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Today — 4 July 2025BBC | Top Stories

Kyiv hit by barrage of drone strikes as Putin rejects Trump's truce bid

4 July 2025 at 17:11
DSNS An elderly woman and man with ambulances and smoke in the sky behind themDSNS
The latest Russian attack broke another record with 550 missiles raining down on Ukraine overnight

A pall of acrid smoke hung over Kyiv on Friday morning following a night of intensive Russian strikes that hit almost every district of the capital, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The hours of darkness were once again punctuated by the staccato of air defence guns, buzz of drones and large explosions. Ukraine said Russia had fired a record 550 drones and 11 missiles during a long night of bombardment.

The strikes came hours after a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, after which the US president said he was "disappointed" that Putin was not ready to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

A woman was killed in Russia following Ukrainian drone attacks, officials said.

The acting governor of the southern Rostov region said she had been killed in a strike on village not far from the Ukrainian border.

Russia's overnight air strikes broke another record, Ukraine's air force said, with 72 of the 550 drones penetrating air defences - up from a previous record of 537 launched last Saturday night.

Air raid alerts sounded for more than eight hours as several waves of attacks struck Kyiv, the "main target of the strikes", the air force said on the messaging app Telegram.

Ukraine's foreign minister condemned "one of the worst" nights in the capital and said "Moscow must be slapped with the toughest sanctions without delay".

"Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far," wrote Andrii Sybiha on X.

Noting that it came directly after Putin's call with Trump, Sybiha added that "[Putin] does it on purpose" and "clearly shows his disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war".

Footage shared on social media by Ukraine's state emergency service showed firefighters battling to extinguish fires in Kyiv after Russia's large-scale overnight attack.

At least 23 people were wounded in the attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities, with railway infrastructure damaged and buildings and cars set ablaze across the capital.

Friday's attacks were the latest in a string of major Russian air strikes on Ukraine that have intensified in recent weeks as ceasefire talks have largely stalled.

War in Ukraine has been raging for more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Following his conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said that "no progress" to end the fighting had been made.

"I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed," Trump said.

"I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad."

The Kremlin reiterated that it would continue to seek to remove "the root causes of the war in Ukraine". Putin has sought to return Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence and said last week that "the whole of Ukraine is ours".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he hoped to speak to Trump on Thursday about the supply of US weapons after a decision in Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Kyiv has warned that the move would impede its ability to defend Ukraine against escalating airstrikes and Russian advances on the frontlines.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said "we're giving weapons" and "we haven't" completely paused the flow of weapons. He blamed former President Joe Biden for sending "so many weapons to Ukraine that it risked weakening US defences".

Noel Gallagher says Oasis 'sounding huge' as comeback tour launches

4 July 2025 at 07:11
Getty Images Oasis pictured in 1994Getty Images
Oasis's second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful records of all time

It's the gig that fans have been waiting 5,795 days for, as Oasis kick off their reunion tour at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday night.

The venue has been hosting soundchecks and rehearsals all week, with passersby treated to snatches of songs such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernnova.

"It's sounding huge," Noel Gallagher told talkSPORT radio. "This is it, there's no going back now."

The Oasis Live '25 tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in the UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries queuing to buy tickets last summer.

An info graphic showing Oasis plan to play 41 shows, and have sold 1.38 million tickets

Around 900,000 tickets were sold, but many fans complained when standard standing tickets advertised at £135 plus fees were re-labelled "in demand" and changed on Ticketmaster to £355 plus fees.

The sale prompted an investigation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which said Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by selling "platinum" tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came with no additional benefits.

The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to change the way it labels tickets and reveals prices to fans in the future. Ticketmaster said it "welcomed" the advice.

Still, the debacle has done nothing to dampen the excitement in Cardiff, where fans have arrived from Spain, Peru, Japan, America and elsewhere for the opening night.

"For me, Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music," says Jeff Gachini, a fan from Kenya who's making his first visit to the UK for the show.

"To write simple music that relays the simple truth of life is very difficult. For me, they do that better than anyone."

Kenyan Oasis fans Jeff Gachini
Kenyan fan Jeff Gachini is among the lucky 74,000 fans who got tickets for the opening night
PA Media Fans pose with a mural of Liam and Noel Gallagher in Cardiff city centrePA Media
A mural of Liam and Noel, made entirely of bucket hats, has been unveiled in Cardiff's city centre

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher will be joined on stage by Gem Archer, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, alongside drummer Joey Waronker, who has previously recorded with Beck and REM; and toured with Liam.

The band will also be augmented by a brass section, and backing singer Jess Greenfield, who is part of Noel's side project the High Flying Birds.

Meanwhile, rumours about the setlist have been swirling all week, as Oasis songs echoed around the Principality Stadium.

One purported running order that was leaked to Reddit suggested the band would open with Hello and finish with Champagne Supernova, with other highlights including Acquiesece, Roll With It, Live Forever and Supersonic.

Noel is also expected to take lead vocals twice during the show, on short sets including songs such as Half The World Away and The Masterplan.

Britain's biggest band

Oasis were the biggest band in Britain from 1994 to 1997, selling tens of millions of copies of their first three albums Definitely Maybe, (What's The Story) Morning Glory and Be Here Now.

Liam's sneering vocals and Noel's distorted guitars brought a rock and roll swagger back to the charts, revitalising British guitar music after an influx of self-serious Seattle grunge.

Born and raised in Manchester, they formed the band to escape the dead-end mundanity of their working class backgrounds.

"In Manchester you either became a musician, a footballer, a drugs dealer or work in a factory. And there aren't a lot of factories left, you know?" Noel Gallagher once said.

"We didn't start in university or anything like this. We're not a collection of friends that kind of come together and discuss things musically.

"We started the group... because we were all on the dole and we were unemployed and we rehearsed and we thought we were pretty good."

Reuters Oasis' line-up in 1999Reuters
The 2025 line-up includes Gem Archer (far left) and Andy Bell (third from left), who originally joined the band in 1999 after founder members Guigsy and Bonehead left

Oasis was originally Liam's band, performing under the name The Rain. But after watching them live, Noel offered to join – on the condition that he became chief songwriter and de facto leader.

That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996.

Nearly five per cent of the UK population applied for tickets, with a then-record 125,000 people watching the band top a line-up that also included The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene, The Chemical Brothers, The Charlatans and a Beatles tribute.

But festering tension between the Gallagher brothers often spilled over into verbal and physical violence.

Backstage at a gig in Barcelona in 2000, for example, Noel attacked Liam after he questioned the legitimacy of his eldest daughter. The guitarist walked out for the rest of the European tour, leaving the band to continue with a stand-in.

Although they repaired the relationship, the insults and in-fighting continued until 28 August, 2009, when Oasis split up minutes before they took the stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer," Noel wrote in a statement at the time.

He would later recount a backstage argument in which his younger brother grabbed his guitar and started "wielding it like an axe", adding, "he nearly took my face off with it".

PA Media OasisPA Media
The band's biggest hits include Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Live Forever

Since then, they've pursued successful solo careers, while constantly fielding questions about an Oasis reunion.

Liam called the idea "inevitable" in 2020, and said the band should reform to support NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he said his brother had spurned the idea, despite a lucrative offer from promoters.

"There was a lot of money knocking about," he told ITV's Jonathan Ross Show. "It was £100 million to do a tour.

"But [Noel] isn't into it. He's after a knighthood, isn't he?"

The reconciliation took another five years and, with neither of the Gallaghers consenting to an interview, it's hard to know what informed their decision to get back together.

Tabloid newspapers suggested that Noel's divorce from Sara McDonald in 2022 led to a thaw in relations. Others have suggested the brothers simply wanted the Oasis story to have a more satisfactory conclusion than a dressing room bust-up.

"I've heard everything is honky dory and they're getting on great," says Tim Abbott, former managing director of Oasis's record label, Creation.

"I've worked with bands in the past that had separate limos, separate walkways onto the stage. I don't think they'll get to that. They're grown men."

Getty Images Liam Gallagher sticks his tongue out during an Oasis show in San Francisco, 1997Getty Images
According to analysis by Birmingham City University, the Oasis tour could bring in £400 million in tickets sales and merchandise.

Whatever sparked the reunion, the sold-out tour will see the band play 41 shows between July and November, spanning the UK & Ireland, North America, Oceania and South America.

"Probably the biggest and most pleasing surprise of the reunion announcement is how huge it was internationally," said Oasis's co-manager Alec McKinlay in an interview with Music Week.

"Honestly, we knew it would be big here, and that doesn't take much intuition. But looking outside the UK, we knew they had a strong fanbase, we did all the stats.

"We were quite cautious about what that would mean when it came to people actually buying tickets but we were just bowled over by how huge it was."

McKinlay added that the band had no plans for new music, and described the tour as their "last time around".

They take to the stage for the first time in 16 years at 20:15 UK time on Friday night.

Shunning the usual rock and roll trappings, Noel Gallagher was spotted arriving for the show by train.

Hamas says it is consulting other Palestinian groups on Gaza ceasefire plan

4 July 2025 at 17:22
Reuters A Palestinian looks on at the site of an Israeli strike that destroyed residential buildings at al-Shati refugee camp, in northern Gaza (4 July 2025)Reuters
A Palestinian man looks at buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in al-Shati refugee camp, northern Gaza

Hamas says it is consulting other Palestinian groups before giving a formal response to the latest proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal put forward by the US.

President Donald Trump said on Friday morning that expected to know within 24 hours whether Hamas has agreed to the plan.

On Tuesday, Trump said Israel had accepted the conditions necessary for a 60-day ceasefire, during which the parties would work to end the 20-month war.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military is continuing to bomb targets across the Gaza Strip.

Local journalists reported hearing explosions and gunfire as Israeli helicopter gunships and artillery struck the southern Khan Younis area on Friday morning.

Overnight, at least 15 Palestinians were killed in strikes on two tents housing displaced people in Khan Younis, the local Nasser hospital said.

The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes, but it did say its forces were "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

In a statement issued early on Friday, Hamas said it was discussing with the leaders of other Palestinian factions the ceasefire proposal that it had received from regional mediators Qatar and Egypt.

Hamas said it would deliver a "final decision" to the mediators once the consultations had ended and then announce it officially.

The proposal is believed to include the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Fifty hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.

One of Hamas's key demands is the resumption of unrestricted food and medical aid into Gaza, and the proposal reportedly says sufficient quantities would enter the territory immediately with the involvement of the United Nations and Red Cross.

It is said the plan would also include a phased Israeli military withdrawal from parts of Gaza.

Above all, Hamas wants a guarantee that Israeli air and ground operations will not resume after the end of the 60-day ceasefire.

The proposal is believed to say that negotiations on an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages would begin on day one.

Donald Trump told reporters early on Friday that he expected to know "over the next 24 hours" whether the proposals would be accepted by Hamas.

The hope then would be the resumption of formal, indirect, talks ahead of a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington next week.

"We sure hope it's a done deal, but I think it's all going to be what Hamas is willing to accept," US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israel's Channel 12 TV on Thursday.

"One thing is clear: The president wants it to be over. The prime minister wants it to be over. The American people, the Israeli people, want it to be over."

Netanyahu meanwhile promised to secure the release of all the remaining hostages during a visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz, a community near the Israel-Gaza border where a total of 76 residents were abducted during the Hamas-led attack on 7 October 2023 that triggered the war.

"I feel a deep commitment, first of all, to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them," he said. "We will bring them all back."

He did not, however, commit to ending the war. He has insisted that will not happen until the hostages are freed and Hamas's military and governing capabilities are destroyed.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the 7 October 2023 attack, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Home Office not checking when foreign worker visas expire, MPs say

4 July 2025 at 15:06
Getty Images UK Border signGetty Images

The Home Office does not know whether foreign workers are leaving the UK or staying to work illegally after their visas expire, a cross-party committee of MPs has said.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises government spending, said the Home Office had failed to analyse exit checks since the skilled worker visa route was introduced in 2020 under the Conservatives.

Some 1.18 million people have applied to come to the UK via this route between its launch in December 2020 and the end of 2024.

The Home Office said earlier this year that it was working to modernise border security and boost digital checks. The BBC has approached the Home Office for comment on the report.

The skilled worker visa route replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa after the UK left the European Union.

The route was expanded in 2022 by the previous Conservative government to address skill shortages and job vacancies in health and social care in the wake of the Covid pandemic, driving net migration to record levels.

But the PAC has accused the Home Office of failing to gather "basic information" on whether people leave the UK after their visas expire and showing "little curiosity about how the route was operating".

Its report said the department still relied on airline passenger records to check if someone had left the country and that there had been no analysis of those records since 2020.

It added that the Home Office needed to set out what measures would be put in place to record when people had left the country.

The report also said there was "widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions" and accused the department of being "slow and ineffective" to tackle exploitation.

In May, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government would end overseas recruitment for care workers as part of the plans to curb near record net migration.

Home Office Permanent Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo has also said overstaying is a "problem" the department was "fixing".

Elephant kills British and New Zealand tourists in Zambia

4 July 2025 at 17:16
Getty Images Elephant walking in South Luangwa National Park in eastern ZambiaGetty Images
The elephant was shot and wounded, but still attacked the two women, police said (file photo)

Two female tourists, including a British pensioner, have been killed by a charging elephant while on safari in Zambia, police have told the BBC.

The pair were attacked by a female elephant that was with a calf at the South Luangwa National Park, said local police chief Robertson Mweemba.

The two tourists were trampled to death by the nursing elephant after efforts by tour guides to stop it by firing shots failed. Both women died at the scene, he said.

The BBC has contacted the Foreign Office for comment.

Mr Mweemba said the two women were part of a guided safari group who were walking in the park when the elephant charged towards them at high speed.

The two tourists had stayed for four days at the Big Lagoon Camp, about 600 km (370 miles) from the capital, Lusaka, where the attack happened.

Female elephants are very protective of their calves and Zambian authorities have previously called on tourists to exercise extreme caution while observing wildlife around the country.

Last year, two American tourists were killed in separate attacks by elephants in the southern African country. Both cases involved elderly tourists who were in a safari vehicle when they were attacked.

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British Bulldogs to Basil Fawlty - your banknote redesign ideas

4 July 2025 at 15:21
Julie Dudley the Bulldog on Cawsand Beach in Cornwall with the sea in the backgroundJulie
Dudley the dog is unlikely to feature, but animals are a popular suggestion

While cash might not be as popular as it once was, the opportunity to fashion the next series of banknotes has got brains whirring and tails wagging.

