Just one month ago, Andy Burnham was still mayor of Manchester. He had not even returned as an MP as he waited for the constituents in Makerfield to cast their votes in the by-election.

Today though, he is set to be unveiled as the new Labour leader, replacing Sir Keir Starmer in a bloodless coup after emerging in a leadership “contest” as the only candidate for the job. On Monday he will be confirmed as the UK’s new prime minister.

But in that month, Mr Burnham has avoided serious scrutiny despite being elevated to the most important job in the country.

A speech he gave in Manchester when the leadership election was triggered saw no opportunity for the media to ask questions.

And today, when he is unveiled as Labour leader, it is widely expected that he will not take questions from the media.

He will give a second speech today behind closed doors to Labour members somewhere in the south east.

Labour actually tore up the order paper in parliament to prevent the Tories using an opposition day debate to force an extension of parliament into next week to allow MPs to scrutinise the new prime minister.

It means that, with parliament in recess, Mr Burnham has until September to lead the country without facing proper scrutiny, including on major decisions around the direction of his government.

So far he has exposed himself to 15 minutes of friendly chatter with the journalist Andrew Marr on LBC, a discussion about football with Gary Lineker, and answered some carefully curated questions from the public on Reddit.

Rather amusingly, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch gatecrashed the Reddit Q&A just to get a question into him.

Even his appearance in central Cardiff this week, where he took an hour of questions from the public, was cut down to a short clip on his social media channels that didn’t offer any enlightenment on his plans for government.

Instead, Mr Burnham is adopting a strategy being used now by Nigel Farage – who also wants to duck questions about his undeclared donations – of avoiding the press and instead doing direct videos on social media to the public.

He needs to listen to the warning given by Sir Keir’s former director of communications Steph Driver, who has written a report for the Institute for Government (IfG) about the failings of current government communications.

She wrote: “It’s fashionable to suggest prioritising digital strategies, and disregarding legacy media. This is a false choice. government comms now means being everywhere, to everyone, all the time, from TikTok on the bus, to the 10pm headlines, to chasing the front pages.

“To use all these channels well, with quality and targeted content, needs an urgent revisiting of current rules on civil service neutrality, which are holding back thousands of talented potential storytellers.”

Regarding Mr Burnham, there is so much that remains unanswered. Who is going to be his chancellor and why? What changes can we expect to the Middle East policy now he said Labour got it wrong on Gaza? Why did he give a massive loan to a developer in Manchester who failed to build social housing? What exactly does he plan to do with his devolution agenda? If we are tearing up 40 years of economic consensus what is he going to replace it with? Does he still think we should rejoin the EU?

That is just a taster of the questions he needs to answer and it is very worrying that a new prime minister should start his tenure with such an unwillingness to be scrutinised.

Mr Burnham is hoping that he can get by with positive vibes and cheery messages to get him through and continue with a “Burnham bounce” in the polls.

The lesson of Sir Keir and, in fact, Mr Farage, is that positive vibes run out very quickly and public suspicion of those who are not willing to put themselves up to answer questions can grow very quickly.

Ukrainian forces hit 116 shadow-fleet vessels in a week-long drone onslaught in the latest humiliation for Vladimir Putin and his army.

The most recent blow on July 14 saw explosions light up the night sky as Kyiv‘s drones swooped down and attacked Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov.  

‘The shadow fleet is wasting away,’ said Major Robert ‘Magyar’ Brovdi, the commander of Ukraine‘s drone forces, in a post updating the operation’s ‘score-card’ on the morning of July 15.

He said that Ukraine had hit ‘116 vessels over the past nine days’, including several tankers and cargo ships, in the Azov Sea.

He said the aim was to damage Russia’s ‘shadow fleet’ and to limit Russia’s petrol supplies to Moscow-controlled Crimea.

The Azov Sea lies between Russia, the southern stretch of Ukraine that has been occupied by Moscow‘s army and Crimea.

It is an important export route for agricultural products – including grain from occupied Ukraine that Kyiv says is ‘stolen’ – and for supplies to Crimea.

