This Is Why

If you thought wildfires were confined to the countryside, it's time to think again. Several homes have been destroyed across the West Midlands and Staffordshire as the country swelters in yet another heatwave. Scorching temperatures and a lack of rain mean most parts of the UK are at threat of fires. So what can you do to stay safe? And are the emergency services suitably prepared to deal with su...

As envelopes were ripped open up and down the country, university vice-chancellors were as eager to find out the results as hundreds of thousands of anxious students. So, a record number of undergraduates heading to campus this autumn might seem like good news for the higher education sector. But do frozen tuition frees, rising costs, and reduced investment for universities tell a different story?...

You do the crime, you do the time… or a third of it if you’re part of the early release scheme. The move has been controversial since it was first introduced two years ago - but public anger has been reignited over the scheduled release of two men convicted of killing PC Andrew Harper. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is now under huge pressure to ensure they remain behind bars - but is there anything...

In what might feel like a rare break from sunshine, the UK is preparing itself for the most spectacular solar eclipse in a generation. The cosmic phenomenon occurs when the moon passes directly between Earth and the sun, meaning the country will be slowly plunged into darkness. So, how can you watch safely? What is it about an eclipse that fascinates us? And with the Perseid meteor shower also tak...

Some leaders have gone to extreme measures to save their jobs - but is allowing a deadly war to rage on indefinitely a step too far? That is what many believe Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is doing after he rejected Donald Trump's 15-point peace plan for Gaza. The proposal was designed to end more than two years of war between Israel and Hamas - so why has Netanyahu rejected it? And c...

Artificial intelligence is already changing how we work, communicate and find information. But could its biggest impact be on science? Demis Hassabis is one of the most influential figures in AI. An artificial intelligence researcher and entrepreneur, he is the co-founder of Google DeepMind, having recently stepped down as chief executive to become the company's chair and chief scientist at its pa...

UEFA has said it is not lifting its boycott of the World Cup after FIFA president Gianni Infantino held a crisis meeting in Morocco. This appears to be in defiance of the letter issued by FIFA at the end of the meeting, which said it would "no longer tolerate any attacks on its integrity". The letter said Infantino had continued to have the support of everyone who attended the meeting, but some of...

Britain is on track for one of its worst harvests on record, according to new analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) think tank. It's bad news for farmers whose businesses are struggling, bad news for consumers who could see higher prices and potentially bad news for the country. We are far from being self-sufficient in our food production, already importing 40% of what we eat...

The 33-year-old star has announced that she is taking a break from public life due to “endless scrutiny”. In recent years her weight and health have been the subject of much speculation and concern. Grande has endured a series of traumatic events. In 2017 a suicide bomber killed 22 people at her Manchester Arena show, and in 2018 her musical collaborator and ex-boyfriend Mac Miller died of an acci...

Nigel Farage has held his first press conference in months as he launched his party's new policy to tackle small boat arrivals, if it formed the next government. It would see the Royal Navy intercepting boats carrying migrants and return them "under escort" to France or Belgium. Reform's opponents have branded the plan unworkable, with the Tories saying the policy is not credible. But with Nigel F...

Listen to Stuff Matters and subscribe for members-only content You'll never think about a banana or look at your airpods in the same way after listening to this episode. It’s the podcast crossover the world has been waiting for. Niall Paterson sits down with Sky’s data and economics editor Ed Conway to discuss his six-part podcast Stuff Matters. The premise of the show is simple - Ed takes an ever...

The beautiful game is up for sale, with FIFA boss Gianni Infantino trying to raise billions of dollars from private equity for a stake in the World Cup. It’s put him on a collision course with some of football’s most powerful bodies – including the Premier League and UEFA, which says it will boycott FIFA competitions if these plans go ahead. So, what is Infantino proposing and why is it being rush...

Continental Europe is ablaze. Could Britain be next? While we are yet to see the sort of devastation being experienced in France and Spain, record temperatures and drought conditions have already contributed to hundreds of wildfires across parts of the country. And experts are warning the UK can expect bigger and more dangerous fires in the future. So, what is causing this threat and how well prep...