Within a day of reporting on the Bank of England's public invitation to influence a major redesign of banknotes, there were more than 2,000 responses to Your Voice, Your BBC on the issue.

Dudley the British Bulldog, pictured on Cawsand Beach in Cornwall, will be one of the least likely contenders, despite being described as a "national treasure" by his owner Julie, from Plymouth.

But animals and nature, as well as railways and TV nostalgia have featured strongly among the ideas.

Images of historical characters, starting with William Shakespeare, have featured on Bank of England notes since 1970.

Now, the Bank's chief cashier Victoria Cleland has suggested images on the next set of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes could stick with notable figures of the past or move on to a new theme, as is seen on banknotes issued in Scotland, Nothern Ireland and around the world.

The Bank is giving people a month to select from certain themes, such as architecture, innovation or the arts, or suggest their own topics.

The Bank has not commented on the number of entries so far, but - if responses to the BBC are anything to go by - they are likely to be inundated.

Great ships

Getty Images The SS Great Britain in dry dock in Bristol.Getty Images
The SS Great Britain in Bristol is among the maritime suggestions

Among the themes to be suggested was a celebration of the UK's maritime heritage.

The Mary Rose, HMS Belfast, HMS Trincomalee, HMS Victory, Cutty Sark, and the SS Great Britain are all worthy of a place on a banknote, according to Hilary in London.

Charles from Bristol goes further. "I don't just mean the spectacularly beautiful clipper ships, and instantly recognisable liners, but perhaps some of the lesser known vessels trading with Commonwealth countries, or oil rig support vessels working hard in the North Sea," he wrote.

Famous landmarks

Stonehenge under a blue sky with grass in front.
Stonehenge is always a popular suggestion for something that represents Britain

There are appeals for the themes and choices to represent the whole of the country.

The Angel of the North is a regular suggestion, and areas of natural beauty such as the Yorkshire Dales.

Mike in Salisbury thinks using tourist sites on banknotes could bring benefits.

"Tourists come to England to see the main sites such as Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, the Queen Elizabeth Tower etc," he says.

"If the banknotes showed these pictures then they would be more likely to visit the site, hold one up when taking a photo, and maybe even taking the note home as a souvenir."

Classic TV characters

John Cleese as Basil Fawlty with Basil Henson as Doctor Abbott and Elspet Gray as Mrs Abbott in a still from Fawlty Towers.
Classic sitcoms like Fawlty Towers might be a popular choice

Nostalgia features heavily, bringing a more recent historical outlook to notes that have carried images of people from the past for more than 50 years.

"Some classic British children's TV characters like Willow The Wisp, Bagpuss, or even a collection of them would make me smile," says Steve in Cardiff.

"Likewise I think some classic British TV could be represented, like The Bill - no pun intended - or Casualty, soap operas or even comedies like Fawlty Towers. Television has been a large part of life for many people growing up and I'm sure, people would appreciate a bit of nostalgia on the notes."

Vintage trains

SSPL/Getty Images Pullman train, hauled by a H2 class 4-4-2 locomotive number 32424 at Brighton station, West Sussex, by E D Bruton, 5 October 1952SSPL/Getty Images
Many people would like to see British railways and vintage trains like the British Pullman celebrated

Nostalgia for the railways and "local and meaningful" stations also features in responses.

"With the 200 years of the railway in Britain being celebrated, it seems a shame not to celebrate that considering we gave railways to the world," says Ian in Derby.

A mobile phone?

Getty Images Smiling young man in a cafe pays using a phone with a coffee in front of him.Getty Images

Despite the wide range of options, some people are keen to stick to the way key figures in history are honoured on banknotes.

"Having looked at all the options I really do think that historical figures should still be number one choice. Might it be possible to include Diana Princess of Wales somewhere?" asks Elizabeth, from Oxford.

But with cash used in only 12% of transactions, some say the time and effort involved in a huge overhaul of notes is unnecessary.

"We are sadly faced with the prospect of a cashless society, with so many places refusing to accept my cash, so I have to wonder, why bother changing the design?" says Dawn in Redditch.

Ian in Leighton Buzzard is much more blunt. "I would suggest that the new banknotes look like a mobile phone because that is how people are used to paying," he says.

People can submit their views via an online form on the Bank's website, or by post, by the end of July.

The final decision on what exactly features on a banknote lies with the Bank's governor.

Additional reporting by Bernadette McCague

Kyiv hit by barrage of drone strikes as Putin spurns Trump's truce bid

4 July 2025 at 15:12
DSNS An elderly woman and man with ambulances and smoke in the sky behind themDSNS
The latest Russian attack broke another record with 550 missiles raining down on Ukraine overnight

A pall of acrid smoke hung over Kyiv on Friday morning following a night of intensive Russian strikes that hit almost every district of the capital, according to Ukrainian authorities.

The hours of darkness were once again punctuated by the staccato of air defence guns, buzz of drones and large explosions. Ukraine said Russia had fired a record 550 drones and 11 missiles during a long night of bombardment.

The strikes came hours after a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, after which the US president said he was "disappointed" that Putin was not ready to end Russia's war against Ukraine.

A woman was killed in Russia following Ukrainian drone attacks, officials said.

The acting governor of the southern Rostov region said she had been killed in a strike on village not far from the Ukrainian border.

Russia's overnight air strikes broke another record, Ukraine's air force said, with 72 of the 550 drones penetrating air defences - up from a previous record of 537 launched last Saturday night.

Air raid alerts sounded for more than eight hours as several waves of attacks struck Kyiv, the "main target of the strikes", the air force said on the messaging app Telegram.

Ukraine's foreign minister condemned "one of the worst" nights in the capital and said "Moscow must be slapped with the toughest sanctions without delay".

"Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv. One of the worst so far," wrote Andrii Sybiha on X.

Noting that it came directly after Putin's call with Trump, Sybiha added that "[Putin] does it on purpose" and "clearly shows his disregard for the United States and everyone who has called for an end to the war".

Footage shared on social media by Ukraine's state emergency service showed firefighters battling to extinguish fires in Kyiv after Russia's large-scale overnight attack.

At least 23 people were wounded in the attacks on Kyiv, according to Ukrainian authorities, with railway infrastructure damaged and buildings and cars set ablaze across the capital.

Friday's attacks were the latest in a string of major Russian air strikes on Ukraine that have intensified in recent weeks as ceasefire talks have largely stalled.

War in Ukraine has been raging for more than three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Following his conversation with Putin on Thursday, Trump said that "no progress" to end the fighting had been made.

"I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin, because I don't think he's there, and I'm very disappointed," Trump said.

"I'm just saying I don't think he's looking to stop, and that's too bad."

The Kremlin reiterated that it would continue to seek to remove "the root causes of the war in Ukraine". Putin has sought to return Ukraine to Russia's sphere of influence and said last week that "the whole of Ukraine is ours".

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he hoped to speak to Trump on Thursday about the supply of US weapons after a decision in Washington to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine.

Kyiv has warned that the move would impede its ability to defend Ukraine against escalating airstrikes and Russian advances on the frontlines.

Speaking to reporters, Trump said "we're giving weapons" and "we haven't" completely paused the flow of weapons. He blamed former President Joe Biden for sending "so many weapons to Ukraine that it risked weakening US defences".

Starmer told me he'd met every challenge. But things look bad right now - very bad

4 July 2025 at 13:53
BBC Two men (Sir Keir Starmer and Nick Robinson) sit opposite each other at a table with microphones on top positioned towards themBBC
The interview marks 12 months since Labour came to power

Will Keir Starmer allow himself to celebrate his first anniversary as prime minister this weekend? Or will he be taking a long, hard look in the mirror and asking himself what went wrong?

That is what is in my mind as he greets me in the Terracotta Room on the first floor of 10 Downing Street for a long-planned conversation about his first 12 months in office, this week.

He looks surprisingly relaxed, given that his chancellor, Rachel Reeves, had been in tears sitting behind him in the Commons just hours earlier. That triggered fevered speculation about how long she would last in the job, moving markets to sell the pound and increase the cost of borrowing.

Perhaps that is the impression he wants to convey to me as he shares a story about his photo opportunity with Formula One cars parked outside his front door - the most famous door in the world.

Starmer is determined that the problems of recent weeks - and boy there's been a long list of those - will not overshadow the achievements he believes deserve just as much attention.

"We have done some fantastic things," he tells me, "really driven down the waiting lists in the NHS, really done loads of improvements in schools and stuff that we can do for children - whether that's rolling out school uniform projects, whether it's school meals, breakfast clubs, you name it - and also [brought in] a huge amount of investment into the country. And of course we've been busy getting three trade deals."

It's clear that, given the chance, his list would go on. And yet, I point out, there is another long list - of things he's recently admitted to getting wrong.

In the last year, he's said hiring Sue Gray - Starmer's former chief of staff who left Downing Street in October - was wrong. He's also held his hands up about plans to end winter fuel payments, about rejecting a national grooming gang inquiry, and cutting benefits for disabled people. That's not even the full list, yet it's quite a number of things that he's admitting to being a mistake.

The prime minister thinks I've rather crudely summarised his personal reflections on what he might have done better. He challenges the idea, which is prevalent in Westminster, that changing your mind represents weakness, or a "humiliating U-turn".

This is the fourth time we've sat down for an extended and personal conversation for my Political Thinking podcast.

"You know this from getting to know me," he says. "I'm not one of these ideological thinkers, where ideology dictates what I do. I'm a pragmatist. You can badge these things as U-turns - it's common sense to me.

"If someone says to me, 'here's some more information and I really think it's the right thing to do', I'm the kind of person that says, 'well in which case, let's do it'."

There is, though, no doubt that scrapping so much of his welfare reforms was a U-turn - a costly and humiliating one. Starmer and his chancellor have not only lost authority and face, they've lost £5bn in planned savings, something that will have to be paid for somehow, through extra borrowing, lower spending or, most likely, higher taxes.

"I take responsibility," he says, "we didn't get the process right". But somehow he implies that it might have been someone other than the leader of the Labour Party's responsibility to persuade Labour MPs to back his plans.

He doesn't spell out what he means by getting the process right and, perhaps more importantly, he dodges my attempts to get him to spell out clearly what story he's trying to tell the country about benefits.

Should Labour be on the side of disabled people and people like his own mother, who had a crippling disease that meant she eventually had to have a leg amputated? Or should they adopt her unwillingness to be written off, which he described to me the last time we spoke? When told by her doctors that she wouldn't walk again she refused to listen.

Wounded by the events of the past week, Starmer refuses to even address that choice. But surely, I suggest to him, the nation doesn't just want a problem-solver, or a chief executive of UK plc? Voters surely want a leader who has a story to tell?

Starmer clearly knew this question - or a variation of it - was coming. I've pushed him on it every time we've spoken at length.

"It's about a passion, if that's the right word," he says. "But certainly a determination to change the lives of millions of working people and, in particular, to tackle this question of fairness."

"It's almost like a social contract," he adds, "that people are getting back what they're putting in, that there is a fairer environment for them that supports them and respects them."

That's a bit long to sew on to an election banner, to chant in the streets, or write in a post on X, but it is a theme. He is a self-proclaimed pragmatist who doesn't want there to be something that can be labelled as "Starmerism", but at least we can now say that his guiding principle is fairness.

Keir Starmer/Tom Baldwin Archive picture of Sir Keir Starmer kicks a football wearing red and black kitKeir Starmer/Tom Baldwin
Sir Keir is a lifelong Arsenal fan and has always been open about his passion for football

In truth, what matters more than anything else to him is not losing, something he tells me he hates, whether in politics or on the five-a-side pitch playing football regularly with his mates - as he still does and has done for decades.

I tell him people think he is losing now - some say he is the most unpopular prime minister since records began. He reacts with the defiance of a man whose football-playing friend recently described him as a "hard bastard".

A man who served in Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet and then had him thrown out of the party; who stood to be leader on promises to keep much of Corbyn's agenda before tearing up those promises to win power; and someone who hired then fired Sue Gray as his first Downing Street chief of staff.

"Every challenge that's been put in front of me I've risen to, met it, and we're going to continue in the same vein," he says.

I end our conversation by reminding him what they say about failing football managers who have "lost the dressing room". Has he lost the Labour Party dressing room? His reply is emphatic.

"Absolutely not," he says. "The Labour dressing room, the PLP, is proud as hell of what we've done, and their frustration - my frustration - is that sometimes the other stuff, welfare would be an example, can obscure us being able to get that out there."

Almost as an afterthought he adds: "I'm a hard-enough bastard to find out who it was who said that, so that I can have a discussion with him." Knowing Starmer I suspect he's much more likely to deliver a crunching tackle on the pitch than a quiet word off it.

But the prime minister's message is clear to me: Don't count me out, however bad it looks now. To pretty much everyone other than him it currently does look bad. Very bad.

I understand what Trump cares about, says Starmer

4 July 2025 at 13:00
Watch: PM says he understands what President Trump cares about

Sir Keir Starmer has said he "understands what anchors" US President Donald Trump, having built a relationship on shared family values.

Despite "different political backgrounds" the prime minister said he found common ground with Trump, and that their "good personal relationship" helped land a vital US tariff deal.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking programme, Sir Keir revealed Trump reached out to console him after the death of his younger brother Nick Starmer on Boxing Day.

"For both of us, we really care about family and there's a point of connection there," he said.

"I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about."

Sir Keir revealed he first spoke to Trump as prime minister after the then-presidential candidate was shot at a rally in July last year.

"That was a phone call really to ask him how it was, and in particular I wanted to know how it impacted on his family," he said.

He added that Trump later called him after the death of his brother.

"We talked about my brother, and he was asking about him," Sir Keir said.

Sir Keir denied this week's painful series of U-turns on welfare reforms were because he had been too focused on foreign affairs and "taken his eye off the ball" domestically.

On Tuesday, the government avoided defeat on its proposals to overhaul disability benefits by offering late concessions to Labour MPs threatening to rebel.

The prime minister said he took responsibility for the episode, admitting it had been a "tough" few days but insisting the government would "come through this stronger" after a period of reflection.

The prime minister said forging close ties with figures such as Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron were "always in the national interest".

"Building those relationships with international leaders is hugely important," he said.

The prime minister said the personal rapport had helped secure a deal removing UK industries from some of the sweeping tariffs announced by Trump.

Before the deal he said he had seen "anxiety writ large" on the faces of British factory workers at Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull.

"After the deal, the relief was palpable," he said.

Sir Keir said discussions "over a glass of wine" with Macron on a train to Kyiv had also paved the way for a new agreement with the EU, which he claimed would lead to lower food prices in British supermarkets.

