing of the 78-year-old former Conservative MP, who was more recently a Reform UK spokesperson.

Police reportedly found a number of articles about the party and its leader Farage at his council house, where he had lived alone since the death of his father last year, during searches.

This is seemingly what prompted counter-terror officers to take over the investigation, after Devon and Cornwall Police originally said they had found no evidence Miss Widdecombe’s killing was politically motivated.

The former MP and MEP was found dead at her home in Dartmoor on the morning of July 9.

Police believe she was battered to death a day earlier at around 12.30pm, just 30 minutes before she was due to appear on a Channel 5 programme.

Footage previously emerged of a man believed to be Kerry leaving his home just before 8am on July 8, with what appeared to be a long object sticking out of his pocket.

He did not return home until 6pm that night.

Footage shows a group of armed officers descending on the 28-year-old’s property in Rotherham last Saturday

A source told The Sun the clippings on his walls were about Reform UK, Farage and the party’s immigration policies.

They added: ‘It would appear he had a profound dislike of the party, its leader and its policies.’

Kerry, one of three brothers, is said to have become more reclusive since the death of his father Paul Yates last year.

Neighbours this week described him as polite, ‘quiet and shy’, saying he would take the bins out for them or hold on to parcels on their behalf. 

‘While his dad was unwell, Josh would take him out shopping in his car,’ one resident said. But after his father’s death Kerry stopped working.

The family are well-known on the Kimberworth Park estate, with several relatives having served in the military. 

Kerry was arrested on suspicion of murder on Saturday, July 11 after police swooped on his home. 

Courtney Foster, 25, who lives next door with partner Rayed Astle, 26, said: ‘We were in the kitchen and just saw the officers running up. Some were armed. Then they banged on the door very loudly.

Floral tributes outside Ms Widdecombe’s home, including a framed photo of the former MP

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‘They didn’t smash the door down because he opened it. They asked him his name, he confirmed it and they took him away.’

Kerry was later re-arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Describing him, Mr Astle said that he had barely spoken to anyone since his father, who he had moved in with around a year ago, died last December.

‘He was someone you’d have a conversation with but that changed after his dad died. He became very quiet. He kept himself to himself and wouldn’t really speak to anyone,’ he added.

Relatives previously expressed shock at his arrest, with his uncle saying he was left ‘absolutely flabbergasted’. 

He said he was in ‘total shock’ – but added that his nephew had ‘spiralled’ after the death of his father from cancer. 

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood previously told the House of Commons that the arrested suspect was not known to Prevent, the UK’s anti-extremism programme. 

By JON BRADY, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 10:54 BST, 20 July 2026

Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister later this morning following his ‘coronation’ as Labour leader last week.

The 56-year-old – the first Northern PM since Huddersfield-born Harold Wilson – will be invited to form a new Government by the King later today, shortly after Keir Starmer travels to Buckingham Palace to offer his resignation.

Burnham is expected to use his first speech on Downing Street to set out his path for what he will call a ‘more stable and responsible politics’, and will reveal his first Cabinet appointees.

But he continues to face calls to stage a general election, having been made PM without a mandate – and faces a momentous challenge in trying to convince voters in the south that he is the man for them.

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Polling conducted for the Daily Mail reveals that, outside of his Manchester stronghold, many question Mr Burnham’s right to be PM after he effectively took power by stealth.

Mr Burnham may have sought to show he is the man for the south on Friday – after staging his first engagement in Gravesend in Kent.

His coronation comes just months after he was blocked from running as a candidate in February’s Gordon and Denton by-election, which was won by the Green Party’s Hannah Spencer, as Mr Starmer sought to hold onto the keys to No 10.

But the former Labour leader relented and the party’s national executive committee allowed him to run in the Makerfield by-election last month, which he won with an outright majority.

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Watch LIVE – and scroll down to read the latest updates throughout the day:

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All hands on deck at No 10

Preparations are well under way on Downing Street for Keir Starmer’s departure – and Andy Burnham’s arrival.

Cleaners were on hand to shine up the most famous front door in the world and sound engineer Tobias Gough – better known as the ‘Podium Guy’ – has been spotted ahead of Mr Starmer’s final speech.

It may be a single outing for him, however: there is speculation that Mr Burnham will not use a lectern to deliver his first speech on the steps of No 10.

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We’ve also seen the first of Mr Burnham’s new neighbours: Chief Mouser, Larry the Cat.

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Why can Andy Burnham become Prime Minister without winning an election?

The United Kingdom’s unique political system often perplexes observers in other countries, particularly where new leaders of Government are democratically chosen every time, without fail.

Andy Burnham’s ascension to the Labour throne – and subsequently, to No 10 – without any kind of mandate is, therefore, surprising.

