Andy Burnham is to become Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, having secured the Labour leadership with the landslide support of his party’s MPs. The former Manchester mayor is now set to replace Starmer as Labour leader on Friday before walking through the doors of No 10 and becoming prime minister next Monday.
Burnham’s Journey and Challenges Ahead
For this week’s big story, Daniel Boffey examines how Burnham charted his route from school politics to No 10, while Jessica Elgot details the bulging in-tray awaiting him. Gaby Hinsliff assesses how the PM-in-waiting might fare on the global stage, questioning whether, unlike Keir Starmer, he has the skills to deal with Donald Trump.
Reform UK Under Scrutiny
Another major UK political story has dominated headlines, thanks to agenda-setting Guardian reporting. With Nigel Farage and Reform UK facing increasing scrutiny over donations to individuals and the party’s funding, Farage announced he was resigning his seat in parliament – and then standing in the resulting byelection. Guardian City editor Anna Isaac sets out the questions facing Reform. Additionally, a profile of Count Binface, the main challenger in the battle for the Clacton constituency – dubbed “a people versus the establishment byelection” by Farage – is featured.
Venezuela: A Revolution in Ruins
Discontent with Venezuela’s Trump-backed government is mounting as Chávez heirs struggle to respond to the earthquake disaster, reports Tom Phillips.
Science: Tardigrades’ Superpowers
Scientists hope DNA sequencing tardigrades – tiny yet virtually indestructible creatures – could help us understand the secrets of their superpowers, writes Patrick Barkham.
Feature: The Battle of the Bell Hotel
Tim Burrows visits Epping in Essex to hear from local people about the impact of last year’s far-right protests that centred on a hotel housing asylum seekers.
Opinion: Trump’s Power Exposed
The Nato summit showed the US president’s willingness to violate all norms, rules and laws – and leave everyone else to pick up the pieces, argues Robert Reich.
Culture: The Odyssey’s Enduring Grip
With Christopher Nolan’s take on the Odyssey set to break box office records, Charlotte Higgins asks why a poem from 600BC holds a vice-like grip on pop culture.
Other Highlights
Bea Elton, who has more than 6 million followers on social media, invited Emily Retter to shadow her as she tackled an extreme clean, revealing incredible wisdom and compassion. As the football World Cup reaches its climax in the United States, a visual history of great World Cup shootouts over the years is a timely reminder of the supporter’s fear of the penalty.
Other highlights include an audio piece on an AI boyfriend, a video on Chinese tourism fueling animal trafficking in Laos, a gallery of forty years of Aboriginal protest posters, and an interactive feature on life among the garbage mountains of the world’s biggest city.
