Andy Burnham:

I will not rest until we live in a Britain where everyone has a roof over their head every night, and no one is forced to sleep rough on our streets.

Andy Burnham:

We will reform Right to Buy, not taking the right away from anyone in an existing home, but removing it from the new homes we build.

So they are there for generations to come.

Andy Burnham:

Landlords who rent out the worst-quality homes will be given warnings to improve them.

If they refuse, we will make it much easier for councils to acquire those homes, and we will legislate if necessary.

Andy Burnham:

To the millions of leaseholders across the country, you have my word: the days of you being squeezed for every penny are coming to an end.

Andy Burnham:

Go to almost any town across Britain, and you will see plenty of empty homes.

We will give councils the power to take control of them and bring them back into the public housing stock.

Andy Burnham:

Today, I can confirm Angela Eagle will present a strengthened water bill to Parliament.

The centerpiece of that bill will be this: the repeal of Margaret Thatcher’s ideological ban on public ownership of water companies.

Andy Burnham:

One of the biggest barriers to growth in the UK is the cost of energy. British businesses and bill payers pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe.

Within 10 years, I want those costs to be in line with our neighbors. This means reforming a broken energy market so it better serves the public interest. We are already taking more control of our electricity prices with a massive expansion of homegrown renewables and nuclear.

I have asked Miatta to speed up the breaking of the link between what we pay for power at home and the international gas market to get bills down.

Andy Burnham:

We will be pragmatic in relation to the North Sea as we build a bridge to a clean energy future and face the climate crisis.

Andy Burnham:

I realize people can’t wait forever for change, though. They need breathing space now, and I am determined to provide it.

I can say to everyone watching: you will see VAT disappear off your electricity bill this Thursday.

Andy Burnham:

From January, you will be able to travel for the whole of 2027 anywhere in England, paying no more than two pounds for a single bus journey.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz:

Hamas leaders abroad are also in the crosshairs.

Putin’s envoy Kirill Dmitriev held “constructive” talks with U.S. officials in Washington on ending the Ukraine war and possible postwar U.S.-Russia energy initiatives.

Dmitriev, head of Russia’s RDIF sovereign wealth fund, also met with representatives from the U.S. Treasury and Energy departments.

Source: Reuters

BIG: Pete Hegseth plans to cut the number of general and admiral positions in the U.S. military by 20% as part of a Pentagon shakeup.

The reductions apply to senior leadership positions, with some roles downgraded rather than eliminated.

Source: Fox News

Andy Burnham:

I will be steadfast in my support for Ukraine and stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere.

Andy Burnham:

We will be principled in our leadership in securing a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, as Ed Miliband has shown.

Trump’s envoy John Coale is pushing a plan under which Russia would release political prisoners in exchange for eased U.S. sanctions, potentially opening the way for trade deals with Moscow even before the Ukraine war ends.

Trump has approved the initiative, modeled on a similar approach with Belarus.

Source: The Atlantic

Senior Iranian MP Ebrahim Azizi:

The U.S. will inevitably leave this region, and the Zionist regime’s days are numbered.

Ultimately, it is we and our neighbors who remain here, face to face.

That day will be a day of regret.

Andy Burnham:

We led the world’s first Industrial Revolution from the Midlands and the north of England, so why can’t we lead the next?

We can and we will.

Trump and Mike Johnson will meet with 31 tech leaders and government officials for a White House AI lunch focused on regulation and industry oversight.

Attendees include Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia, Google, Meta, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Anthropic, Palantir, AMD CEO Lisa Su, and Broadcom CEO Hock Tan.

Government officials attending include Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and National Intelligence Director Jay Clayton.

Source: Axios

Andy Burnham:

It is always in my mind that I’m the seventh prime minister in 10 years. It is why I want to underpin our plan for Britain with a new politics.

In past years, you have voted twice to support electoral reform.

I hear you. I agree with you. And today, I am announcing a new National Commission on electoral reform.