The sea strikes come as Ukraine has massively intensified drone attacks deep into Russia, causing nationwide shortages.

They target Azov vessels – small courier craft that transport fuel to Crimea or transfer it to larger Black Sea ships blocked from shallower waters

Ukraine’s success stems from three main factors: coordinated strikes on Russian air defences and oil refineries that distracted Moscow and weakened its anti-drone capabilities, the precise development of long-range FP-2 drones, and a strategic miscalculation by Putin.

To reach the Sea of Azov, drone teams launch from small, mobile positions inside Ukraine. 

The aircraft then pass over Russian-occupied land, avoiding Moscow’s ‘softened-up’ air defences.

FP-2 drones carry light payloads that enable them to travel at least 250 miles to hit Russian tankers. 

They target Azov vessels – small courier craft that transport fuel to Crimea or transfer it to larger Black Sea ships blocked from shallower waters. 

To evade radar, these drones fly just above the waterline. During attacks, they strike the bridge to disable steering and communication systems rather than sinking the vessels. 

This tactic forces Moscow to deploy tugboats to rescue drifting ‘ghost ships,’ creating new targets for Ukraine and straining Russian military logistics. 

Major Brovdi aims to force Russia back onto land supply routes, which remain vulnerable to precise Ukrainian drone strikes. 

With the new strikes in the Black Sea, Russia could face difficulty in exporting grain and petroleum through the city of Novorossiysk.

Industry sources said that several grain ships were hit on July 13 and July 14 and caught fire

Industry sources said that several grain ships were hit on July 13 and July 14 and caught fire.

‘They are standing there like targets before a firing squad. In a couple of days, there won’t be a single intact boat left in the Sea of Azov, only damaged ones,’ one of the sources said.

Russia on Tuesday accused Ukraine of terrorism over its escalating attacks.

‘What the Ukrainian regime is doing goes beyond even piracy. Pirates, at least, plunder and keep the spoils for themselves,’ Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

‘But here, it benefits neither them nor anyone else – the goal is simply to cause damage and intimidate. It is terrorism, pure and simple,’ Lavrov said.

Shipping in the Sea of Azov remained restricted on Tuesday. It lies at the mouth of the Don River, which flows through Russia’s main southern grain-producing region, and handles mostly smaller, coastal ships.

A source said on Monday that commercial vessels were unable to enter or leave the Sea of Azov via the Kerch Strait or the Azov-Don channel connecting the sea with the Don River.

Ukraine’s operation forces Moscow into a dilemma. On 28 June, Putin directed his government to increase maritime fuel shipments to Crimea, reacting to intense Ukrainian drone strikes that turned the overland route into a deadly corridor. 

However, the Moscow Times reports that Russian insurers have withdrawn war-risk coverage for tankers, and the state is refusing to step in. 

Due to budget constraints, the finance ministry is actively blocking proposals for state-backed insurance guarantees. 

With the new strikes in the Black Sea, Russia could face difficulty in exporting grain

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The Agriculture Ministry acknowledged that exports may get diverted to other routes. 

‘Given Russia’s significant capacity for transshipping agricultural cargo in various regions, supply logistics will be redirected if necessary,’ the ministry said in a statement.

A Ukrainian military source said: ‘The Ukrainian Armed Forces strike only military targets or targets that contribute to strengthening Russia’s combat capability.

‘Civilian cargoes are not among them. By talking about attacks on civilian vessels, Russia is looking for a pretext to justify its cynical strikes on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure.’

Russia has stepped up its strikes on Ukrainian Black Sea ports since the end of last year, and Ukrainian officials say ports in the Odesa region could see their monthly grain export capacity cut by as much as one-third.

Around 7,000 tickets are still listed on Fifa’s ticket sites for Saturday’s World Cup bronze medal match between England and France.

As of Friday at 10:00 BST, the game in Miami (kick off 22:00 BST) has not yet sold out with 1,246 tickets on general sale listed at $865 (£657) and $1,125 (£855).