"That is a good thing for millions of people across the country," he said.

Sir Keir is due to meet Macron again next week as the French president comes to the UK for a state visit.

Tackling small boat crossings will be a key point of discussion, after Downing Street said last month the situation in the English Channel was "deteriorating".

Official figures released this week showed nearly 20,000 people arrived in the UK in the first half of this year by crossing the Channel in small boats - up 48% on the same period last year.

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Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom confirm split

4 July 2025 at 12:53
Reuters Katy Perry with Orlando Bloom at the Vanity Fair Oscars party. She is wearing a shoulderless silver dress, while he is wearing a traditional black and white tuxedo. Reuters
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom have been romantically linked since 2016

Pop star Katy Perry and actor Orlando Bloom have officially confirmed they have split, US media outlets say, six years after getting engaged.

The couple have been romantically linked since 2016 and have a four-year-old daughter.

A joint statement said "representatives have confirmed that Orlando and Katy have been shifting their relationship over the past many months to focus on co-parenting," according to outlets including People magazine and USA Today.

"They will continue to be seen together as a family, as their shared priority is - and always will be - raising their daughter with love, stability and mutual respect."

The statement was being released due to the "abundance of recent interest and conversation" surrounding their relationship, it added.

The pop star, 40, and the 48-year-old actor split in 2017 but got back together shortly afterwards. They got engaged on Valentine's Day in 2019.

A year later Perry revealed she was pregnant in the music video for her single Never Worn White.

Their daughter Daisy Dove was born later that year, with Unicef announcing the news on its Instagram account. Both Perry and Bloom are goodwill ambassadors for the United Nations agency that helps children.

US singer Perry, who was previously married to Russell Brand, shot to fame in 2008 with the single I Kissed A Girl, which reached number one in the UK.

Her hits since then have included Roar, California Gurls, Firework and Never Really Over.

Bloom was previously married to Australian model Miranda Kerr, and they have a son, 14-year-old Flynn.

The British actor has starred in Pirates Of The Caribbean, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit.

Dozens killed in Gaza as Israel intensifies bombardment, rescuers say

4 July 2025 at 03:52
Reuters Mourners react during the funeral of Palestinians reportedly killed in an overnight Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis (3 July 2025)Reuters
Women and children were said to have been killed in an Israeli strike on a tent in southern Gaza

At least 69 people have been killed by Israeli fire across Gaza on Thursday, rescuers say, as Israel intensified its bombardment of the Palestinian territory.

One air strike killed 15 people at a school-turned-shelter for displaced families in Gaza City, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency. The Israeli military said it targeted a "key" Hamas operative based there.

The Civil Defence also reported that 38 people were killed while queueing for aid, or on their way to pick it up. The military said such reports of extensive casualties were "lies".

It comes as pressure mounts on both Israel and Hamas to agree to a new ceasefire and hostage release deal being pushed by US President Donald Trump.

Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalize a 60-day ceasefire. However, there are still obstacles that could prevent a quick agreement.

Hamas has said it is studying the proposals - the details of which have still not been made public - but that it still wants an end to the war and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will travel to Washington on Monday, has meanwhile insisted that the Palestinian armed group must be eliminated.

On Thursday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said its aircraft had struck around 150 "terror targets" across Gaza over the previous 24 hours, including fighters, tunnels and weapons.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said 118 people had been killed during the same period.

Fifteen people, most of them women and children, were killed when a school housing displaced families in the al-Rimal neighbourhood of Gaza City was struck before dawn on Thursday, the Hamas-run Civil Defence agency and medics said.

Witness Wafaa al-Arqan told Reuters news agency: "Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning... What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?"

The IDF said it struck a "key Hamas terrorist" who was operating in a "command-and-control centre" in Gaza City, without mentioning the school.

The IDF added that it took numerous steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians and accused Hamas of using human shields - an allegation the group has repeatedly denied.

At least another five displaced people were reportedly killed when a tent was struck overnight in the southern al-Mawasi area, where the IDF has told residents of areas affected by its evacuation orders to head for their own safety.

Ashraf Abu Shaba, who lived in a neighbouring tent, said he saw the bodies of children and women wrapped in blankets afterwards.

"The occupation [Israel] claims there are safe zones, but there are no safe zones. Every place is a target... The situation is unbearable," he added.

Later, Civil Defence spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP news agency that another 38 people were killed by Israeli forces while seeking aid.

He said 25 were killed near the Israeli military's Netzarim corridor in central Gaza. Six died at another location nearby, while seven were killed in the southern Rafah area, he added.

Medics at Nasser hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis separately told Reuters that at least 20 people were killed while making their way to an aid distribution centre.

There was no direct response to the reports from the IDF.

Reuters Palestinian men are treated after reportedly being shot by Israeli forces while trying to collect aid in southern Gaza, at Nasser hospital, Khan Younis (3 July 2025)Reuters
Nasser hospital treated Palestinians men reportedly shot by Israeli forces while seeking aid

Last week, the IDF said it was examining reports of civilians being harmed while approaching sites in southern and central Gaza run by the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

On Thursday, IDF spokesman Brig-Gen Effie Defrin acknowledged at a briefing that Israeli forces were facing a "complex challenge" and drawing "lessons from every incident to prevent similar cases in the future".

But he declared: "The reports of allegations of extensive casualties in the aid distribution centres are lies."

There have been reports of deadly incidents near the distribution sites almost every day since the GHF began operating on 26 May.

According to Gaza's health ministry, at least 408 people have been killed near GHF centres over the past five weeks. Another 175 people have been killed seeking aid elsewhere, including along routes used by UN aid convoys, it says.

The GHF, which uses US private security contractors, said "distribution at all sites ran smoothly" on Thursday and that it had now handed out more than one million boxes of food.

The GHF also rejected as "categorically false" allegations from a former security contractor, who told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire on civilians waiting for aid.

The UN and other aid groups refuse to co-operate with the GHF, saying its new system contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.

The US and Israel say the GHF's system will prevent aid being stolen by Hamas.

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's health ministry.

'Still holes in my game' - Draper on Wimbledon exit

4 July 2025 at 05:05

'Still holes in my game' - Draper on Wimbledon exit

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'Why's he standing so far back?' - McEnroe's notes for Draper

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British number one Jack Draper says he was not "good enough" in a shock Wimbledon second-round exit, insisting a below-par performance was not because he felt increased pressure at this year's tournament.

Draper was seeded fourth at the All England Club, but lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to 36-year-old Marin Cilic.

The 23-year-old was the highest seeded home player since Andy Murray defended the men's title in 2017.

In 2013, Murray, who retired last year, was the first British man to win Wimbledon in 77 years and added his second title three years later.

"It makes me think that Andy's achievement of what he did - winning here twice - [was] just unbelievable," Draper said.

"It's not the pressure. I wasn't going out there thinking I was under so much pressure. You [journalists] mention it all the time.

"I just didn't play good enough. I lost to a better player. That's the main reason. I just was not able to find the level I wanted. I came up short."

A stunning rise over the past year put Draper in the position of being a genuine Wimbledon contender.

In the space of a year, the Englishman has reached the US Open semi-finals, clinched the prestigious Indian Wells title and reached two other ATP Tour finals.

Having won a title on the Stuttgart grass last year, and reaching the Queen's semi-finals last month despite feeling unwell, many experts felt his game could translate on to the Wimbledon grass.

"I've been really disappointed with the way my game's been on the grass this year, in all honesty," Draper said.

"I really struggled on the grass. I felt great on the hard courts, felt great on the clay.

"I felt there weren't many holes in my game. As soon as I came on to the grass, I felt a big difference."

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'The older man making new memories' - Draper falls to veteran Cilic

The left-hander's serve and forehand were highlighted as the key weapons, but he was pushed deep in the court by 2017 runner-up Cilic and saw his game neutralised as the veteran rolled back the years.

"I think the hole in my forehand showed up, for sure," Draper said.

"I wasn't able to deal with his pace of ball into my forehand. I was over-spinning a lot.

"I think a lot of my success this year with my forehand, when I have more time, it's a lot easier for me because I can create the speed and the spin that I want, and the effectiveness of that.

"My movement could have been better. There's many areas of my game which I still really, really need to work on to be the player I want to be."

Awkward match-up for Draper - analysis

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Cilic 'took all of Draper's weapons away' - Woodbridge analysis

Todd Woodbridge, 1997 Wimbledon singles semi-finalist and nine-time doubles champion, on BBC TV

I didn't think there were any nerves from Jack Draper, I thought he handled himself well.

I just thought the match-up didn't go so well for him. It was an awkward match-up because the left-handed serve got into the beautiful ball-striking return of Cilic.

Cilic then got the ball back in deep and he was able to dictate with his forehand. He took all of Draper's weapons away and he [Draper] never really got the chance to dictate play on his terms.

If you were to go over all the stats, Draper didn't return well enough.

I felt he got a lot of balls back but they were centre-balls which allowed Cilic to dictate. When Cilic had second serves, he had to get on top of him in that department.

Draper was using his backhand too much and that isn't his weapon.

He didn't get around and use his forehand enough, so I don't think he mixed up his positioning enough to give himself an opportunity to build pressure on the Cilic serve.

Related topics

Sabbath guitarist admits nerves ahead of farewell

4 July 2025 at 10:23
Tony Iommi has nerves ahead of Sabbath farewell

Black Sabbath guitarist Toni Iommi has said performing a farewell gig in the band's home city will be "totally different from anything else we've done".

The performance at Villa Park in Birmingham on Saturday will be the first time that the original line-up - Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward - play together in 20 years.

Iommi told the BBC, "We're all nervous really", but he added that preparations had gone well.

"People are coming from all over the world and I just can't absorb it," he said.

More than 40,000 fans are expected to attend the event, which will also see performances from acts including Metallica, Slayer, Pantera, Halestorm and Anthrax.

Ozzy Osborne is only expected to sing four songs because of health issues and Iommi explained that rehearsals had been hard on all of Sabbath's classic lineup.

"I wouldn't say it's been easy, it's been tough, because none of us are getting younger and to stand there for a couple of hours is tiring," he said.

The supporting bands had been good to work with, though, and there were "no egos", Iommi stated.

Getty Images A yellowing photo of four men with long hair in dark tops with two of them holding guitarsGetty Images
Tony Iommi said the band still had happy memories of living in Birmingham

Although they are a long way from their early days in Birmingham, Sabbath - formed in 1968 - still remember the city fondly and talk about their memories.

Iommi said: "I can't remember what happened yesterday, but we can remember what happened in those days, where we used to go, and the gigs we did."

That made the farewell in Birmingham extra poignant, he said, adding: "This is totally different from anything else we've done, you know we've played for 300,000 people but this is nerve-wracking."

There was also the thought that there would be no more comebacks after this.

"We're never going to do this again, this will be it," he confirmed.

He said he hoped the gig would finish things on a good note and, when asked what he thought the legacy of Black Sabbath would be, said it would be the bands that followed in their footsteps.

Their legacy would continue through them, he said.

Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.

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The curious case of the British jet stuck in India

4 July 2025 at 06:45
BBC The F-35B at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala 
BBC
The F-35B has been at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala since it landed on 14 June

A state-of-the-art British fighter jet stuck at an airport in India for nearly three weeks now has sparked curiosity and raised questions about how such a modern aircraft could get stranded for days in a foreign country.

The F-35B landed at Thiruvananthapuram airport in the southern state of Kerala on 14 June.

The aircraft was diverted there after it ran into bad weather during a sortie in the Indian ocean and was unable to return to HMS Prince of Wales, the Royal Navy's flagship carrier.

It landed safely but it has since developed a technical snag and is unable to return to the carrier.

Since the jet's landing, engineers from HMS Prince of Wales have assessed the aircraft, but the visiting teams have been unable to fix it so far.

On Thursday, the British High Commission said in a statement to the BBC: "The aircraft was moved to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul facility at the airport and will be moved to the hangar once UK engineering teams arrive with specialist equipment."

"The aircraft will return to active service once repairs and safety checks have been completed," it added. "Ground teams continue to work closely with Indian authorities to ensure safety and security precautions are observed."

Authorities at Thiruvananthapuram airport told the BBC they were expecting technicians from the UK to arrive on Friday.

The $110m (£80m) jet is being guarded around the clock by six officers from the RAF.

Dr Sameer Patil, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in Mumbai, told the BBC the Royal Navy had only two options: "They can repair it and make it fly-worthy or they can fly it out in a bigger cargo place such as a C-17 Globemaster transport aircraft."

The case of the stranded jet has also been raised in the House of Commons.

On Monday, opposition Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty asked the government to clarify what was being done to secure it and return it to operational service, the UK Defence Journal reported.

"What steps are the government taking to recover the plane, how much longer will that take, and how will the government ensure the security of protected technologies on the jet while it is in the hangar and out of view?" he was quoted as saying.

The British armed forces minister, Luke Pollard, confirmed the aircraft remained under close UK control.

"We continue to work with our Indian friends who provided first-class support when the F-35B was unable to return to the carrier," he said. "I am certain that the security of the jet is in good hands because Royal Air Force crew are with it at all times."

Kerala Tourism A Kerala Tourism post on X included an AI-generated photograph of F-35B standing on the runway with coconut palm trees in the background. The text suggested that, like most visitors to the state described in tourism brochures as "God's own country" for its scenic beauty, the jet too was finding it hard to leave.Kerala Tourism
In a post on X, Kerala Tourism said that like most visitors to the state, the jet too was finding it hard to leave

F-35Bs are highly advanced stealth jets, built by Lockheed Martin, and are prized for their short take-off and vertical landing capability.

So images of the "lonely F-35B", parked on the tarmac and soaked by the Kerala monsoon rains, have spawned memes on social media.

One viral post joked that the jet had been put up for sale at an online site at a hugely competitive price of $4m. The listing claimed the jet included features like "automatic parking, brand-new tyres, a new battery and an automatic gun to destroy traffic violators".

One user on X said the jet deserved Indian citizenship as it had been in the country long enough, while another suggested that India should start charging rent and that the Kohinoor diamond would be the most appropriate payment.

On Wednesday, Kerala government's tourism department also joined in the fun with a post on X that said "Kerala, the destination you'll never want to leave."

The post included an AI-generated photograph of an F-35B standing on the runway with coconut palm trees in the background. The text suggested that, like most visitors to the state described in tourism brochures as "God's own country" for its scenic beauty, the jet too was finding it hard to leave.

