Burnham hails council house comeback

Plus: 12 arrested after A66 crash which killed two police officers

Tuesday, August 25, 2026 Good morning and welcome to your daily news briefing from The Independent   Andy Burnham has announced the comeback of the council house as he unveiled a £10bn package to build 70,000 new homes, police have arrested 12 people over organised crime links connected to Saturday's A66 crash, and Mr Burnham challenged Vladimir Putin on his first trip to Ukraine as prime minister. Top stories 1 | Burnham hails council house comeback with £10bn for 70,000 new homes Read more 2 | Twelve arrested as police probe organised crime links after A66 crash that killed seven Read more 3 | ‘Who started the fire?’ Burnham challenges Putin on first Ukraine trip as UK-Russia tensions grow Read more 4 | Autistic boy died after jumping from ‘compromised’ window in 15th-floor flat, coroner says Read more 5 | Canada set to announce retaliatory tariffs against US on Tuesday as trade war escalates Read more Read deeper Why older women like me need to stop moaning about being ‘invisible’ Dale Vince: The moment I changed my mind about North Sea drilling Are narcissists born or made? The answer might surprise you How growing up as a rainbow baby shaped my identity Is this America’s Jason Arday? The Black novelist in an AI scandal Your Views Your views ‘If it smells OK, just eat it’: Readers on ignoring use-by dates As millions stretch their food budgets further, our readers say they’d rather trust their own eyes and nose than a printed date. Share your opinion and read the full debate here.   ‘Best Before’ and ‘Use by’ are artificial values. Always do the sight and smell tests. Does the product, in its packaging, look OK? Out of its packaging, does it smell OK? If both are positive, it’s good to go. Lost count of the amount of cheese we’ve ditched before its sell-by, the packaging having expanded from bad gas!   AnOldGoat     WATCH  Cleveland police and crime commissioner condemns ‘absolutely idiotic’ wrong-way driving social media trend STAT OF THE DAY 200,000 The number of visas the Trump administration is reportedly looking to revoke from foreigners who have applied for or are currently seeking asylum status in the United States. Read more QUOTE OF THE DAY “My nation kept the flame of European freedom alive in the 20th century; you hold that flame in the 21st.” Andy Burnham pledged to continue the UK's support for Ukraine during a visit to Kyiv on Monday. Read more Today's top deals The Singleton whisky is reduced to under £30 at Amazon – cheers!   Enjoy 15% off at Sync Beauty with discount code: "SUMMER15". Other stories you might like The prettiest towns and villages to visit in the UK Don’t ask us to take sides in Harry vs William – it’s childish and harmful ⁠Police issue warning over viral Cat in the Hat social media trend “Take out an Independent Premium subscription for full access to opinions that will make you think twice, whether you agree with them or not. ChatGPT won’t make you brainier, but our brilliant columnists just might” Join now with our introductory offer: just £1 for 6 months 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 Morning 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