There are a further 5,864 tickets available on the official resale platform, with the cheapest being category three available at a face value of $455 (£346) plus Fifa’s 15% fee.

However, there are many tickets in the higher-priced categories listed well below what they were purchased for.

A category one ticket with an original price of $1,125 (£855) has a hugely discounted price of $659 (£500).

Sunday’s World Cup final is also not yet fully sold out, with 32 of the most expensive tickets still on general sale.

However, these tickets cost between $29,995 (£22,796) and $32,970 (£25,057). These are standard tickets, not VIP.

More than a thousand tickets remain available on the Fifa resale site, several around face value plus the Fifa fee.

The original price of these tickets was $7,380 (£5,609), which means if you decided to buy one of these, Fifa will add an extra $1,107 (£841).

The most expensive resale ticket for the final is listed at $2m (£1.52m), plus a Fifa fee of $300,000 (£228,000).

Prices on resale are set by users and do not directly reflect what people are actually paying.

Mr Ahmed, now 73, has already been stripped of his British citizenship and is left with only Pakistani nationality.

The Government has already started the process of making changes to the law to allow the deportation of the convicted rapist and sex offender.

At the latest town hall meeting in Rochdale, councillors urged the government to end the legal loophole in the Immigration Act 1971 that prevented the deportation of Mr Ahmed and other offenders.

The 1971 law currently forbids the removal of a small group of Commonwealth citizens who arrived in the UK more than 50 years ago.

A motion, tabled by council leader Neil Emmott, also provided support to all victims of the grooming gang, who have to live with the devastating impacts of their crimes.

Cllr Emmott said: “For those survivors of grooming gangs and child sexual exploitation (CSE), every time this comes back into the media it tears a scab off the wound of those victims.  

“Shabir Ahmed was the leader of the grooming gang and sexually exploited those women in our community. He showed no remorse at that trial.

“Let’s see him deported.”

Reform, Workers, Conservatives and Lib Dems all agreed the grooming gang leader should be deported.

But Workers Party’s Cllr Mohammed Shafiq said all foreign nationals committing heinous crimes should be deported, no matter their race or ethnicity. 

This statement was repeated amongst councillors across the chamber in Rochdale Town Hall. 

Rochdale Town Hall. Uploaded by George Lythgoe. Credit: LDRS. free to use for LDRS partners

Cllr Shah Wazir simply said: “He is an evil man. We don’t want him in this country.”

Shabir Ahmed was one of nine in the grooming gang who exploited young girls at two takeaways from 2007. He was jailed in 2012 for 22 years for his crimes but was released earlier this month after serving 14 years of his sentence.

He is currently unable to return to his address in Oldham and is banned from parts of Rochdale.

The government has announced plans to change the law in order to facilitate his removal from the country. However Pakistan is continuing to resist any move to return him there.

They said it was the ‘worst feeling in the world’

The parents of a three-year-old boy injured in a crocodile enclosure said they didn’t think he “was going to make it” in a new update. The young boy was left seriously injured after he ended up in the crocodile enclosure of Johnson’s Zoo in Old Hurst on June 18.

He has since been in hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries to treat his injuries. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family and has so far raised more than £67,000.

The boy’s parents have provided an update on their son’s health, sharing that he has undergone his seventh surgery. In a post on the GoFundMe page this week, the parents said: “Our son had his seventh surgery.

“In that surgery the surgeons completed a nerve graft on his left arm. They harvested a nerve from his leg to replace part of the nerve that was missing in his left arm.

“Over time, this nerve will hopefully embed and help our son to regain some function in his left hand. We won’t know whether the nerve graft has been successful until tests can be carried out in a few months time.”

The parents added that the boy has now been in hospital for more than a month. They explained that when he first arrived on June 18, he underwent a 12-hour surgery where surgeons “performed miraculous things”.

They added: “They were faced with tendon damage, nerve damage, blood vessel damage, broken bones and severe tissue damage in both his arms, neck, head and face. Those were the worst 12 hours of our lives as before that we were signing consent forms involving resuscitation and amputation.”