Dr Patil says that each passing day that the jet remains stranded, "it adversely affects the image of the F-35Bs and the Royal Navy".

"The jokes and memes and rumours and conspiracy theories are affecting the image and credibility of the British Royal Navy. The longer the jet stays stranded, the more disinformation will come out."

The engineering issues "seem of a much more serious nature" than it was originally thought, he says.

But most militaries, he adds, prepare for "a worst-case scenario" - and it is one since a jet is stranded on foreign soil.

"Most militaries would have a standard operating procedure [SOP] on how to respond when something like this happens. So does the Royal Navy not have an SOP?"

The optics of this, he says, are really bad.

"If such a thing had happened in enemy territory, would they have taken this much time? This makes for very bad PR for a professional navy."

Additional reporting by Ashraf Padanna in Thiruvananthapuram

Diddy's reputation is tarnished, but could he find a way back?

4 July 2025 at 07:51
Reuters Diddy on stage smiling and with one hand cupped to his earReuters
Sean "Diddy" Combs was one of the most influential figures in hop-hop

After the verdicts were delivered in Sean "Diddy" Combs' trial in New York on Wednesday, emotions boiled over outside court in heated confrontations between fans and protesters who voiced opposing views about the outcome.

Some thought the rap star should have been found guilty on the more serious counts, not just the two lesser charges on which he was convicted.

But they were outnumbered by pro-Diddy influencers and fans who were chanting "free Diddy" and "let him go" and spraying each other in baby oil in celebration.

The jury's mixed verdicts did not present a clear-cut result - but it was seen as a better-than-expected outcome for the star.

He still faces significant jail time and dozens of civil legal cases, though. His reputation will forever be tarnished by months of ugly allegations and revelations - and the two convictions.

But some observers believe that's unlikely to stop him trying to mount a comeback.

Driving force of hip-hop

Getty Images Combs on stage wearing a bright red shirt and jacket and a large gold medallion with both of his arms gesturing in the air during the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.Getty Images
He performed and was named a Global Icon at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards

As a songwriter, rapper, producer and record label impresario, Combs - formerly known as Puff Daddy - was one of the driving forces in hip-hop and R&B in the 1990s.

He launched the careers of Notorious BIG and Mary J Blige, signed acts such as Faith Evans, 112, Mase and Janelle Monae to his Bad Boy Records label, and worked with stars including Mariah Carey, Usher and Busta Rhymes.

He won three Grammy Awards as an artist and scored his biggest pop hit with I'll Be Missing You, sampling The Police's Every Breath You Take, in 1997 - his tribute after BIG's murder.

Combs "was one of the most famous people in hip-hop", says Los Angeles Times music writer August Brown.

"He was an incredibly important figure in evolving both that genre and the music industry as a whole into a commercial juggernaut."

Dark side of Diddy's parties

Getty Images Sean Combs wearing denim dungarees, a white vest and a gold watch, sitting at a mixing desk in a recording studio in 1997Getty Images

Like many at the peak of the music industry, he also threw lavish parties. But sordid details emerged during the legal cases, revealing a darker side.

These so-called "freak offs" were hotel sex encounters which could last for days, involving multiple male escorts, routine violence and copious amounts of drugs and baby oil.

The question for the jury was whether this was a criminal enterprise designed to force two alleged victims into sex against their will or whether, as Combs claimed, the women willingly took part.

The defence argued that these orgies were "kinky" but consensual - and that organising them was not criminal.

In the end, the jury agreed and he was found not guilty of the most serious charge of racketeering conspiracy, as well as two charges of sex trafficking.

"The jury was just unpersuaded that what amounted to an extremely baroque and violent and drug-stoked sex life on Diddy's behalf amounted to a criminal organisation on the racketeering charge, or trafficking in the way that we understand it now," Mr Brown told the BBC World Service.

"This isn't to say that it wasn't possible, but they just didn't think it rose to 'beyond a shadow of a doubt'."

Jail then comeback?

Getty Images Cassie Ventura and Sean Combs posing for photographers at the 2018 Met Gala. She's wearing a black suit and he's wering an all-white suit with one white glove and a large jewelled cross on a chain around his neckGetty Images
Cassie Ventura gave evidence against former partner, and a video of him assaulting her was a key piece of evidence

Combs was, however, convicted on two counts of transporting two former girlfriends, including singer Cassie, to participate in sex acts and prostitution.

He will face up to 10 years in jail for each charge when he's sentenced in October. But the sentences are likely to be lower than the maximum and to run simultaneously, with the year he will have already spent in jail to be deducted. So it's quite possible he could be free in several years.

His supporters will be waiting - but most people will be unwilling to accept a comeback, Mr Brown says.

"I cannot imagine any kind of redemption arc as far as him [remaining] as an artist or a music mogul in light of this.

"I think the public will remember him as an important figure whose name is now permanently associated with this very-difficult-to-process range of charges, even if he's not been convicted on the worst of it."

Alvin Blanco, content director of Hiphopwired.com, agrees that Combs is too tarnished to make a successful comeback. "He's definitely going to try, but I think the damage is just too irreparable at this point."

Watch: The BBC's Nomia Iqbal looks at what comes next after Diddy verdict

Mark Anthony Neal, professor of African American Studies at Duke University in North Carolina, also believes there's "no doubt" the revelations have tarnished Combs' legacy as the man who helped take hip-hop "from the ghettos to the mainstream of America to the global mainstream".

However, his influence on music had diminished even before the allegations, says Jem Aswad, executive editor of music at Variety.

"He doesn't really have much of a music career any more, and he hasn't for about 15 years," Mr Aswad told BBC News.

"It's not that he was unpopular, although he wasn't enormously popular recently - he just moved on to other businesses. He got into beverages, he got into apparel, he got into lots of other businesses.

"Anything he did in music over the last 15 years was almost just for fun. I think he's released two, maybe three albums in that time period, and they just did OK, and frankly they just were OK."

Awards success

His stock was still pretty high, though. His last LP, The Love Album: Off The Grid, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2024. The previous year, he was named a Global Icon at the MTV Awards.

And he wouldn't be the first star to retain support despite facing allegations.

Michael Jackson was cleared of child abuse in court in 2005 but persuasive claims about him have persisted, and many people still wrestle with how to reconcile those with the brilliance of the King of Pop's catalogue.

R&B star R. Kelly was jailed for 30 years in 2022 for racketeering and sex trafficking. He still has five million monthly listeners on Spotify at the last count.

Some in hip-hop may be willing to work with Combs. Kanye West last week released a song called Diddy Free - although Kanye himself is ostracised by large parts of the industry for making antisemitic and Nazi statements.

Supporters' delight

EPA Two supporters with their arms around each other and arms in the airEPA
Combs' fans celebrated outside the court

Anoushka Mutanda-Dougherty, host of the BBC's Diddy on Trial podcast, has seen the support outside court and suggests there may be a way back.

"We'll see what happens with his career after this," she told the BBC's Newscast.

"I feel like he will be able to reclaim a top spot in hip-hop just because of the sheer amount of support we've seen online and here at the courthouse from his fans, and from people who feel he was being unjustly targeted by the federal government.

"He won't be the first musician to be a convicted criminal who carries on having a music career, especially in hip-hop."

For many, the details of the case will be hard to shake from the memory, though.

Angela Star, one of the content creators outside court on Wednesday, told BBC News that "his image is tainted, and when you think of Diddy now, you think of..." before finishing her point by holding up a bottle of baby oil.

No end in sight for bin strike after six months

4 July 2025 at 09:27
BBC Picture shows a terraced street with dark grey wheelie bins outside homes. In the foreground is a large pile of rubbish including black bags and strips of old carpetBBC
Unslightly rubbish piles have become a normal sight on some Birmingham streets

Student Theo Charlton just cannot believe the "apocalyptic" piles of rubbish that he has seen outside his student housing in the UK's second largest city.

With the stench of rotting waste thick in the air, the 21-year-old is concerned whether the rubbish from students moving out will get collected.

Six months since bin strike action began in Birmingham, there is no getting away from it for people living in the city.

Pamela Pritchard, from Great Barr, told the BBC she had not been transporting her recycling to the local tip "out of principle", with the 68-year-old storing it inside her home.

In further strike action, kerbside green waste and recycling collections have been suspended.

Birmingham City Council said it remained committed to resolving the dispute despite its recycling rate of 22.9 % being the lowest of any unitary authority in the country, with the exception of Liverpool.

Members of the Unite union walked out in January over plans to downgrade some roles as part of the city council's attempts to sort out its equal pay liabilities.

An all-out indefinite strike was announced in March and a deal to end industrial action has not yet been reached.

Ms Pritchard told the BBC she had been collecting her recycling rubbish and storing it indoors since the strike began.

Among the growing piles of neatly stored cardboard, papers and blister packs, she said if the strike went on any longer, she would "learn to live with it".

A woman in an orange T-shirt and beige trousers looking down and pointing towards a pile of folded cardboard and boxes of papers and tablet blister packs in a corner of her home.
Pamela Pritchard, 68, has been storing her recycling inside her home since the bin strikes began

She said: "I don't drive. On principle I refuse to allow my friends to use their time to take my rubbish to the tip, so I've left it in the house.

"I've always been a keen recycler and I hate wasted resources.

"[If the strike continues] I'll find somewhere else, I'll store it in the shed I'll ask a friend - I'll find a home for it."

Image shows about 20 black bin bags on a grey pavement piled up against a black metal fence. Behind it are green plants with purple and white flowers.
There has been no recycling collections since the start of the all-out strike in March

At his hub for student housing, Mr Charlton told the BBC that when students moved out for the summer, mountains of rubbish were left behind.

He said: "The other day I was looking at everyone moving out and it was apocalyptic the amount of rubbish [they left behind].

"People don't prepare for leaving, they just dump so much stuff. I thought to myself that's going to be there for ages, its not going to get collected."

The 21-year-old said that, as he did not drive, he was unable to get to a recycling point.

Two men stood infront of a brick house, with a black doorway. The man on the left has long wavy brown hair, a moustache and is wearing a blue checked shirt. The man on the right has short brown hair and is wearing a blue T-shirt. Both are smiling at the camera.
Theo Charlton (left), and Dan Savill (right) told the BBC students moving out in Selly Oak have left 'apocalyptic' rubbish piles

Fellow student Dan Savill echoed the concerns. The 20-year-old, who is moving to university for his final year, said he was still making an effort to separate his recycling, even though the collections had been "selective".

He also said that as recycling was not being collected, people were putting that rubbish in with the black bin collections.

"There's rubbish in both bins not being taken. The priority at this point should be taking everything somewhere. Ideally recycling - but all of the general waste should be gone first."

Image shows a large pile of full black bin liners piled up outside a house
After six months, residents are no clearer as to when the strike will end

Councillor Izzy Knowles said people living in flats in Moseley had little to no recycling facilities.

"The recycling is totally full up. It's getting contaminated. [Some] don't have cars, even if they go to the tip they're not allowed in as pedestrians."

The Liberal Democrat councillor said the council should be organising recycling trucks and garden waste trucks at mobile household waste centres.

A woman with short grey hair wearing a blue T-shirt that says 'binfluencer' on it. She is stood next to an overflowing green recycling bin on a residential street.
Councillor Izzy Knowles said people living in flats in Moseley have limited recycling facilities already - and have nowhere left to put their rubbish

Birmingham City Council said it was focused on delivering a "transformation" of waste collection services which would boost their recycling rates.

If it does not meet the government's target rate of 65% by 2035, it could face a reduction in grant funding.

Councillor Majid Mahmood said: "This is a service that needs to be transformed to one that citizens of Birmingham deserve.

"The council remains committed to resolving the industrial action in the best interest of all parties involved."

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Your new banknote ideas - from British Bulldogs to Fawlty Towers

4 July 2025 at 07:04
Julie Dudley the Bulldog on Cawsand Beach in Cornwall with the sea in the backgroundJulie
Dudley the dog is unlikely to feature, but animals are a popular suggestion

While cash might not be as popular as it once was, the opportunity to fashion the next series of banknotes has got brains whirring and tails wagging.

Within a day of reporting on the Bank of England's public invitation to influence a major redesign of banknotes, there were more than 2,000 responses to Your Voice, Your BBC on the issue.

Dudley the British Bulldog, pictured on Cawsand Beach in Cornwall, will be one of the least likely contenders, despite being described as a "national treasure" by his owner Julie, from Plymouth.

But animals and nature, as well as railways and TV nostalgia have featured strongly among the ideas.

Images of historical characters, starting with William Shakespeare, have featured on Bank of England notes since 1970.

Now, the Bank's chief cashier Victoria Cleland has suggested images on the next set of £5, £10, £20 and £50 notes could stick with notable figures of the past or move on to a new theme, as is seen on banknotes issued in Scotland, Nothern Ireland and around the world.

The Bank is giving people a month to select from certain themes, such as architecture, innovation or the arts, or suggest their own topics.

The Bank has not commented on the number of entries so far, but - if responses to the BBC are anything to go by - they are likely to be inundated.

Great ships

Getty Images The SS Great Britain in dry dock in Bristol.Getty Images
The SS Great Britain in Bristol is among the maritime suggestions

Among the themes to be suggested was a celebration of the UK's maritime heritage.

The Mary Rose, HMS Belfast, HMS Trincomalee, HMS Victory, Cutty Sark, and the SS Great Britain are all worthy of a place on a banknote, according to Hilary in London.

Charles from Bristol goes further. "I don't just mean the spectacularly beautiful clipper ships, and instantly recognisable liners, but perhaps some of the lesser known vessels trading with Commonwealth countries, or oil rig support vessels working hard in the North Sea," he wrote.

Famous landmarks

Stonehenge under a blue sky with grass in front.
Stonehenge is always a popular suggestion for something that represents Britain

There are appeals for the themes and choices to represent the whole of the country.

The Angel of the North is a regular suggestion, and areas of natural beauty such as the Yorkshire Dales.

Mike in Salisbury thinks using tourist sites on banknotes could bring benefits.

"Tourists come to England to see the main sites such as Stonehenge, Buckingham Palace, the Queen Elizabeth Tower etc," he says.

"If the banknotes showed these pictures then they would be more likely to visit the site, hold one up when taking a photo, and maybe even taking the note home as a souvenir."

Classic TV characters

John Cleese as Basil Fawlty with Basil Henson as Doctor Abbott and Elspet Gray as Mrs Abbott in a still from Fawlty Towers.
Classic sitcoms like Fawlty Towers might be a popular choice

Nostalgia features heavily, bringing a more recent historical outlook to notes that have carried images of people from the past for more than 50 years.

