Andy Burnham appoints Bridget Phillipson as Labour party chair 27. July 2026 (22:13) Former education secretary will take up influential role that puts her at vanguard of Labour’s battle to win next general electionBridget Phillipson has been appointed Labour party chair, putting her at the vanguard of Labour’s battle to win the next general election.The former education secretary and architect of a landmark overhaul in special educational needs and disabilities (Send) provision in England will follow in the footsteps of other Labour big beasts who have held the position, including Harriet Harman, Angela Rayner and Tom Watson. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andrew and Tristan Tate to remain in jail until next extradition hearing 27. July 2026 (22:06) Social media influencers fighting against extradition to UK where they face rape, sexual assault and other allegationsSocial media influencers Andrew and Tristan Tate will remain in jail at least two more weeks until their next hearing as they fight extradition to the United Kingdom, where the brothers are accused of rape and sex trafficking, a federal judge said on Monday.US magistrate Lauren Louis set a detention hearing for 13 August to determine whether the Tates should stay in jail or be released during what could be a months-long extradition process. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
DoJ urges supreme court to allow Trump order targeting mail-in voting 27. July 2026 (22:02) Emergency appeal comes after court upheld ruling blocking president’s order ahead of November midtermsThe Trump administration has asked the supreme court to clear the way for an executive order from Donald Trump that could dramatically change mail-in voting.The emergency appeal comes after an appeals court upheld a ruling blocking the president’s order in nearly half the country ahead of November’s midterm elections. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Court told of slain girl’s final texts as she approached singer D4vd’s home 27. July 2026 (20:55) Los Angeles prosecutors give detailed account of Celeste Rivas Hernandez’s last night Prosecutors on Monday gave a moment-by-moment account of the last night of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, showing that after a stream of text messages with the singer D4vd, her phone went permanently silent when she arrived at his home.The texts were shown in court on the fifth and probably final day of a Los Angeles hearing to determine whether he will go to trial in her killing. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Burnham’s Ukraine gambit is a symbolic start for PM who wants to look inward 27. July 2026 (20:32) New prime minister wants to focus at home, but his first week already suggests the world has other plansIt took just seven days in office for Andy Burnham to meet his first world leader. As he welcomed Volodymyr Zelenskyy to a naval base in Portsmouth on Monday, the new prime minister told the Ukrainian president it was “no accident” he was his first international visitor since entering No 10.“It is intended to send a very clear message,” Burnham told him. “We are with Ukraine 100%, I am personally with you 100%, and I will honour every commitment this country has made to Ukraine in full.” In short, the UK’s support for Kyiv would continue despite the change in leadership. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Mitch McConnell still not cleared to resume Senate duties, office says 27. July 2026 (20:03) Kentucky senator has been absent and not seen in public since mid-June after he was hospitalized due to a fallUS politics live – latest updatesUS senator Mitch McConnell is still not cleared to return to work, his office confirmed on Monday, six weeks after he was hospitalized after a fall at his home.An update released alongside a new photograph of the Republican lawmaker – one of the highest-profile figures in Congress, as a former Senate majority leader – said he was undergoing “intense physical therapy” and is “working hard” to get back to his duties. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Hull funeral director broke families’ trust on ‘almost industrial scale’, court hears 27. July 2026 (19:30) Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors, left bodies ‘rotting away’, family members sayA fraudulent funeral director broke the trust of families on an “almost industrial scale” as their loved ones’ bodies were left “rotting away”, a court has heard.Robert Bush, owner of Legacy Independent Funeral Directors in Hull, appeared at Hull crown court on Monday for a five-day sentencing hearing. He previously pleaded guilty to 67 offences, including 30 counts of preventing lawful and decent burial. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Cracker Barrel CEO to step down after overseeing logo backlash last year 27. July 2026 (19:28) Julie Masino faced criticism as restaurant chain was called ‘woke’ and ‘soulless’ after unveiling modernized logoCracker Barrel’s CEO, Julie Masino, is stepping down, the restaurant announced on Monday, nearly a year after the company was swept into a political maelstrom over proposed modernizations to its branding.Critics on social media denounced the Tennessee-based rustic restaurant chain as “woke” as well as “sterile and soulless” after it unveiled an updated logo that removed Uncle Herschel, the overall-clad man leaning against a barrel in the restaurant’s original logo, last August. Donald Trump weighed in on the updates soon after, posting: “WTF is wrong with Cracker Barrel?!” and demanding on social media that the company “admit a mistake”. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Andy Burnham seeks cross-party agreement on future of social care 27. July 2026 (19:27) PM promises lasting solution for England but Tories rule out backing changes funded by tax rises or borrowingAndy Burnham has pledged to work collaboratively with other parties to find a lasting solution on social care, though the Conservatives have ruled out backing changes funded by tax rises or borrowing.Senior Labour and Liberal Democrat figures have privately cast doubt on Burnham’s ability to find a cross-party consensus on social care reform in England, given the terms of the Tories’ participation. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Ronnie Le Drew, puppeteer behind Zippy and David Bowie’s goblins, dies aged 78 27. July 2026 (19:21) Canadian-born British operator, president of the British Puppet Guild, died after a ‘short illness’Ronnie Le Drew, best known for operating the puppet Zippy on the classic children’s television programme Rainbow, has died aged 78 after a short illness. The news was confirmed by the British Puppet Guild, of which Le Drew was president.The Canadian-born British puppeteer was also known for working on 1986’s Labyrinth alongside David Bowie as well as 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors and various Muppet movies including in 1992’s The Muppet Christmas Carol. He worked on various iterations of Sooty, alongside Harry and Matthew Corbett, usually as Sweep, Sooty’s sidekick. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
