Labour MPs call on water firms to save Britain’s lost lidos 04. July 2026 (11:00) Group, whose constituencies have derelict or at-risk pools, are campaigning to make outdoor swimming available for allCooling, blue expanses of water have been a lifesaver for many lucky enough to live near a lido during the recent UK heatwave.Now, a group of 20 MPs, along with the Fabian Society, are calling for this relief to be made accessible for all by getting water companies to fund the reopening of the country’s lost lidos. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Overseas education project for women and girls axed by UK after two years 04. July 2026 (10:00) The programme, aimed at keeping 1m girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, withdrawn after aid cutsA leading higher education programme, aimed at keeping 1 million girls in school across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, has been axed by the British government just two years after it was announced.The scheme, Strengthening higher education for female empowerment (SHEFE), which was unveiled with some fanfare two years ago by the outgoing Conservative government, had a £45m budget to increase access to higher education for 1 million students worldwide. It has now had its tender withdrawn, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
‘My childhood stopped’: woman sues CPS after taking stepfather to abuse trial 04. July 2026 (09:00) Annie’s lawyers argue that prosecution was so badly executed it breached her human rightsAt her kitchen table, in a village in southern England, Annie* sits with a blue folder stuffed with court documents, witness statements and correspondence relating to the trial of her stepfather, whom she had reported to police for alleged childhood abuse.As she prepared to tell her story for the first time, she was flooded with emotion when a photograph fell from the folder. The square Polaroid showed a young girl standing in a field beside a pony, dressed in jodhpurs and a riding hat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Pull an all-nighter? How parents, schools, fans and police plan to cope with England’s 1am kick-off 04. July 2026 (08:00) Popular national pastimes of drinking and football will make post-Mexico Monday a day of sore heads and sleepy childrenEngland are through to the round of 16 in the World Cup and, as is customary in the run-up to a major international footballing fixture, the country may be losing its mind.Because piled on top of the 60 years of hurt for the men’s team, England fans have another obstacle to overcome with the forthcoming fixture: a gruelling kick-off time of 1am BST. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Brexit rule change means British teens in EU face soaring student fees for UK degrees 04. July 2026 (08:00) Brexit means ‘home fee’ qualification ends in 2028, leaving those hoping to study in UK not now eligible for loansBritish teenagers living in the EU could be priced out of UK universities in two years’ time as a Brexit rule change means they face the double whammy of paying costlier international fees, while losing access to student finance.British passport holders living in the EU still qualify for “home fee” status at UK universities. But this will no longer be the case when the grace period ends in 2028, meaning the first wave to be affected are starting their A-levels, or equivalent, this autumn. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK and Ireland leaders fear for union’s future under Farage-led government 04. July 2026 (08:00) Politicians across Celtic nations braced for constitutional turmoil if Reform continues to riseThe rise of Nigel Farage has prompted political leaders across Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales to game the unthinkable: the break-up of the United Kingdom.Unionists who wish to save the union and nationalists who wish to end it are bracing for constitutional turmoil if Reform UK emerges triumphant – with Farage as prime minister or official leader of the opposition – after the next election. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Trump launches America’s 250th birthday celebrations with partisan attack 04. July 2026 (07:30) In a speech at Mount Rushmore on Friday evening, the US president claimed a resurgent ‘communist menace’ posed a severe threat the countryDonald Trump has kicked off America’s 250th birthday weekend with an extraordinary partisan attack on what he called the “communist menace” in America, framing its supporters as “the enemy of July 4th, 1776”.The US president spoke for half an hour on Friday night at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota, the latest stop on his tour celebrating the milestone anniversary of the US declaration of independence from Britain. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
As the US marks 250, does the special relationship still exist – or is the UK just irrelevant? 04. July 2026 (07:00) The gap between America and Britain has grown economically as Trump asserts ‘the UK is dying’. Culturally, however, it’s a different storyOn 1 June 1785 John Adams travelled to London to become the first US ambassador to Britain, in which capacity he was to meet George III. By his own admission, Adams trembled at the encounter. After all, it had been less than a decade since he helped Thomas Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence denouncing the king as an absolute “tyrant” who had “plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people”.A trepidatious Adams trudged through the London drizzle to St James’s Palace, where he presented his credentials to King George. He bowed three times, then declared he would be “the happiest of men if I can be instrumental in recommending my country more and more to your Majesty’s royal benevolence”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cornwall van dwellers face homelessness amid council crackdown 04. July 2026 (07:00) Half of county’s planning infringement notices target caravans in fields, fuelling eviction fears for vulnerable peoplePeople living in caravans and horseboxes on farms in Cornwall because they can’t afford or find a house to rent are facing homelessness after a crackdown by the council.Cornwall council recently announced that it was one of the top five authorities in England for enforcing infringements of planning regulations. Half of those notices, it said, were served on caravans in agricultural fields. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Sydney records hottest June since 1859 as expert warns new high a ‘signature’ of global warming 04. July 2026 (06:37) Bureau of Meteorology says city’s mean temperature reached 16.1C, surpassing the previous record of 15.7C set in 1991Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastSydney has officially experienced its hottest June since records began, after a winter month of spring-like warmth.While early weather data suggested the month was merely among the warmest, the Bureau of Meteorology confirmed on Friday that June 2026 broke the all-time mean temperature record at Observatory Hill, where tracking first began in 1859. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