"Some classic British children's TV characters like Willow The Wisp, Bagpuss, or even a collection of them would make me smile," says Steve in Cardiff.

"Likewise I think some classic British TV could be represented, like The Bill - no pun intended - or Casualty, soap operas or even comedies like Fawlty Towers. Television has been a large part of life for many people growing up and I'm sure, people would appreciate a bit of nostalgia on the notes."

Vintage trains

SSPL/Getty Images Pullman train, hauled by a H2 class 4-4-2 locomotive number 32424 at Brighton station, West Sussex, by E D Bruton, 5 October 1952SSPL/Getty Images
Many people would like to see British railways and vintage trains like the British Pullman celebrated

Nostalgia for the railways and "local and meaningful" stations also features in responses.

"With the 200 years of the railway in Britain being celebrated, it seems a shame not to celebrate that considering we gave railways to the world," says Ian in Derby.

A mobile phone?

Getty Images Smiling young man in a cafe pays using a phone with a coffee in front of him.Getty Images

Despite the wide range of options, some people are keen to stick to the way key figures in history are honoured on banknotes.

"Having looked at all the options I really do think that historical figures should still be number one choice. Might it be possible to include Diana Princess of Wales somewhere?" asks Elizabeth, from Oxford.

But with cash used in only 12% of transactions, some say the time and effort involved in a huge overhaul of notes is unnecessary.

"We are sadly faced with the prospect of a cashless society, with so many places refusing to accept my cash, so I have to wonder, why bother changing the design?" says Dawn in Redditch.

Ian in Leighton Buzzard is much more blunt. "I would suggest that the new banknotes look like a mobile phone because that is how people are used to paying," he says.

People can submit their views via an online form on the Bank's website, or by post, by the end of July.

The final decision on what exactly features on a banknote lies with the Bank's governor.

Additional reporting by Bernadette McCague

What have tariffs really done to the US economy?

4 July 2025 at 07:03
Getty Images US President Donald Trump in a blue suit, looking off at an angleGetty Images

Soon after Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, he began raising tariffs, brushing off warnings from economists and businesses about the risks of economic damage.

He started with Mexico, Canada and China, then targeted steel, aluminium and cars, and finally in April, on what he called "Liberation Day", unleashed a blitz of new taxes on goods from countries around the world.

The plans hit trade and roiled financial markets. But as worries mounted, Trump quickly suspended his most aggressive plans to allow for 90 days of talks.

As that 9 July deadline approaches and the president crafts his approach, he will have one eye on the US economy.

So what has the impact really been?

The stock market - a wash

Trump's plans included tariffs of 20% on goods from the European Union, punishing tariffs on items from China of 145%, and a 46% levy on imports from Vietnam, though on Wednesday he announced a deal that will see the US charge tariffs of 20% on Vietnam.

The US stock market suffered the most immediate hit, starting to slide in February and finally tanking in April after Trump unveiled the full scope of his plans, on so-called "Liberation Day".

The S&P 500, which tracks 500 of the biggest companies in the US, dropped about 12% over the course of a week.

But shares bounced back after Trump rolled back his plans, abandoning steep tariffs in favour of a more easily swallowed 10% rate instead.

Now, the S&P 500 index is up about 6% for the year. In the UK and Europe, shares have also rebounded.

A line chart showing the performance of the S&P 500 index over the period of US President Donald Trump's imposition of global trade tariffs. At the start of January 2025, the index was 5,882, and rose gradually to a peak of 6,144 on 19 February. It then fell to 5,522 by 13 March 2025 – a period that coincided with the imposition of tariffs on several countries, and retaliatory tariffs on US goods. From there, the index rose slightly before dropping sharply to a low of 4,983 on 8 April, shortly after Trump’s announcement of a broad range of global tariffs. It rebounded to 5,457 the next day, after the president paused many of the tariffs, and broadly has been on an upward path since, reaching 6,275 by 3 July.

But shares of tariff-vulnerable firms, such as retailers and car companies are still hurting - and there is more risk ahead, as the talks deadline approaches.

The White House has left its options open, saying both that the deadline is "not critical" and that the president may simply present other countries "with a deal" on that date.

Liz Ann Sonders, chief investment strategist at Charles Schwab, said the rebound suggested "a lot of complacency" among investors, who risk being spooked again should Trump revive higher tariffs than they expect.

Trade - at a crossroads

NurPhoto/Getty Images A cargo ship fully loaded with foreign trade containers leaves the port of Qingdao in Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China, on June 23, 2025NurPhoto/Getty Images

Trump's tariffs precipitated a rush of goods to the US in the early part of the year, followed by a sharp drop in April and May.

But zoom out a bit, and US goods imports in the first five months of the year were up 17% compared with the same period last year.

What happens in the months ahead will depend on whether Trump extends his pause - or revives his more aggressive plans, said Ben Hackett of Hackett Associates, which tracks port traffic for the National Retail Federation.

"At this point it's anybody's guess," Mr Hackett said, noting that for now the situation was "in a holding pattern".

"If the tariff freeze disappears and the high tariffs are reimposed then almost certainly we're going to have a short recession," he added.

Prices - too soon to say

Bloomberg/Getty A shopper looks at magnets at a gift store in the Chinatown neighborhood of San Francisco, California, US, on Wednesday, June 25, 2025.Bloomberg/Getty

In the US, imported goods are estimated to account for only about 11% of consumer spending.

Trump and his allies have argued that fears that tariffs - which, on average, are now roughly six times higher than they were at the start of the year - will drive up the cost of living for Americans are overblown.

They have pointed in part to recent inflation data, which showed consumer prices stepping up just 0.1% from April to May.

But certain items, such as toys, saw far bigger jumps and many goods facing higher duties have not yet made it to shelves.

Firms, especially those cushioned by strong profits, could opt to pass the increases on gradually, rather than alienate customers with an abrupt jump.

Despite pressure from the president to "eat the tariffs", economists still widely expect customers to pay for them eventually.

"If you're not digging more into the data you would think, 'nothing to see here' from an inflation standpoint," says Ms Sonders. "But it's premature at this point to hang the victory banner."

Consumer spending - slowing

Economic sentiment in the US started falling earlier this year, as Trump began to set out his tariff plans.

But political views play a big role in shaping opinions on the economy, so whether the worries would actually lead households to clamp down on spending over the long term remained a matter of debate.

We are now starting to see signs of pullback: retail sales dropped 0.9% from April to May, the second month in a row of decline. It was the first back-to-back fall since the end of 2023.

Overall consumer spending grew at the slowest rate since 2020 in the first three months of the year, and slipped unexpectedly in May, the most recent month for which data is available.

But while growth is still expected to slow significantly compared with last year, most analysts say the economy should be able to escape a recession - so long as the job market continues to hold up.

Though layoff notices have been pacing higher, for now, unemployment remains low, at 4.2%. Job creation last month continued at a pace similar to the average over the last 12 months.

"We're sort of in this stall mode right now in the economy, a kind of wait-and-see mode, that is driven by pretty grave uncertainty and the instability in policy," Ms Sonders said, noting that many firms were responding with a self-imposed "time-out" on hiring and investment.

The economy is unlikely to escape unscathed, she warned.

"It's hard to lay out a scenario of a pickup in growth from here," she said. "The question is more, will it just be a softening of the economy or a bigger slide."

A year in power - BBC correspondents assess how Labour are doing

4 July 2025 at 07:00
BBC A designed image of the door to Number 10 Downing Street with a report card note alongside it in a montage.BBC

Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government stepped into power on 5 July 2024 with a thumping majority and tall ambitions.

That vision to "change" Britain - the word that has adorned many a red lectern - has on occasion come up against the harsh reality of politics in the year since.

So how is the government doing? Here, BBC News correspondents assess six key areas of Labour's policy plan.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'economy'.

A question of growth

Dharshini David
Deputy economics editor

Key pledges: The government says its number one mission is to put more money in pockets, which means growth. And for good reason: over the last 15 years, the UK has expanded at a fraction of its previous rate and some people failed to see living standards improve.

Status: It was a rocky start for the government as the economy flatlined in the second half of the year and ministers watered down their aim to have the fastest growth in the G7 major economies. Perhaps this was reality hitting over the challenges at hand. A pick up at the start of 2025 meant that GDP per person was about half of 1% higher by April than it had been last summer. So we're better off – but not by much.

Analysis: Rachel Reeves says the world has changed, while President Donald Trump's trade wars and greater geopolitical uncertainty make those growth ambitions tougher.

But the government's own policies risk weighing down the outlook for the next year or two. The rise in minimum wage has helped millions of workers but that and other policies - such as the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions - are weighing on businesses profits and jobs.

There are more than a quarter of a million fewer employees than a year ago; the biggest losses are in hospitality and retail, among the sectors most likely to have seen their wage bills increase. Analysis of job postings by the Institute of Employment Studies suggests the increased hesitancy among employers dates back to the Autumn Budget as they braced for these policies to be implemented.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'immigration'.

Net migration levels and small boats

Mark Easton
Home editor@BBCMarkEaston

Key pledges: To "reduce net migration" and "smash the criminal boat gangs".

Status: Net migration, the difference between people arriving and leaving the UK, has fallen sharply since the election. But the reduction has been driven largely by visa restrictions introduced by the previous government. Even tougher controls, including the closure of a visa scheme to fill vacancies in social care, are contained in new laws yet to be implemented.

Analysis: The government wants to reduce the UK's reliance on overseas workers by linking policies on immigration with employment training. However, Home Office advisers caution that increasing the skilled workforce does not guarantee a reduction in migration. Ministers believe tighter rules on worker and student visas, together with increased enforcement on illegal working, will mean significant falls in foreign arrivals - but net migration remains substantially higher than a decade ago.

Alongside policies to cut overall numbers, the government promised to restore order to the asylum system, end the use of hotels and "smash" the criminal boat gangs. However, small boat Channel crossings have increased significantly in Labour's first year and statistics suggest more migrants are receiving asylum support than at the election. The backlog of people awaiting an initial decision has decreased but this has been offset by a sharp rise in appeals. Hotel use is also slightly up, according to the latest figures.

While irregular migration accounts for only a small proportion of total arrivals, this aspect of immigration has a huge impact on the government politically and economically. The Treasury's spending plans are partly reliant on the promise to save billions by ending the use of asylum hotels by 2029, and the rise of Reform UK in the polls is seen by some as a sign of public frustration at small boat crossings.

The government has established a Border Security Command coordinating efforts to reduce illegal migration. Meanwhile, new legislation will treat people smuggling as a crime equivalent to terrorism. Deals with international partners and reports of an imminent returns agreement with France are seen as key to fulfilling the promise to "smash the gangs" too. Much depends, however, on factors beyond the UK's control.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'Diplomacy'.

Trump, Ukraine and the EU

James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent@BBCJLandale

Key pledges: Labour promised to "reconnect with allies and forge new partnerships to deliver security and prosperity at home and abroad". That included staying close to the US and resetting the UK's relationship with the European Union. It also promised "steadfast support for Ukraine".

Status: Allies say Keir Starmer has managed his relationship with Donald Trump well, securing a tariff deal - and US backing for a politically controversial plan to cede sovereignty of a joint military base in the Chagos Islands. He has also protected the AUKUS security pact with Australia and the US.

The UK has sustained support for Ukraine, working with European allies to keep pressure on Russia and help heal the rift between presidents Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky after their Oval Office bust-up. Starmer also led European discussions about plans for a post-war "reassurance force" in Ukraine. The UK has agreed a trade deal with India. It has also reset diplomatic relations with the EU, easing some trade regulations and agreeing a UK-EU defence pact.

Analysis: Starmer has discovered that governments can become consumed by foreign affairs and his first year is no exception. The chief criticism levelled at the government is that it is too cautious. Has it put enough pressure on Russia - targeting the $300bn (£220bn) of assets frozen in European jurisdictions, or sanctioning Russian wealth in London?

On the Middle East, the government has cut some arms sales to Israel. But it is under growing pressure from MPs to oppose more firmly Israel's deadly operations in Gaza and give formal recognition to a Palestinian state.

Critics say changes to UK-EU relations are too modest to boost the economy significantly and should go further. The China audit has been completed but the government is refusing to publish the document, citing security concerns. Critics say ministers are fearful of losing Chinese investment by being too explicit about security concerns.

On climate change, some MPs struggle to see the leadership that was promised. In opposition, Labour promised to "rebuild Britain's reputation on international development". Instead, it has slashed foreign aid to pay for defence spending, something some say has damaged relations with developing countries.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'education'.

Teacher targets and VAT on fees

Hazel Shearing
Education correspondent@hazelshearing

Key pledges: A drive to recruit 6,500 new teachers in England, and to start charging VAT on private school fees to pay for it, among other things.

Status: The government hasn't met its teacher target, according to the latest official headcount - though that dates from November. VAT has been introduced on private school fees across the UK - and there are concerns about private school pupils leaving the sector as a result.

Analysis: Training teachers takes time. The number of new trainees rose by 6% this academic year, but remained below target.

The latest figures from November show the number of secondary school teachers rose 1,400 in a year, while teachers in special schools and pupil referral units were up by 900. However, primary school and nursery teachers fell by 2,900.

In May, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson specified that the aim was to recruit 6,500 expert teachers "across secondary and special schools". That prompted fury from Conservative shadow education minister Neil O'Brien, who accused the government of "moving the goalposts" by excluding primary school numbers.

Labour said it planned to fund the recruitment drive by adding 20% VAT to private school fees. The Independent Schools Council said private school fees were 22.6% higher on average in January compared with a year ago - £7,382 per term for a day school, up from £6,021.

Figures out last month suggested the number of private school pupils fell by 11,000 in a year. The government said that was "within historical patterns", but private schools say more pupils are leaving than normal. There have been concerns that smaller private schools are being pushed towards closure and about the impact on students with scholarships, for example.

Given the controversy, there will be close scrutiny of whether the money raised will have the desired impact.

For many parents in the state sector, the need for more school staff is pressing. Government proposals to reform the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (Send) system - which has 1.7 million pupils, up 5.6% since last year - are due this autumn and parents will want to know whether staffing will match demand.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'welfare'.

Reforms and U-turns

Alison Holt
Social affairs editor

Key pledges: Welfare reform to support more people into work and to champion the rights of disabled people, plus a National Care Service that delivers consistent, high-quality support across the country.

Status: There have been significant U-turns on welfare reform and efforts to restrict the number of pensioners receiving the Winter Fuel Payment. An independent commission into reforming adult social care started work in April 2025.