But in the UK, the prime minister invited to form a Government by the King is simply whichever leader of a political party commands a majority in the House of Commons.

This is usually a single party but is, as we saw in 2010 with the Cameron-Clegg government, occasionally propped up with the help of another minority group.

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But so long as Labour commands a majority in the Commons, as it does now, its leader can effectively become Prime Minister without having to prove that they are what voters want.

And that leader is only really elected by their local constituents when they vote to make them their local MP – as Andy Burnham was when he ran in the Makerfield by-election last month.

Opposition parties are calling for Mr Burnham to call a general election now and prove that he has a mandate – but there are no signs he plans to do so.

But he will have to face the music eventually. By law, a general election must be held by August 15 2029. Like it or not, he must concede voters will eventually get their say.

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Before Andy Burnham has even set foot in No 10, it is clear he faces an uphill battle to convince voters of his legitimacy.

Exclusive polling conducted for the Daily Mail by Survation reveals that voters outside of his Manchester home territory are unconvinced that he speaks for them.

In the South East of England, fewer than a quarter believe his rise to power has been ‘legitimate’, compared with 40 per cent who say it was not.

And 51 per cent of the 2,060 adults asked last week feel he should call an early general election, compared to 31 per cent who believe he can continue without securing a mandate.

Read the full story here:

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Good morning

Welcome to the Daily Mail’s live blog, as Andy Burnham is set to become Prime Minister later today.

In around an hour and a half, Keir Starmer will leave No 10 for the last time.

He will make the short journey to Buckingham Palace where he will meet King Charles III and formally offer his resignation as Prime Minister.

Minutes later, Mr Burnham (seen below this morning) will travel to the Palace himself and the King will ask him to form a Government – after which he will travel to No 10 and begin the tricky task of persuading voters across Britain that he can lead the country without a mandate.

Follow our live blog for updates throughout today.

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Good morning.

Today, the UK is getting a new Prime Minister – the seventh in just over 10 years.

Andy Burnham has twice sought the Labour Party leadership, losing out to Ed Miliband in 2010 and then Jeremy Corbyn in 2015.

But last week, the former mayor of Greater Manchester announced as the new Labour leader at a special conference on Friday. It followed the Makerfield MP emerging as the only eligible candidate, receiving 379 endorsements from his party’s MPs.

After weeks of frantic speculation, the so-called ‘King of the North’ has arrived in Westminster, ready to take on the top job.

Mr Burnham has spent nine years representing Greater Manchester as its mayor and quickly became one of the country’s most recognisable regional leaders.

He became, for many Mancunians, the public face of a city increasingly confident in speaking for itself.

But now, as our editorial states, the crushing reality of national government begins.

You can read more here.

The next World Cup will be even more different than the 2026 edition

World Cup 2026 is in the history books and the next edition of the tournament is set to see even more change.

This summer’s festival of football was the first to be co-hosted by three nations. The United States, Mexico and Canada all earned automatic qualification.

There are also going to be a trio of host countries for the World Cup 2030. Spain, Portugal and Morocco won the honour to host the tournament.

However, three more countries will also stage a match. That’s to mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each play their opening matches on home turf to mark the centenary.

While the remainder of the tournament will be held thousands of miles away, they are also not required to navigate the gruelling qualification process in a special exemption to the standard rules. The World Cup 1930 was staged and won by Uruguay.

They defeated Argentina in the final, while Paraguay have been included in the arrangement as recognition as the home of CONMEBOL, the first and only football confederation at that time. The centenary matches will be held on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June, 2030.

There will be a few days break before the tournament then gets started in Spain, Morocco and Portugal on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th. The matches involving the other teams in the groups of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will take place on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th, and the second round of matches in that group will be on the following weekend to allow for travel time.

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“The intended schedule will provide approximately 11 to 12 days for travel and rest before the second game of the six teams playing in South America, with approximately five to six days for travel and rest for the remaining six group opponents, and all other participating teams,” FIFA said in a statement published in March 2026.

“The three matches played in South America will be brought forward to a few days before the official opening matches of the FIFA World Cup, which will be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.”

This year’s tournament marked the first World Cup to feature 48 nations. Nevertheless, the governing body has been exploring the possibility of expanding the competition to 64 teams ahead of the centenary edition.

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“When you organise a World Cup, it’s important that you organise it for the whole world,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino told Blue Sport. “It’s not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively.

“Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup. We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don’t give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving.”

The World Cup 2026 allocated 16 guaranteed places to European nations, nine to Africa, eight to Asia, six each to North and South America (including the three North American host nations), one to Oceania and two to the winners of the intercontinental play-offs. Those play-offs were claimed by the Democratic Republic of Congo and Iraq, boosting Africa and Asia’s total allocations to 10 and nine respectively.