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Jun 19, 2026 - World

Size of Makerfield victory has many allies hoping outgoing Greater Manchester mayor will be installed in No 10 within daysUK politics – live updatesHow quickly could Burnham become PM?Speaking hours before polls closed in Makerfield, a Downing Street source acknowledged a rare moment of doubt about the prime minister’s future. “Keir will fight on,” the source said, repeating the message to which Keir Starmer has stuck for several weeks. “Although, that might depend on the size of the majority.”In the end, Andy Burnham’s majority was so convincing that allies hope he can be installed in No 10 within days. Louise Haigh, the Labour MP who helped run Burnham’s campaign, said on Thursday night: “I hope that [Starmer] will consider an orderly and managed transition. Continue reading...

Jun 19, 2026 - World

JD Vance’s staff were at the airbase ready to fly to summit in Bürgenstock for Iran talks before trip was suddenly cancelledTalks set to take place on Friday between the US ⁠ ⁠and ​Iran in Switzerland to implement a peace deal were cancelled as Hezbollah killed four Israeli soldiers and Israel carried out a wave of retaliatory airstrikes in south Lebanon that killed at least 18 people.The talks were set to begin in the Swiss village of Obbürgen two days after the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that opened a 60-day window to negotiate a permanent understanding over Iran’s nuclear programme, while getting oil traffic moving through the strait of Hormuz. Continue reading...

Jun 19, 2026 - World

State government and consortium strike deal to complete M6’s twin tunnels with minister insisting there is ‘no extra cost to NSW taxpayers’Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastTunnelling on Sydney’s $3.1bn M6 project, dubbed the potentially “unbuildable motorway”, will resume after the state government struck a deal with contractors, ending a two-year stalemate during which works were halted.Under the terms of the new agreement, the private consortium will absorb the costs of finishing the tunnels, limiting the financial hit to taxpayers. Continue reading...

Jun 19, 2026 - World

May figure of £23.3bn underlines challenge facing Andy Burnham if he ends up as Labour leaderBusiness live – latest updatesThe UK borrowed a higher-than-expected £23.3bn in May amid the economic fallout of the Iran war, underlining the fiscal pressures facing Andy Burnham if he takes over as the Labour leader.In figures released shortly after Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield byelection, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – for the month was the second highest for any May on record. Continue reading...

Jun 19, 2026 - World

Progressive Jewish group calls for more focus on the threat from the far right and the recognition of a diversity of views within the communityFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastFar-right extremism and the conflation of Jewish identity with Israel are the main drivers of antisemitism in Australia, the Jewish Council of Australia (JCA) says.In its submission to the royal commission on antisemitism and social cohesion, the liberal Jewish group calls for more focus on the “often overlooked” threat from the far right, and recognition of the diversity of views within the Jewish community instead of the “tendency to treat Jews collectively as representatives of Israel”. Continue reading...