Analysis: When Labour came to power, many of those who work with the most vulnerable in society were hopeful. In conversations, they would tell me that even with the nation's finances tight, surely neglected services and support for older and disabled people would be prioritised?

The government would argue that is exactly what it is doing, but 12 months on, the more printable judgments of the same people would be "disappointment" and "confusion." That disillusionment is rooted in three policies – all in part shaped by saving money.

First, the surprise decision to limit the £300-a-year Winter Fuel Allowance to only pensioners in the greatest need, meant the universal payment was taken away from ten million older people. After pressure from Labour MP's, the government reinstated the allowance for three quarters of pensioners, but the U-turn raised questions about its authority and priorities.

Second came the welfare bill. The aim was to save nearly £5bn a year by 2030 on spiralling benefits costs. It tightened the criteria for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) and Universal Credit - the latter is paid to both working and non-working people on low incomes. Again, pressure from MPs led to another government U-turn and plans were watered down. It has potentially wiped-out long-term Treasury savings, according to some economists, and the whole saga has left many disabled people worried.

Finally, there is disappointment over what the government has not done. Reform of the overstretched, understaffed and financially squeezed adult social care system has effectively been pushed into the long grass. The Casey Commission, the latest review to look at how to fund social care in the long-term, will produce recommendations next year, but its final report is not due until 2028.

There is a financial and human cost to every policy and in the last year the government has discovered how difficult it is to find the right balance.

A designed red and white banner image with the title 'health'.

Waiting lists and structural change

Hugh Pym, Jim Reed
Health editor & health reporter

Key pledges: Cut hospital waiting lists, end 8am scramble for GP appointments, scrap NHS England.

Status: Some modest progress on waiting lists but more work to be done.

Analysis: Health Secretary Wes Streeting shocked many in the health world by saying on day one that the NHS was broken. His aim was to acknowledge what many patients felt - and now he is trying to demonstrate that he can fix it.

Near the top of that list is hospital waiting lists. The government says it has delivered a pledge for two million extra NHS appointments in England in its first year. But as of April, the waiting list for an operation or another planned appointment stood at 7.39 million - which has fallen since the election.

As things stand just under 60% of those patients are seen and treated within 18 weeks, well under the NHS's 92% target. That number has improved by less than a percentage point since Labour took office.

The government has promised to hit that target by March 2029, something doctors and patient groups have warned will be an uphill battle.

Elsewhere, a new contract has been agreed with GPs, with more money for surgeries, a promise to cut red tape and a 5.4% pay rise for resident - formerly known as junior - doctors. Staff are now again balloting for strike action, spelling possible trouble ahead.

Ministers have been eager to show a Labour administration is not afraid to reduce duplication and cut what they claim to be bureaucracy. In the process, NHS England, the administrative body responsible for managing the health service, has been scrapped along with hundreds of other agencies. But there is a risk that NHS managers will be distracted by the reorganisation above improving performance for patients, while reallocating savings to frontline services may not be simple.

And the publication this week of a long-awaited ten-year plan for the NHS may promise a new network of neighbourhood health centres, but how long will it take for them to make a difference?

Health is a devolved power so the Labour government only has responsibility for England, not other parts of the UK.

Congress passes Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' cutting taxes and spending

4 July 2025 at 05:41
Watch: First comments from Trump since his megabill passed

The US Congress has passed Donald Trump's sprawling tax and spending bill in a significant and hard-fought victory for the president and his domestic agenda.

After a gruelling session on Capitol Hill, the House of Representatives passed the bill by a vote of 218 to 214 on Thursday afternoon. It was approved in the Senate on Tuesday by one vote.

Trump had given the Republican-controlled Congress a deadline of 4 July to send him a final version of the bill to sign into law.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates the bill could add $3.3tn (£2.4tn) to federal deficits over the next 10 years and leave millions without health coverage - a forecast that the White House disputes.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday evening, Trump said the bill would "turn this country into a rocket ship".

"This is going to be a great bill for the country," he said.

He is expected to sign it into law at a ceremony on the 4 July national holiday at 17:00 EDT (22:00 BST).

A triumphant Republican Speaker Mike Johnson emerged from the House after the vote and told reporters "belief" was key to rallying support within his party.

"I believed in the people that are standing here behind me... Some of them are more fun to deal with," he said. "I mean that with the greatest level of respect."

Among those he had to convince was Representative Chip Roy, a Texas Republican who was a firm "no" just days ago when the Senate passed its version of the bill. He called the Senate version a "travesty", but changed his mind by the time voting had begun.

Watch: Moment Trump's megabill passes final vote in the US House

"I feel like we got to a good result on key things," Roy said, although the House did not make any changes to the Senate bill.

While some Republicans, like Roy, had resisted the Senate version, only two lawmakers from Trump's own party voted "nay" on Thursday: Thomas Massie and Brian Fitzpatrick.

After Johnson announced that the legislation had passed the chamber by four votes, dozens of Republican lawmakers gathered on the House floor chanting "USA! USA!"

The bill's passage on Thursday was delayed by Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who delivered the longest speech in the chamber's history.

His "magic minute" address, which is a custom that allows party leaders to speak for as long as they like, ran for eight hours and 45 minutes.

Jeffries pledged to take his "sweet time on behalf of the American people", decrying the bill's impact on poor Americans.

Watch: The moment Hakeem Jeffries ends record-breaking speech

The legislation makes savings through making cuts to food benefits and health care and rolling back tax breaks for clean energy projects.

It also delivers on two of Trump's major campaign promises - making his 2017 tax cuts permanent and lifting taxes on tips, overtime and Social Security recipients - at a cost of $4.5tn over 10 years.

About $150bn (£110bn) will be spent on border security, detention centres and immigration enforcement officers. Another $150bn is allocated for military expenditures, including the president's "gold dome" missile defence programme.

Democrats, who had used procedural manoeuvres to stall the House vote, were roundly critical of the final bill.

They portrayed it as taking health care and food subsidies away from millions of Americans while giving tax cuts to the rich.

A pair of bar charts compare the estimated increases and savings in US federal spending from Trump's budget bill. The first bar chart shows the cumulative cost increases over 10 years. It highlights tax-cut extensions (worth $4.5tn), defence (worth $150bn) and borders (worth $129bn). The bar representing tax-cut extensions is much longer than any of the bars on the bar chart that shows total savings. This second bar chart highlights Medicaid (worth $930bn in savings), green energy (worth $488bn) and food benefits (worth $287bn)

California's Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, said "today ushers in a dark and harrowing time", and called the bill a "dangerous checklist of extreme Republican priorities".

North Carolina's Deborah Ross said: "Shame on those who voted to hurt so many in the service of so few."

While Arizona's Yassamin Ansari said she was "feeling really sad right now", while Marc Veasey of Texas labelled the Republican Party the party of "cowards, chaos and corruption".

The fate of the so-called 'big, beautiful bill' hung in the balance for much of Wednesday as Republican rebels with concerns about the impact on national debt held firm - prompting a furious missive from Trump.

"What are the Republicans waiting for??? What are you trying to prove??? MAGA IS NOT HAPPY, AND IT'S COSTING YOU VOTES!!!," he wrote on Truth Social just after midnight local time on Thursday.

Both chambers of Congress are controlled by Trump's Republican Party, but within the party several factions were at odds over key policies in the lengthy legislation.

In the early hours of Thursday, Republican leadership grew more confident, and a procedural vote on the bill passed just after 03:00 EDT (07:00 GMT).

The final vote on the bill would come almost 12 hours later, at 14:30 EDT (19:30 GMT).

Oasis 'sounding huge' as comeback tour launches

4 July 2025 at 07:11
Getty Images Oasis pictured in 1994Getty Images
Oasis's second album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? has sold over 22 million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful records of all time

It's the gig that fans have been waiting 5,795 days for, as Oasis kick off their reunion tour at Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday night.

The venue has been hosting soundchecks and rehearsals all week, with passersby treated to snatches of songs such as Cigarettes & Alcohol, Wonderwall and Champagne Supernnova.

"It's sounding huge," Noel Gallagher told talkSPORT radio. "This is it, there's no going back now."

The Oasis Live '25 tour was the biggest concert launch ever seen in the UK and Ireland, with more than 10 million fans from 158 countries queuing to buy tickets last summer.

An info graphic showing Oasis plan to play 41 shows, and have sold 1.38 million tickets

Around 900,000 tickets were sold, but many fans complained when standard standing tickets advertised at £135 plus fees were re-labelled "in demand" and changed on Ticketmaster to £355 plus fees.

The sale prompted an investigation from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which said Ticketmaster may have breached consumer protection law by selling "platinum" tickets for almost 2.5 times the standard price, without explaining they came with no additional benefits.

The CMA ordered Ticketmaster to change the way it labels tickets and reveals prices to fans in the future. Ticketmaster said it "welcomed" the advice.

Still, the debacle has done nothing to dampen the excitement in Cardiff, where fans have arrived from Spain, Peru, Japan, America and elsewhere for the opening night.

"For me, Oasis represents an overwhelming optimism about being young and loving music," says Jeff Gachini, a fan from Kenya who's making his first visit to the UK for the show.

"To write simple music that relays the simple truth of life is very difficult. For me, they do that better than anyone."

Kenyan Oasis fans Jeff Gachini
Kenyan fan Jeff Gachini is among the lucky 74,000 fans who got tickets for the opening night
PA Media Fans pose with a mural of Liam and Noel Gallagher in Cardiff city centrePA Media
A mural of Liam and Noel, made entirely of bucket hats, has been unveiled in Cardiff's city centre

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher will be joined on stage by Gem Archer, Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and Andy Bell, all former members of Oasis, alongside drummer Joey Waronker, who has previously recorded with Beck and REM; and toured with Liam.

The band will also be augmented by a brass section, and backing singer Jess Greenfield, who is part of Noel's side project the High Flying Birds.

Meanwhile, rumours about the setlist have been swirling all week, as Oasis songs echoed around the Principality Stadium.

One purported running order that was leaked to Reddit suggested the band would open with Hello and finish with Champagne Supernova, with other highlights including Acquiesece, Roll With It, Live Forever and Supersonic.

Noel is also expected to take lead vocals twice during the show, on short sets including songs such as Half The World Away and The Masterplan.

Britain's biggest band

Oasis were the biggest band in Britain from 1994 to 1997, selling tens of millions of copies of their first three albums Definitely Maybe, (What's The Story) Morning Glory and Be Here Now.

Liam's sneering vocals and Noel's distorted guitars brought a rock and roll swagger back to the charts, revitalising British guitar music after an influx of self-serious Seattle grunge.

Born and raised in Manchester, they formed the band to escape the dead-end mundanity of their working class backgrounds.

"In Manchester you either became a musician, a footballer, a drugs dealer or work in a factory. And there aren't a lot of factories left, you know?" Noel Gallagher once said.

"We didn't start in university or anything like this. We're not a collection of friends that kind of come together and discuss things musically.

"We started the group... because we were all on the dole and we were unemployed and we rehearsed and we thought we were pretty good."

Reuters Oasis' line-up in 1999Reuters
The 2025 line-up includes Gem Archer (far left) and Andy Bell (third from left), who originally joined the band in 1999 after founder members Guigsy and Bonehead left

Oasis was originally Liam's band, performing under the name The Rain. But after watching them live, Noel offered to join – on the condition that he became chief songwriter and de facto leader.

That fait accompli brought them worldwide fame, culminating in two open-air gigs at Knebworth House in summer 1996.

Nearly five per cent of the UK population applied for tickets, with a then-record 125,000 people watching the band top a line-up that also included The Prodigy, Manic Street Preachers, Ocean Colour Scene, The Chemical Brothers, The Charlatans and a Beatles tribute.

But festering tension between the Gallagher brothers often spilled over into verbal and physical violence.

Backstage at a gig in Barcelona in 2000, for example, Noel attacked Liam after he questioned the legitimacy of his eldest daughter. The guitarist walked out for the rest of the European tour, leaving the band to continue with a stand-in.

Although they repaired the relationship, the insults and in-fighting continued until 28 August, 2009, when Oasis split up minutes before they took the stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer," Noel wrote in a statement at the time.

He would later recount a backstage argument in which his younger brother grabbed his guitar and started "wielding it like an axe", adding, "he nearly took my face off with it".

PA Media OasisPA Media
The band's biggest hits include Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Live Forever

Since then, they've pursued successful solo careers, while constantly fielding questions about an Oasis reunion.

Liam called the idea "inevitable" in 2020, and said the band should reform to support NHS workers during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, he said his brother had spurned the idea, despite a lucrative offer from promoters.

"There was a lot of money knocking about," he told ITV's Jonathan Ross Show. "It was £100 million to do a tour.

"But [Noel] isn't into it. He's after a knighthood, isn't he?"

The reconciliation took another five years and, with neither of the Gallaghers consenting to an interview, it's hard to know what informed their decision to get back together.

Tabloid newspapers suggested that Noel's divorce from Sara McDonald in 2022 led to a thaw in relations. Others have suggested the brothers simply wanted the Oasis story to have a more satisfactory conclusion than a dressing room bust-up.

"I've heard everything is honky dory and they're getting on great," says Tim Abbott, former managing director of Oasis's record label, Creation.

"I've worked with bands in the past that had separate limos, separate walkways onto the stage. I don't think they'll get to that. They're grown men."

Getty Images Liam Gallagher sticks his tongue out during an Oasis show in San Francisco, 1997Getty Images
According to analysis by Birmingham City University, the Oasis tour could bring in £400 million in tickets sales and merchandise.

Whatever sparked the reunion, the sold-out tour will see the band play 41 shows between July and November, spanning the UK & Ireland, North America, Oceania and South America.

"Probably the biggest and most pleasing surprise of the reunion announcement is how huge it was internationally," said Oasis's co-manager Alec McKinlay in an interview with Music Week.

"Honestly, we knew it would be big here, and that doesn't take much intuition. But looking outside the UK, we knew they had a strong fanbase, we did all the stats.

"We were quite cautious about what that would mean when it came to people actually buying tickets but we were just bowled over by how huge it was."

McKinlay added that the band had no plans for new music, and described the tour as their "last time around".

They take to the stage for the first time in 16 years at 20:15 UK time on Friday night.

Shunning the usual rock and roll trappings, Noel Gallagher was spotted arriving for the show by train.

