Andy Burnham to be appointed UK prime minister by King Charles

Plus: Trump celebrates reports Burnham could back more North Sea drilling

Monday, July 20, 2026 Good morning and welcome to your daily news briefing from The Independent   Andy Burnham to be appointed UK prime minister by King Charles, Shabana Mahmood’s history on tax and welfare sparks tensions with Andy Burnham allies and police issue update after Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate arrested in US. Top stories 1 | Andy Burnham to be appointed UK prime minister by King Charles after Starmer’s final speech Read more 2 | Exclusive: Shabana Mahmood’s history on tax and welfare sparks tensions with Andy Burnham allies Read more 3 | Police issue update after Andrew Tate and Tristan Tate arrested in US Read more 4 | Trump weighs in on North Sea oil and gas row hours before Burnham becomes PM Read more 5 | Spain secure World Cup glory to banish miserable Argentina and their anti-football Read more Read deeper I spoke to the first chatbot – they’ve been deluding us from the start What do the people of Liverpool think of Burnham’s Manchesterism? What books are your favourite authors are reading this summer? I was at the Islamic festival shut down by an alleged terror plot I tried ‘nature’s Mounjaro’ to see if it worked. Here’s what happened Your Views Your Views ‘Stand on its own, or fail’: Readers on why BBC should axe TV licence Our community says the corporation should scrap the licence fee altogether and move to a subscription model, as new figures reveal 500,000 households cancelled theirs in a single year. Share your opinion and read the full debate here.   One thing that needs to be tackled immediately is the BBC’s practice of paying exorbitantly high salaries to ‘stars’ who are often nothing of the kind.   Their value is usually attached to the programme itself and the BBC brand, not the presenter – if one leaves, another will likely attract a similar audience. A presenter often becomes famous because they host Match of the Day or the Radio 2 breakfast show, not the other way round.   Musil   WATCH  Inside Andy Burnham’s No 10 takeover STAT OF THE DAY 80% The amount UK aid funding for nine African countries will be slashed by after  plans to reduce the aid budget. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY   “The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!” Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Sunday to claim that Andy Burnham will open up the North Sea 'all the way'  Read more Today's top deals This Oral-B bundle is better than half price at Amazon. Don't miss up to 50% off garden furniture at John Lewis.   Other stories you might like Europe has a toxic pufferfish problem, and the sharks are entering our waters – how scared should we be? Is online gaming ruining chess?  ‘Brick Lane is for humans, not machines’: Inside the fight against plans for data centre in east London Can Andy Burnham succeed where Keir Starmer failed? It’s Keir Starmer’s final week in office. 739 days ago, after a rejection of the Tories and a sweeping landslide for Labour, he became PM. So where did it all go wrong for him? Today we take a trip down memory lane to summer 2024 and the beginning of Keir Starmer’s rocky first 100 days and ask: can Andy Burnham learn from Keir Starmer's mistakes? Can Andy Burnham succeed where Keir Starmer failed? It’s Keir Starmer’s final week in office. 739 days ago, after a rejection of the Tories and a sweeping landslide for Labour, he became PM. So where did it all go wrong for him? Today we take a trip down memory lane to summer 2024 and the beginning of Keir Starmer’s rocky first 100 days and ask: can Andy Burnham learn from Keir Starmer's mistakes? LISTEN NOW Join the conversation and follow us Download our apps: Please do not reply directly to this email   You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Evening Headlines newsletter.   To unsubscribe from The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, or to manage your email preferences please click here.   This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 14-18 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1AH. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345 Read our privacy policy and cookie policy