Iram Ramzan

Greater Manchester is set to receive almost £17 million from a national homelessness package intended to help move people off the streets and provide settled homes and intensive support. Charities and frontline workers welcome the investment but say emergency beds alone will not end homelessness. They recommend more affordable and social housing, rent protections, wraparound mental-health and addiction services, specialist accommodation, and earlier intervention to prevent people from becoming homeless. The region’s A Bed Every Night scheme initially reduced rough sleeping, but numbers have risen again, highlighting the need to ensure that people placed indoors do not return to the streets.

Jacinda Batalha says her Audi A7 was stolen from outside her Little Hulton home after a masked thief entered through an open downstairs window and took the keys. After police allegedly took limited action, she used an Audi tracking app to locate the car in Blackburn and later Colne, where it had different number plates attached. She recovered the vehicle and brought it to a police station, but says officers declined to pursue further enquiries despite potential CCTV and fingerprint evidence. The experience has left her and her children traumatised, and she is urging car owners to remain vigilant about thieves changing registration plates.

Reform UK plans to bar foreign nationals, including EU citizens with settled status, from claiming most UK benefits if it enters government. Robert Jenrick says the policy would save about £21 billion annually by its fifth year and form part of a wider £50 billion welfare-saving programme affecting nearly three million people, including through changes to disability and sickness payments. Labour and the Conservatives reject the proposals, describing the savings claims as unrealistic and accusing Reform of shifting costs onto disabled people and employers. Extending the restrictions to EU nationals could require negotiations with Brussels and put reciprocal rights for British expatriates at risk.

Andy Burnham’s first policies as prime minister largely extend or accelerate measures introduced by Keir Starmer’s government, including high-street regulation, community mental-health services, subscription protections, asylum-hotel closures, devolution, homelessness support and housing. Burnham’s £2 bus-fare cap and stronger commitments on council housing, rough sleeping and business-rates relief are more interventionist, but the article argues that the clearest difference is his louder, faster political communication and greater emphasis on regional power rather than a complete policy rupture with Starmer.

Don't Walk Past was fined more than £500 after ten vehicles used during a homeless outreach event were parked without permission in Manchester's pedestrianised St Peter's Square. Founder Ronnie Hillyard said the group had held similar events for eight years without penalties, while Manchester City Council said the vehicles created accessibility and security concerns and that the square was unsuitable for street-kitchen services. Public reaction was divided between criticism of the fines and support for enforcing parking rules, with commenters also directing blame at local political leaders.

The UK Government has refused to intervene over the decision to end priority funding for Jodrell Bank’s e-Merlin research facility after its current agreement expires in March 2028. UKRI says the decision reflects rising costs and a need to prioritize spending, while the Government insists Jodrell Bank is not closing and will continue hosting research and serving as the headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory. Critics, including Labour MP Graham Stringer, astronauts, scientists and thousands of petition signatories, argue that the cuts threaten the site’s scientific mission and call on Andy Burnham to reverse them.

Millions of people across England and Wales received an emergency phone alert warning them not to light barbecues, campfires, fireworks or other sources of ignition because of a very high national wildfire risk. Many Greater Manchester residents criticized the loud alarm as excessive for a preventive message, while Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged people to take the warning seriously. The alert followed several major moorland fires, including incidents near Dove Stone Reservoir, Swineshaw and Holmfirth Road, where firefighters had recently brought a blaze under control.

Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig is establishing a Public Sector Land Bank to bring dormant brownfield sites and other public land into housing development. The initiative forms part of a plan to deliver 50,000 homes across the region by 2039, with 10,000 expected to be built or in the pipeline by May 2028. Government grants, including a £1.8 billion allocation from the Social and Affordable Homes Programme, will help fund the scheme. The Home Builders Federation welcomed the ambition but warned that public bodies’ reluctance to release land at viable prices could limit delivery.

A record 232 migrants crossed the English Channel in a single overcrowded dinghy, arriving in Dover after the vessel reportedly collected additional passengers from the French coast. Downing Street condemned people smugglers for using dangerous, unseaworthy boats, while the government said overall crossings in 2026 were down 43% and successful boat crossings down 49% compared with the previous year. The government also highlighted a payment-by-results agreement with France to increase beach patrols. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp criticised French authorities, the government and Andy Burnham, and called for the UK to leave the European Court of Human Rights. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the incident as evidence of a national security emergency.

Nearly 200,000 people who dropped out of university in England, Wales and Northern Ireland still owe more than £5.9 billion in student loans, despite not completing their degrees. Their repayments follow the same rules as graduates, including paying 9% of income above the relevant threshold, while compounding interest increases balances over time. The findings have prompted more than 120 MPs and peers to call for an urgent review of the system, with campaigners seeking more flexible repayment arrangements. The government has capped Plan 2 loan interest at 6% from September and says borrowers agreed to the terms, while also acknowledging the need to help students make better-informed course choices.

Newly elected Greater Manchester mayor Bev Craig says she will prioritize easing the cost of living, building affordable and council homes, improving transport and air quality, and securing greater powers and funding from Prime Minister Andy Burnham. She plans a cost-of-living summit, supports replacing Strangeways prison, and backs expanded devolution while promising stronger scrutiny and accountability. Craig also addresses homelessness, asylum-seeker distribution, historic police treatment of LGBT+ people and failures involving child sexual exploitation, arguing that national government cooperation is essential to deliver lasting change.

Bev Craig was declared Greater Manchester’s new mayor shortly after 11pm following an unusually prolonged count at Co-op Live. The supplementary voting system required a second round between Labour’s Craig and Reform UK’s Sian Astley after no candidate reached 50% of first preferences. The count was delayed for hours while officials processed votes from the region’s boroughs, with staff and campaigners passing the time by reading, knitting, watching television and getting food. Turnout was just 25.14%, the lowest recorded for the Greater Manchester mayoralty, prompting concerns about political apathy, summer absences and wider democratic engagement.