In a devastating reflection, the update said: “We were unsure if our son was going to make it and that was the worst feeling in the world. 4 weeks later and the cheeky little boy that we love so much is talking to the nurses, playing using his feet and smiling again. We are amazed at how far he has come.

“We are not at the end of our journey but are hopeful that the surgery will be the last for now which means if everything goes well we will be able to go home soon.” Once home, the parents said they face “new challenges”, helping their son to recover “physically and psychologically”.

They added: “Both of us are taking time off work temporarily to support our son during his rehabilitation. We don’t know what recovery and rehabilitation looks like at this moment in time but we know our son needs us more than ever.

“Thank you again for all your well wishes and support during this difficult time. We are forever grateful that you have all helped us to stay by our son’s side every step of the way.”

Already facing queues at the busy roundabout, full closure could mean further delays

Drivers will face delays in Oldham as a dual carriageway near the town centre shuts. The closure will be in place until September.

Oldham council has issued a reminder to drivers as the Manchester Street Viaduct, a flyover next to Oldham town centre, will close for refurbishment. This is part of £6.5m works which started on May 18 and are due to finish in December 2026.

The A62 will be closed completely in both northbound and southbound directions from July 19 to September 3. The project is being funded through a mix of Oldham Council as well as Department for Transport funding.

The viaduct was built in the 1970s and ‘is now in a poor and deteriorating condition due to its age’. Oldham Council said: “It is in need of repair and improvement to extend its lifespan, to keep Oldham Way open and maintain the resilience and efficiency of the existing highway network.

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“Since being built no maintenance works to halt deterioration have been undertaken. The planned works will ensure the structure remains in service for years to come.

“The planned maintenance works includes waterproofing, expansion joint replacement, concrete repairs, parapet refurbishment and resurfacing.”

The viaduct is located above the A62 Oldham Way/Manchester Street roundabout and carried high volumes of traffic from Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, and other parts of the borough.

Works are currently taking place with the carriageway cut down to one lane. Drivers have face delays already due to the works and with both lanes due to close, this could get worse.

The local authority said it was ‘working with our project team to ensure that works are phased in such a way to minimise disruption to local businesses and residents over this period’.

However drivers going south are being told to leave the A62 at the Manchester Street roundabout exit slip road, go around the roundabout and rejoin the A62 at the next slip road. Those going north are being told to do the same in the opposite direction.

The council added: “Most of the work will be carried out using lane closures to help keep disruption to a minimum. However, some full closures of the viaduct will also be needed so that important concrete repairs can be carried out to key parts of the structure.”

Explaining the need for the project, the local authority said: “Typically, highway structures have a design life of up to 120 years. To achieve the design life maintenance interventions are required as materials and components deteriorate over time.

“Manchester Street Viaduct was constructed in the late 1970s. To date, no maintenance works to halt deterioration have been undertaken.

“As such, Oldham Council are undertaking planned maintenance of the viaduct and ensuring the structure remains in service for years to come.

“The planned maintenance works includes waterproofing, expansion joint replacement, concrete repairs, parapet refurbishment and resurfacing.”

By JOANNA CRAWLEY, DEPUTY SHOWBIZ EDITOR (NEWS)

Published: 09:35 BST, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 09:51 BST, 17 July 2026

James Corden and his wife Julia Carey have been enjoying some time together in their old home city of Los Angeles, heading out for a romantic dinner date this week.

The couple were spotted strolling to celebrity-favorite pasta restaurant Funke in Beverly Hills.

The TV star, 47, looked dapper in a black shirt and jeans whilst his wife of 14 years looked chic in a white coord set and sandals.

The couple used to live just five miles from Beverly Hills in a vast family home in the exclusive Brentwood Park neighbourhood.

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They sold the seven-bedroom estate in 2023 for $17.1 million after James quit his US series The Late, Late Show to relocate back home to the UK.

Lately though the star has been back Stateside, returning to US broadcasting to host the World Cup after show for Fox, with ex-England captain Rio Ferdinand and comedian Ian Karmel, formerly co-head writer on The Late Late Show.