Home Office unaware if foreign workers leave after visas end, MPs say

4 July 2025 at 07:34
Getty Images UK Border signGetty Images

The Home Office does not know whether foreign workers are leaving the UK or staying to work illegally after their visas expire, a cross-party committee of MPs has said.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which scrutinises government spending, said the Home Office had failed to analyse exit checks since the skilled worker visa route was introduced in 2020 under the Conservatives.

Some 1.18 million people have applied to come to the UK via this route between its launch in December 2020 and the end of 2024.

The Home Office said earlier this year that it was working to modernise border security and boost digital checks. The BBC has approached the Home Office for comment on the report.

The skilled worker visa route replaced the Tier 2 (General) work visa after the UK left the European Union.

The route was expanded in 2022 by the previous Conservative government to address skill shortages and job vacancies in health and social care in the wake of the Covid pandemic, driving net migration to record levels.

But the PAC has accused the Home Office of failing to gather "basic information" on whether people leave the UK after their visas expire and showing "little curiosity about how the route was operating".

Its report said the department still relied on airline passenger records to check if someone had left the country and that there had been no analysis of those records since 2020.

It added that the Home Office needed to set out what measures would be put in place to record when people had left the country.

The report also said there was "widespread evidence of workers suffering debt bondage, working excessive hours and exploitative conditions" and accused the department of being "slow and ineffective" to tackle exploitation.

In May, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government would end overseas recruitment for care workers as part of the plans to curb near record net migration.

Home Office Permanent Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo has also said overstaying is a "problem" the department was "fixing".

Gaza aid contractor tells BBC he saw colleagues fire on hungry Palestinians

4 July 2025 at 04:14
SUPPLIED View from inside a GHF aid distribution centreSUPPLIED
The contractor shared footage from inside a GHF site with the BBC

A former security contractor for Gaza's controversial new Israel- and US-backed aid distribution sites has told the BBC that he witnessed colleagues opening fire several times on hungry Palestinians who had posed no threat, including with machine guns.

On one occasion, he said, a guard had opened fire from a watchtower with a machine gun because a group of women, children and elderly people was moving too slowly away from the site.

When asked to respond the GHF said the allegations were categorically false.

They referred us to a statement saying that no civilians ever came under fire at the GHF distribution sites.

The GHF began its operations in Gaza at the end of May, distributing limited aid from several sites in southern and central Gaza. That followed an 11-week total blockade of Gaza by Israel during which no food entered the territory.

The system has been widely criticised for forcing vast numbers of people to walk through active combat zones to a handful of sites. Since the GHF started up, Israeli forces have killed more than 400 Palestinians trying to retrieve food aid from its sites, the UN and local doctors say. Israel says the new distribution system stops aid going to Hamas.

Continuing his description of the incident at one of the GHF sites - in which he said guards fired on a group of Palestinians - the former contractor said: "As that happened, another contractor on location, standing on the berm overlooking the exit, opened up with 15 to 20 shots of repetitive weapons fire at the crowd.

"A Palestinian man dropped to the ground motionless. And then the other contractor who was standing there was like, 'damn, I think you got one'. And then they laughed about it."

The contractor, who spoke to us on condition of anonymity, said GHF managers had brushed off his report as a coincidence, suggesting that the Palestinian man could have "tripped" or been "tired and passed out".

The GHF claimed the former contractor who made these allegations is a "disgruntled former contractor" who they had terminated for misconduct, which he denies. He showed us payslips suggesting that he continued to be paid for two weeks after leaving the post.

SUPPLIED a congested queue of people in a fenced in corridor near a GHF site in GazaSUPPLIED
Supplied footage showed long queues of aid seekers in a fenced corridor

The man we spoke to, who said he had worked at all four of the GHF distribution sites, described a culture of impunity with few rules or controls.

He said contractors were given no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and were told by one team leader: "if you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later".

The culture in the company, he said, felt like "we're going into Gaza so it's no rules. Do what you want."

"If a Palestinian is walking away from the site and not demonstrating any hostile intent, and we're shooting warning shots at them regardless, we are wrong, we are criminally negligent," he told me.

He told us that each site had site CCTV monitoring activity there, and GHF insistence that no one there had been hurt or shot at was "an absolute bare-faced lie".

GHF said that gunfire heard in footage shared with the BBC was coming from Israeli forces.

Team leaders referred to Gazans as "zombie hordes", the contractor told me, "insinuating that these people have no value."

The former contractor also said Palestinians were coming to harm in other ways at GHF sites, for example by being hit by debris from stun grenades, being sprayed with mace or being pushed by the crowds into razor wire.

He said he himself had witnessed several occasions in which Palestinians appeared to have been seriously hurt, including one man who had a full can of pepper spray in his face, and a woman who he says was hit with the metal part of a stun grenade, improperly fired into a crowd.

"This metal piece hit her directly in the head and she dropped to the ground, not moving," he said. "I don't know if she was dead. I know for a fact she was unconscious and completely limp."

Reuters  Palestinians gather to collect what remains of relief supplies from the distribution center of the U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. Empty cardboard boxes litter the arid ground. Reuters
The GHF operation has been criticised for forcing people to walk through active combat zones

Earlier this week more than 170 charities and other NGOs called for the GHF to be shut down. The organisations, including Oxfam and Save the Children, say Israeli forces and armed groups "routinely" open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

Israel denies its soldiers deliberately shoot at aid recipients and says the GHF's system provides direct assistance to people who need it, bypassing Hamas interference.

The GHF says it had delivered more than 52 million meals in five weeks and that other organisations "stand by helplessly as their aid is looted".

The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

Additional reporting by Gidi Kleiman and Samantha Granville

The sale of illegal cigarettes signals a deeper problem with UK high streets

4 July 2025 at 05:19
BBC A treated image of a collection of red, opened cigarette boxesBBC

It's pitch black and we're crawling along a secret underground tunnel beneath a high street in Hull. We pass rotting beams propped up precariously by stacked breeze blocks. A rusty car jack is helping prevent the shop floor above from falling in.

Through the rubble, we follow a Trading Standards Officer, his torch swinging back and forth in the darkness until it rests on a hidden stash of thousands of illegal cigarettes.

This is just one such surreal experience while investigating the sale of illegal cigarettes in Hull. In one week we repeatedly witnessed counterfeit and smuggled tobacco being sold in high street mini marts - and were threatened by shop workers who grabbed our cameras when we tried to film them.

This is now a familiar story being repeated across Britain. In April, the National Crime Agency (NCA) raided hundreds of high street businesses, many suspected of being supplied by international crime gangs. Trading Standards teams have also found a thriving trade in illicit tobacco.

BBC/Phillip Edwards An officer bring out illegal packets of cigarettes from a hole in the floor following a raid on a corner shopBBC/Phillip Edwards
Beneath the floor of a shop in Hull, a secret tunnel hides illegal cigarettes

One leading criminology expert called the networks behind the supply of illegal cigarettes the "golden thread for understanding serious organised crime", because of its links to people trafficking and, in some cases, illegal immigration.

So, in some ways, these high street shop fronts connect the various domestic problems facing Britain today.

Political researchers claim it's also damaging trust in police and the government - and turning our high streets into symbols of national decline.

'We're losing the war'

Alan, a former detective and now a Trading Standards officer, searches for counterfeit and smuggled cigarettes sold under the counter in mini marts, barber shops and takeaways around Hull, which he says have spread across the city at an alarming rate.

Under the floorboards of a mini mart called Ezee Shop, a network of these secret tunnels hide contraband stock. As battered suitcases and black sacks stuffed full of cigarettes are heaved up through the makeshift trap door, a man who we're told helps out in the shop watches on laughing.

"It's not something dangerous, it's only cigarettes," he says. "Everywhere has it; barber shops, takeaways." Some shops, he adds, are selling drugs including crack cocaine.

Alan estimates that there are about £20,000 worth of illegal cigarettes in this haul, a tiny proportion of a crime that HMRC says costs the country at least £2.2 billion in lost revenue.

Today's raid won't change what's happening on Hull's high streets, he says. He has been to some shops at least 20 times and he estimates that there are some 80 shops selling illegal cigarettes in the city.

"We're losing the war," he says.

BBC/Phillip Edwards Ed Thomas speaks to a corner shop assistant BBC/Phillip Edwards
The BBC visited 12 shops in Hull. Here, correspondent Ed Thomas speaks to a shop assistant

He has been with Trading Standards for many years but didn't want to be fully identified because he's worried about the organised crime gangs often supplying these shops.

It's not long before someone claiming to be Ezee Shop's owner turns up. Alan says he is a Kurd from Iran. He is furious with us filming his illicit stock being taken away.

Dead flies and asbestos in cigarettes

Some of the illegal cigarettes sold across Britain are made in this country. Others are produced cheaply in countries like Poland or Belgium. Some are designed to imitate established brands. Illegal cigarettes are sold without the necessary taxes and duties, and many do not conform to safety standards.

Previously the Local Government Association warned that some black market cigarettes contained "human excrement, dead flies and asbestos".

We went undercover, visiting 12 shops in Hull, some multiple times, to try and buy these cheap cigarettes, and secretly filmed the responses.

The windows of many of these shops are covered with large pictures of fizzy drinks, sweets and vapes, obscuring what's going on inside.

Nine sold us illegal cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco. Two told us where we could buy cheap packs. We were openly offered a selection of brands with packets costing between £3 and £7 - instead of the average UK price of about £16.

BBC/Phillip Edwards illegal packs of cigarettesBBC/Phillip Edwards
The cigarettes packets often look real - some of them imitate real brands

None of the businesses we bought illegal cigarettes from in Hull responded to our request for a comment. But this is not only a Hull problem.

Data shared with the BBC from investigators working for an international tobacco company say that last year they identified more than 600 shops selling illegal packets, with several cities including Bradford, Coventry and Nottingham flagged as hotspots. The BBC is unable to verify these figures.

In Bradford alone, they say they found 49 stores selling fake products in just two days. In the end, they had to stop the test purchases because they didn't have enough test bags to put the items in.

Are fines and penalties too low?

All of this is a growing problem - but it is also one with specific causes: profits, a lack of resources to enforce the law, a complex criminal supply network and in some cases organised immigration crime.

Professor Georgios Antonopoulos, criminologist at Northumbria University Newcastle, believes money is at the heart of it. "Legal tobacco products in the UK are subject to some of the highest excise taxes in the world," he says.

Illegal cigarettes are sometimes sold for as little as £3 to £5 per pack - compelling for some customers during a cost of living crisis.

PA Media A man smoking a cigarettePA Media
Illegal cigarettes are sometimes sold for as little as £3 to £5 per pack

In some cases, the financial penalties issued to criminals may be much lower than the profits they can make.

In the case of Ezee Shop in Hull, the shop owner had been convicted for selling illegal cigarettes in the past and was fined £80, plus costs and a £34 victim surcharge.

Tougher rules introduced in 2023 mean those convicted now can face higher fines of up to £10,000 - but this may still be lower than the value of the stash.

After the raid, we went back to the shop, covertly. Within a few hours it had reopened, restocked - and was selling illegal cigarettes once again.

Struggles with law enforcement

Leading criminologists tell the BBC that UK authorities are struggling to deal with the problem.

Prof Antonopoulos says teams are "chronically underfunded". He claims that police prioritise violent crimes and drug trafficking - "which is understandable," he adds.

Some Trading Standards officers are frustrated with the powers available to them. "The general public don't understand why they can't be closed down," Alan says.

They can use anti-social behaviour legislation to close shops for up to three months - but it can require statements from other businesses and members of the public.

We were told that after some shops shut down, the criminals simply reopen nearby. Alan wants a 'three strikes and you're out' policy to permanently close law-breaking businesses.

EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock A packet of cigarettesEPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock
Last year, the government pledged £100 million over five years to help HMRC and Border Force crack down on the illegal trade

Last year, the previous government provided £100 million across five years to support HMRC and Border Force to tackle the illicit tobacco trade. But since then, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute warned that some broader forms of organised crime - including scammers and rogue traders - could effectively become decriminalised, due to a lack of funding.

As for the suppliers, HMRC says there are so many organised crime groups operating across borders that it is hard to limit the flow of goods into the UK.

In May, Hungarian authorities raided a factory where they found warehouses full of fake cigarettes. And there's even production in Ukraine, according to legitimate tobacco firms, with authorities there stretched because of the war.

Chinese triads have a 'vast business'

There is also a "significant production" of illicit tobacco here in the UK, says Prof Antonopoulos.

A Trading Standards team in south Wales told us that counterfeit hand-rolling tobacco is often sold cheaply. They claimed that some of it was made using forced labour, controlled by Chinese gangs.

Dave McKelvey, managing director of TM Eye private investigators, which works with tobacco firms to gather evidence on the illicit trade, claims that Fujian-based Chinese triads operate a "vast business" here in the UK.

And trying to track down the people in charge of these criminal enterprises is a challenge.

Trading Standards told the BBC that those named as the company director often have no real involvement in the company. Instead, they may be paid a small sum each month to be listed as the director on official documents.

Later this year, Companies House will receive new powers to better identify business owners.

Employing illegal workers

Authorities are trying to clean up British high streets. Just this year, we joined dozens of raids led by the NCA in barber shops and mini marts, in a month-long operation.

But the former senior detectives who worked with the BBC's undercover team said they need more time to fully expose the organised crime supplying some of the shop fronts.

Throughout our time with Trading Standards in Hull and in the dozens of raids we've been on with police in Shrewsbury and across Greater Manchester, officers claimed that tobacco operations are often staffed by Kurds from Iran and Iraq. Some may not have had the right to work.

PA Media Shoppers on Oxford Street, LondonPA Media
People care deeply about the quality of their local high street, political scientists say

In Hull, Alan believes that some people working in the shops he visits may be recruited from asylum seeker hotels. "They're expendable, if they get caught they just replace them with another.

Rochdale Trading Standards has made similar observations.

Criminology professor Emmeline Taylor argues that these criminal supply chains behind the supply of illegal tobacco are linked to other forms of crime - and the damage can't be underestimated.

"They're not just dealing in tobacco," she says. "It's firearms, it's drugs, it's people trafficking, it's illegal immigration."

The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, told us it is a "total disgrace" that "criminal gangs are trying to abuse our high streets by using shops as a front for organised crime".

She also accused gangs of "undermining our border and immigration systems by employing illegal workers".

Pockets of criminality on high streets

Of course, there have long been pockets of criminality on the UK high street. But now experts tell us that this illicit trade is harming people's trust in authority - and, at a basic level, their sense of fairness.

"If you're a law abiding business following the rules, you're jeopardising your own livelihood and the viability of your own business," argues Prof Taylor. "And to me that's not fair that someone can succeed by not playing by the rules."