What happened to Suzy Lamplugh? It’s a painful question her family and the police have been asking themselves for 40 years. The 25-year-old estate agent vanished four decades ago this week after leaving her office in Fulham to meet a client – the mysterious “Mr Kipper”. It’s now hoped previously ignored witness testimony could help solve the high profile cold case - but why wasn’t this potentially...

Week two of Andy Burnham's premiership and he's hosting his first foreign leader: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It was a meeting with benefits for both leaders - as Mr Zelenskyy seeks support on defence, while Mr Burnham wants to show off his foreign policy credentials. They both may have got what they wanted after the UK prime minister announced support for Ukraine in relation to "Ston...

Less than two years ago, Louise Haigh resigned from government under a cloud. Today, she's back at the heart of power as Andy Burnham's first secretary of state, and one of the most influential figures in Westminster. Niall Paterson is joined by Bloomberg journalist Rosa Prince to trace Ms Haigh's journey from Sheffield to the Cabinet Office. They discuss the conviction that derailed her career, h...

120 super-rich people have signed an open letter calling for higher taxes on the richest in society. They say taxing wealth more fairly could help reduce inequality, support public infrastructure and help small businesses. And point out that there are 50 families with more wealth than half of all British people. Critics, though, argue it could drive wealth overseas and damage economic growth. So,...

It's not just Andy Burnham who's been purging politicians from government. There's a wartime power struggle in Ukraine, where Volodymyr Zelenskyy ousted his top army commander Oleksandr Syrskyi – before trying to bring the country's former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov back into government, just days after dismissing him. The sacking of Fedorov led to almost a week of nationwide unrest and rep...

Everybody needs good neighbours. And on the day Andy Burnham moved into 10 Downing Street, he installed a surprise choice next door at Number 11. John Healey was highly critical of the Treasury when he quit as defence secretary last month, accusing it of being “unwilling” to provide the cash needed to fully fund his spending plans. Now he’s the one who will have to put his money where his mouth is...

"Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face." Mike Tyson's infamous warning for his opponents could easily apply to the new occupant of Number 10. Giving his first speech outside Downing Street, the new prime minister hinted at what his priorities will be – from easing the cost-of-living crisis to keeping commitments on defence spending. But what happens when those plans make contact...

Cabinet minister, Manchester mayor, ‘King of the North’ - Andy Burnham has held plenty of positions during his political career. But the next will be by far the most significant. The Makerfield MP is poised to take over as prime minister on Monday, after finally succeeding at his third attempt to become Labour leader. But who is the man behind the former Blair-era minister turned mayor of Manchest...

It’s coming home.... British Steel will once again be, well, British after it was renationalised to “protect the future of steel production in the UK” - and that could be just the start. Prime minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham has described water, energy, transport and housing as the “essentials of life” that should be run principally in the public, rather than private, interest. But can nationalis...

You can have sex, learn to drive and join the army – but can’t be trusted to watch YouTube after midnight. Are the government’s latest curbs on teenage social media use practical or performative? The proposed curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds builds on the outright ban for under-16s due to come into force next spring – but won’t be compulsory. With the government committed to reducing the general ele...

Rip up the Memorandum of Understanding, the ceasefire is well and truly over. Iran and the United States are once more at war – with oil tankers targeted and the Strait of Hormuz firmly shut. Donald Trump's response? He insists the US will take control of the disputed waterway and act as a "guardian angel" for all ships passing through. Originally, he wanted to charge a 20% toll for the privilege,...

From beef over barbed wire to a shared love of Oasis and The Beatles – the relationship between England and Argentina is... complicated. On the pitch, it’s one of the great footballing rivalries – defined by Diego Maradona’s "Hand of God" and David Beckham’s red card redemption. Off it, the two countries share a complex history. The dispute over the Falklands remains at the core of the Argentine p...