Education Secretary Lucy Powell has backed a government review of England’s Plan 2 student-loan system, which she previously called “egregious.” Graduates repay 9% of earnings above £29,385, while interest linked to inflation has caused debts to grow despite years of payments. Rachel Reeves’s decision to freeze the repayment threshold has drawn criticism, while Keir Starmer’s government has capped interest at 6% from September. Powell said the system is a cost-of-living issue but made no firm promises on reform. She also supported Andy Burnham’s plans to expand technical and vocational education without reducing university aspirations.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has indicated that benefit conditions could become stricter as the government seeks to reduce welfare spending, while arguing that claimants should receive better support to move into work. Personal Independence Payment claims in England and Wales have exceeded four million, with spending projected to rise above £41 billion by the end of the decade. A review led by disability minister Stephen Timms is expected to recommend substantial reform after previous plans were withdrawn amid Labour opposition. Burnham also promised rapid action on social care reform, warning that the current system is placing unsustainable pressure on the NHS, but gave no timetable. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the reforms to be funded through spending reductions rather than tax rises or additional borrowing.

Wildfires in southwest France have forced another 55,000 people to evacuate, bringing the total displaced in the region to 220,000 and more than 250,000 across two French fires. The main blaze has burned an estimated 162 square miles and moved to within roughly nine miles of Bordeaux, driven by strong winds and dry vegetation. About 2,500 firefighters, soldiers, aircraft and helicopters are battling the flames, while a second wave of evacuations in Spain has taken the number displaced there to 116,000.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said he would publicly disagree with US President Donald Trump when necessary and would put Britain's national interest first. He described their initial phone conversation as warm but declined to say whether he trusted Trump, amid increasingly strained Washington–London relations over the Iran conflict. Burnham also ruled out an early general election, arguing that the government must focus on implementing its 2024 manifesto and improving the country. On defence, he declined to set a timetable for raising spending to 3% of GDP, while saying the government must fully fund its defence investment plan and honour its NATO commitments. The issue has contributed to disagreements involving Defence Secretary John Healey, former Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has ruled out calling a snap general election, saying he will govern within Labour’s 2024 manifesto and focus on making the country work. After opening the government’s northern headquarters, Number 10 North, in Manchester, he said the office would help rebalance power away from Whitehall, expand devolution and reduce the costs of excessive travel to London. Burnham also discussed measures addressing the cost of living, including capped bus fares, lower business rates for pubs and music venues, and reduced VAT on domestic electricity bills. He defended his national pledge to end rough sleeping, arguing that all regions must adopt coordinated support such as Greater Manchester’s Bed Every Night scheme. Regional mayors broadly welcomed the initiative, while Burnham acknowledged the challenges of his new role and outlined plans for a UK-wide listening tour.

Andy Burnham made his first appearance as prime minister from No 10 North at Heron House in Manchester, marking the first time a northern branch of the British prime minister's office has operated outside 10 Downing Street. He chaired a National Economic Council meeting and presented the office as a way to shift power, investment and decision-making from London to northern England. Supporters, local residents and regional mayors welcomed the symbolism and potential economic benefits, while critics questioned Burnham's legitimacy, the cost to taxpayers, his record on homelessness and the political optics of his rise. Crowds waited outside the building throughout the day before Burnham emerged shortly before 7pm and told them, "I love you Manchester!"

Andy Burnham’s early actions as Prime Minister mirror policies he championed as Greater Manchester mayor, including plans to end rough sleeping, cap bus fares and expand devolution. His homelessness initiatives show initial success but worsening recent trends, drawing both criticism and praise from political figures and charities. His transport reforms, notably the Bee Network and fare caps, are highlighted as key achievements despite persistent service issues. Burnham’s governing philosophy emphasises empowering local authorities and reversing decades of centralisation. Analysts note that while Manchester has seen economic gains, many outer boroughs have not benefited equally. The first week of his premiership indicates a strategy grounded in scaling up regional policies to the national level, raising questions about whether mixed regional outcomes can translate into nationwide success.

Marlon West, Restore Britain’s candidate in the Greater Manchester mayoral by-election, has been suspended from his NHS role after the Nursing and Midwifery Council issued an 18‑month interim order over offensive social media posts. The posts included comments about Pakistani men and a call to ban Afghans from entering the UK. West, a long‑time campaigner on child sexual exploitation whose daughter was abused, said he stands by his statements. Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe defended West and questioned the timing of the suspension. The decision will undergo periodic review.

Andy Burnham becomes the UK’s new Prime Minister after meeting King Charles and delivering a speech focused on restoring stability, expanding public ownership and pursuing major devolution reforms. He outlines plans to tackle the cost of living crisis and end rough sleeping through a £340 million housing initiative. Keir Starmer departs after six and a half years, highlighting his government’s achievements before a significant Cabinet reshuffle brings in John Healey as Chancellor and Ed Miliband as Foreign Secretary while several senior ministers are dismissed. The transition marks Burnham’s rise from regional leadership to national power, setting expectations for a transformative agenda.

Andy Burnham takes office as UK Prime Minister, triggering a major cabinet reshuffle with several senior ministers, including Rachel Reeves and David Lammy, confirming their departures. Potential successors such as Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood arrive at Downing Street as decisions loom. Burnham speaks with US President Donald Trump, inviting him to Manchester ahead of a G20 summit planned for the city. Updates highlight shifting roles within Labour, reactions from outgoing ministers, and Burnham’s early commitments on policy, security and national direction.