Josh Nicholson, a researcher at the Centre for Social Justice, believes that perceptions of crime are worse than ever. "From research we have done there is a feeling of powerlessness, a lack of respect for authority like the police," he says.

"Are the police... seen to be tackling low level offences? When they don't see it tackled, people's perception is that things are getting a lot worse."

And people tend to trust the government less when they think access to good shops has declined in their area, says Will Jennings, a political science professor at the University of Southampton, based on studies he has done.

Nick Plumb, a director at the Power to Change charity, says his research shows that declining high streets boosts support for parties that were once considered outside of the political mainstream.

"Reform UK, for example, is doing better in places with declining high streets when compared to the rest of England," he says. "There's a sense that … mainstream politics, local authorities have all tried to tackle this issue, and [residents] haven't seen any change. It's that sense of 'the status quo hasn't solved these things, and therefore we want to try something new'."

Ultimately, what people see in the places they call home matters.

"People find a sense of local identity in the quality of the streets where they've grown up," adds Mr Nicholson.

"When the quality ... dramatically declines, and they feel they can't even go there - what that does to a sense of community is unquantifiable."

Additional reporting by Phillip Edwards.

Top Image credit: Javier Zayas Photography/ Getty Images

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Zarah Sultana says she is quitting Labour to start party with Corbyn

4 July 2025 at 05:40
BBC BreakingBBC

Suspended Labour MP Zarah Sultana has announced she is starting a new party with former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Sultana, stripped of the Labour whip last year for backing a move to scrap the two-child benefit cap, said she was also resigning from the party after 14 years of membership.

The MP for Coventry South said the new party would be formed with other independent MPs, campaigners and activists, aiming to challenge a "broken" Westminster system.

Corbyn has been contacted but has not confirmed his involvement to the BBC.

However last night, he had hinted he may form a new party, telling ITV's Peston "there is a thirst for an alternative" and that a "grouping will come together".

In a social media post, Sultana said the government is "an active participant in genocide" in Gaza - and highlighted growing poverty, the government's position on welfare, and the cost of living as reasons for establishing her new party.

"Labour has completely failed to improve people's lives. And across the political establishment, from Farage to Starmer, they smear people of conscience trying to stop a genocide in Gaza as terrorists.

"But the truth is clear: this government is an active participant in genocide. And the British people oppose it."

Israel has strenuously denied accusations it is committing genocide or genocidal acts in Gaza.

Sultana added: "The government wants to make disabled people suffer; they just can't decide how much".

"We're not an island of strangers," she says, referencing a speech given by the prime minister in May about immigration, which he has since said he regrets. And she says at the next election, "the choice will be stark: socialism or barbarism".

The Labour Party has been approached for comment.

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Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

4 July 2025 at 02:08

Death of Liverpool forward Jota leaves football world in shock

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Watch Diogo Jota's best career moments

  • Published

The death of Liverpool and Portugal forward Diogo Jota in a car crash aged 28 has left the football world in shock.

Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, both died after the Lamborghini they were travelling in crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.

BBC Sport has been told the 28-year-old was on his way to return to Liverpool for pre-season training by ferry because he had undergone minor surgery so doctors advised him against flying.

Jota married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso, with whom he had three children, just 11 days ago.

Liverpool said his death is a "tragedy that transcends" the club, while fans gathered outside Anfield to lay tributes.

Reds manager Arne Slot said Jota was "the essence of what a Liverpool player should be".

BBC Sport understands a wake for Jota and his brother will take place on Friday afternoon before their funeral on Saturday in Porto, Portugal.

What happened?

Map showing the province of Zamora, in Spain, the highway A-52 and the town of Cernadilla, where Diogo Jota’s car crashed
Image caption,

Map showing the province of Zamora, in Spain, the highway A-52 and the town of Cernadilla, where Diogo Jota's car crashed

Jota and 25-year-old Silva, also a professional footballer for Portuguese second-tier club Penafiel, were killed after their car left the road because of a tyre blowout that occurred while overtaking another vehicle.

The Guardia Civil told BBC Sport both men died at about 00:30 local time on Thursday.

With Jota intending to return to Liverpool by boat, this is understood to mean he was travelling by car from Porto to take a ferry from Santander in northern Spain.

There are ferry routes from Santander to Plymouth and Portsmouth in the south of England.

Zamora, close to the Portuguese border, is about 190 miles from Porto and a similar distance from the port.

It is understood Jota had also travelled by road and sea to get to Porto for his wedding.

Liverpool and Ronaldo lead tributes

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Some Diogo Jota's best Premier League goals

Liverpool led the tributes to Jota, saying the club was "devastated" by such an "unimaginable loss".

He scored 65 goals in 182 appearances for Liverpool, helping them win the FA Cup and League Cup in 2022 and the Premier League title last season.

The club put out further statements later on Thursday, with boss Slot paying tribute to a player who had become "a loved one to all" at the club.

The Dutchman added: "Someone who made others feel good about themselves just by being with them. A person who cared deeply for his family."

Slot said he last spoke to Jota to congratulate him on Portugal winning the Nations League and wish him luck for his wedding.

"In many ways, it was a dream summer for Diogo and his family, which makes it all the more heartbreaking that it should end like this," he added.

Slot said Liverpool and their supporters are "all with" Jota's family and the "the same can be said of the wider family of football".

A statement from the the club's owners and leadership group, Billy Hogan, John Henry, Tom Werner and Mike Gordon, said they have been left "numb with grief" as they offered condolences to Jota's family.

They added: "Beyond the player that we all knew was a wonderfully humble human being, he was sincere, intelligent, funny, tough and created connections with people everywhere he went. He had a zest for life that was utterly contagious."

Liverpool sporting director Richard Hughes and Fenway Sports Group chief executive of football Michael Edwards said in statement: "This is a tragedy that transcends Liverpool football club."

They added the club will look to honour Jota with the "respect and affection" he deserves in the coming days, but for now "express a love that is filled with deep sorrow and pain" after losing someone "truly irreplaceable".

Jota had previously played for Pacos de Ferreira, Atletico Madrid, Porto and Wolves - for whom he netted 44 goals in 131 games - before joining Liverpool in 2020.

His final match was for Portugal in their Uefa Nations League final win against Spain. He scored 14 goals in 49 internationals.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo wrote on social media: "It doesn't make sense. Just now we were together in the national team, you had just got married."

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo sent his condolences to Jota's family, wife and children, and added: "I know you will always be with them. Rest in Peace, Diogo e Andre. We will miss you."

Jurgen Klopp, the former Liverpool manager who signed Jota for the Reds, said he was "heartbroken".

"Diogo was not only a fantastic player, but also a great friend, a loving and caring husband and father," the German coach posted on Instagram.

"We will miss you so much."

Fans gather at Anfield

Tributes left by fans at AnfieldImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Tributes left by fans at Anfield

Thousands of football fans gathered at Liverpool's home ground Anfield on Thursday to pay their respects.

They laid tributes at the club's Hillsborough disaster memorial, with a sea of flowers, football shirts, scarves, balloons and flags outside the stadium.

Lifelong fan John Barlow from Leyland in Lancashire, a survivor of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, said he was "absolutely devastated" when the news broke and had to stop what he was doing at work to travel to Anfield.

Jota was a fan favourite, respected as a tenacious player on the pitch but also known to supporters as a laid-back and outgoing character off the pitch.

"The success that he has helped bring to this city will never be forgotten", said Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.

Liverpool have opened physical and digital books of condolence and supporters and members of the public can sign the physical book at Anfield , externalfrom Thursday until Sunday.

MI5 false evidence was a serious failing, Cooper says

4 July 2025 at 02:42
Reuters Home Secretary Yvette Cooper delivers a speech in the House of CommonsReuters

The home secretary has said MI5 giving false evidence to multiple courts was a "serious failing", as she accepted a further investigation should take place.

Yvette Cooper, who is responsible for the security service, made a written statement to Parliament a day after the High Court ruled MI5's explanations for its false evidence were deficient and unreliable.

She said the government accepted the High Court's conclusion that a "further, robust and independent investigation" should take place.

A panel of three senior judges, including the Lady Chief Justice Baroness Sue Carr, on Wednesday rejected two official inquiries into the false evidence.

One inquiry was commissioned by Cooper and the other was carried out internally by MI5.

The two reviews took place after the BBC revealed MI5 had lied to three courts in a case concerning a neo-Nazi state agent who abused women. The flawed reviews cleared MI5 of deliberate wrongdoing.

Wednesday's High Court judgement said the new investigation should be carried out under the auspices of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Brian Leveson, who has oversight of MI5's surveillance activities. His office, IPCO, was also provided with false evidence by MI5 in the case.

The Home Office has refused to answer questions about the position of MI5's third-in-command, the director general strategy, whose witness evidence was found by the High Court to have been neither fair or accurate and to have omitted critical information, which had to be forced out of MI5 by the court.

Cooper did not mention the senior spy in her statement.

She said she remained "deeply concerned" about what happened, and that "internal processes at MI5 must improve, starting with the implementation of all recommendations made so far in relation to this case".

She added that she has asked the Attorney General, Lord Hermer, to conduct an internal review of how "evidence from MI5 should be prepared and presented in future".

"I have asked my officials to review the wider issues raised by this case," she added.

PA Media Ken McCallum, Director General of MI5, stands against a blue backdrop with the MI5 logo onPA Media

The case began in 2022 with an attempt to block the BBC from publishing a story about a neo-Nazi agent known as Agent X. He used his role to coerce and terrify his former girlfriend - known publicly as "Beth" - and had attacked her with a machete.

MI5 gave evidence to three courts, saying that it had never breached its core secrecy policy of neither confirming nor denying (NCND) that X was a state agent.

But in February, the BBC was able to prove with notes and recordings of phone calls with MI5 that this was false.

When we first exposed the abuse by Agent X in 2022, Cooper – then shadow home secretary – said in a BBC interview that the report "showed very disturbing images of abuse, and domestic abuse is a horrible crime".

"I think, given the seriousness of this, the home secretary needs to make sure there is an independent assessment of the handling of this case," she added.

In a statement to Parliament on Thursday, she said she was "unable to comment" on a case against MI5 brought by Beth, involving "accusations that Agent X committed acts of domestic abuse against their partner".

But she added that the government was "clear that all organisations must have robust safeguarding policies under continuous review and must take any allegation of domestic abuse extremely seriously".

'One of toughest losses' - Draper exits Wimbledon early again

4 July 2025 at 03:26

'One of toughest losses' - Draper exits Wimbledon early again

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Cilic 'took all of Draper's weapons away' - Woodbridge analysis

British number one Jack Draper's wait for a breakout Wimbledon run continues after a shock second-round defeat by 36-year-old Marin Cilic.

Fourth seed Draper lost 6-4 6-3 1-6 6-4 to Croatia's Cilic, who reached the SW19 final in 2017 but is now ranked 83rd in the world.

It means the 23-year-old Englishman has still not reached the third round in any of his four appearances at the All England Club.

Draper was widely considered as the fourth favourite for the men's title - behind Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.

But, in the first Championships of the post-Andy Murray era, Draper has suffered another frustrating early exit.

"Obviously, [I feel] really upset. Probably one of the toughest losses I feel," an emotional Draper told a news conference.

"I thought Cilic played an incredible match from start to finish. [He] didn't let up. He deserved the win."

The US Open semi-finalist was pushed back behind the baseline from the start against Cilic, who dominated the opening two sets with his huge serve and deep returns.

Draper was now in a position which he had never been in before - needing to win a professional match from two sets down.

A drop in Cilic's pace enabled the home favourite to take control of the third set, but Draper still did not look completely comfortable in the fourth as his wily opponent recovered to edge a tense contest.

Heavily puffing his cheeks out as he left Court One was a sign of the difficulties he had endured on a testing evening from which he will hope to learn.

How Draper was stunned by clinical Cilic

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'The older man making new memories' - Draper falls to veteran Cilic

Coming into his home Grand Slam tournament, Draper insisted he could handle the increased scrutiny of being the nation's greatest hope.

When Draper regained his place as the world number four following a run to the Queen's semi-finals, it was a significant moment.

As fourth seed at Wimbledon, it meant he was guaranteed to avoid world number one Sinner or two-time defending champion Alcaraz – the heavy favourites for the title - until at least the semi-finals.

Draper, however, was quick to urge caution about placing too much importance on the seeding until the draw was made - and he was right.

The Briton encountered few problems in his opening match on Tuesday, dominating clay-court specialist Sebastian Baez in a two-set lead before the Argentine retired injured.

But the looming figure of Cilic was always likely to be more problematic.

Draper had the racquet taken out of his hand in the opening two sets as Cilic executed his gameplan perfectly.

Marin Cilic points to his team during his Wimbledon win over Jack DraperImage source, Getty Images
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Cilic's heavy-hitting game led to 53 winners against Draper

Playing with depth from the baseline to push Draper back, particularly putting scrutiny on his opponent's backhand, worked a treat.

Draper was unable to get into position to execute his forehand and, although finding his first serve helped survive three break points at 4-3 down, he finally lost serve at the end of the opening set.

With the clouds gathering overhead, and the atmosphere becoming gloomier, Draper lost serve again early and it proved to be the decisive break in the second set.

Draper is still waiting for his Murray moment at Wimbledon – the one where he achieves the impossible at the All England Club and causes waves across the nation during a primetime summer slot.

Murray-mania exploded when the Scot fought back from two sets down against Richard Gasquet in 2008.

If Draper had turned things around against Cilic, it could have been a similar type of moment for him.

There was a brief glimmer of hope as Draper was able to use his forehand to greater effect in the third set, but any hopes of a memorable comeback were extinguished when he was broken again while serving to stay in the match.

'Incredible' emotions for Cilic after injury ordeal

When Cilic's name appeared in Draper's section in the Wimbledon draw, it felt like a potential problem for the Briton.

The 6ft 6in Croat claimed his sole Grand Slam title at the 2014 US Open, but has dropped down the rankings after a serious knee injury two years ago.

A second operation in May last year could have spelt the end of Cilic's career.

But he has showed great perseverance to return to the sport and, while many veteran players would have perhaps been ready to quit, he dropped down to the second-tier ATP Challenger to rebuild.

Winning the Nottingham title last month was a sign that the former world number three could still perform well on the grass.

Few people, however, would have expected him to beat Draper.

"My emotions are just incredible. Where I was two years ago, I can't even describe. It has been a long journey," Cilic said.

"It was a long and testing period, plus a huge challenge for me in this part of my career to come back and play at this level."

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