James Corden and his wife Julia Carey have been enjoying some time together in their old home city of Los Angeles, heading out for a romantic dinner date this week

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‘Soccer is a massive part of my life,’ he explained when his new venture was announced. ‘In the eight and a half years that I lived in Los Angeles, I would go and watch Galaxy games with Zlatan Ibrahimović when he was playing, and I saw the rise of LA.’

‘It really feels like now is an incredible time for North America to be hosting this tournament and we’re going to really try and have some fun.’

James and Julia, who married in 2012, share three children, Max, 13, Carey, 10, and Charlotte, seven, and he has admitted it has been ‘hard’ on his family to split their time between their home in the UK and US for James’ work since their relocation.

The actor was also working in the US last autumn, starring in the Broadway musical Art.  

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He explained to People.com back then how his family had been flying back and forth.

‘It’s hard, but very lucky we were here for the whole time of rehearsals and they’ll be back out for a couple of weeks in October,’ he said. ‘I get to go home, actually, this weekend because I had something I was already booked to do before this arrived, so … it’s okay, we’re getting through it.’

James quit his job hosting The Late Late Show after eight years to spend more time with his family.

It aired its last episode in April 2023, and James subsequently moved back to London with Julia and their three children.

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The couple were spotted strolling to celebrity-favorite pasta restaurant Funke in Beverly Hills three years after relocating from LA to the UK 

Explaining his decision to Extra, he said: ‘My kids are getting older, their grandparents are getting older, and it perhaps just felt like the right time for us as a family to be freer in our decisions.’

Speaking to Drew Barrymore about his exit, James admitted: ‘Look it’s not easy in any way to walk away from something that is so, I mean, I’ll never work in a better environment than the one I work in now.

‘Nothing about leaving the show was to do with not enjoying it. I love it. But the truth is it became a very easy decision because I always knew it was an adventure and I never, ever considered it to be the final destination.

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‘But I will know, at my core, that the best thing for me and the best thing for us as a family is to put down some roots in London, and it feels absolutely right in every single way.’

Olive Farrow was tragically killed after being hit by a car in Nottinghamshire on Sunday

The family of a four year old girl who tragically died after being struck by a vehicle have described her as a “cheeky, funny and sassy little girl” who was excitedly looking forward to beginning primary school.

Emergency services were called to Nottingham Road in Gotham at 2.28pm on Sunday after reports that Olive Farrow had been involved in a collision, according to Nottinghamshire Police.

The force confirmed that the youngster sadly died in hospital shortly afterwards. A 59-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and has subsequently been released on bail, reports the Daily Star.

In a moving tribute issued by the police on Friday, Olive’s family stated: “Olive was a cheeky, funny and sassy little girl, who may have been tiny in size, but she certainly made up for it with her big personality.

“Not a day went by without Olive singing and dancing her way round the house and spreading her affection; always kissing and cuddling and going out of her way to be kind to everyone.”

“Olive’s memory will live on with all the colourful paintings we have around the house. Quite often she would take herself off and come back with a beautiful work of art as she was so creative.”

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They added that she was “inseparable” from her two brothers Teddy and Sonny, whom she “looked up to with so much love”.

Her family continued: “Olive was due to join Sonny at primary school, having had her taster sessions. She was so excited to be joining her brother there.

“No words can express the loss and pain felt across the family and all that knew Olive, we are utterly devastated to think we can no longer hold her in our arms.

“We would like to thank the community for coming together to support us through this difficult time. It has helped greatly to see the outpouring of love with the messages and flowers laid on Nottingham Road.”

The family has organised a vigil at St Lawrence’s Church in Gotham on Friday for friends, relatives and members of the local community, and have requested that media representatives do not attend.

Sergeant Paul Clark, from Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This is a deeply tragic incident, and our thoughts continue to be with Olive’s loved ones at this unimaginably difficult time.

“The circumstances of her death are being investigated, and we would ask people not to speculate on social media. I would also ask the privacy of the family is respected as they come to terms with what has happened, including at today’s vigil.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the police quoting incident 424 of July 12.

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