Good evening. Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he is “completely in control” despite the chaos over his chief of staff’s pay.
Elsewhere in today’s newsletter, Israeli jets have disrupted the Hezbollah leader’s speech, and we bring you the latest after the Bank of England chose to hold interest rates.
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here.
Sir Keir Starmer insists he is ‘completely in control’ despite Sue Gray row
The government has been rocked in recent days by briefings and leaks from political aides angry at the £170,000 salary given to Sue Gray, £3,000 more than the Prime Minister earns – follow the latest here. Meanwhile, Sir Keir has launched a leak inquiry into “hostile briefing” against Ms Gray.
Israeli jets disrupt Hezbollah leader’s speech
Israeli jets triggered massive sonic booms over Beirut as Hezbollah’s leader gave his first reaction to the pager bomb attacks which killed dozens in Lebanon this week. In a further development, Israel allegedly set up a shell company that has supplied Hezbollah with pagers since 2022.
Major lenders slash mortgages as Bank of England holds rate
Mortgage rates continue to fall despite the Bank of England’s decision to hold interest rates at 5pc. Virgin Money dropped its rates for both residential and buy-to-let mortgages, while Halifax cut rates for first-time buyers and home movers. Elsewhere, the pound has hit a two-year high after the Bank’s decision.
Evening Briefing: Today’s essential headlines
- Thousands of savers hit with Isa penalties
- A month’s rain to drench Britain on Saturday
- Reeves’ £10bn boost sparks hopes of lower tax rises
- Prisoner freed early by Starmer back in jail 48 hours later
- Farage claims safety fears stopping him from holding in-person constituents surgeries
How rapist Mohamed Fayed charmed his way into the heart of the British establishment
One of the most damning realities about the accusations of rape against Mohamed Fayed is that they are so unsurprising. Fayed was a serial sexual abuser hiding in plain sight who managed to inveigle his way into the heart of the British Establishment. Even before some of the victims who have now spoken to the BBC were employed by Fayed, his habitual sexual harassment of employees, including groping their breasts and bottoms in his office, had been extensively catalogued.
Comment and analysis
- Sam Bidwell | The Britain that John Major once ruled is dead
- Con Coughlin | Putin’s latest army boast is a sign of Russian failure
- Matthew Henderson | China’s war on the Western economy will be devastating
- Michael Deacon | This ridiculous ‘gender-fluid’ dog row shows the woke Left have lost gender wars
- Tom Harris | Scotland became the laboratory for trans extremism – and it’s not just the SNP’s fault
The side hustle cashing in on China’s soaring divorce rate
Soaring divorce rates in China have spawned a new side business – to professionally shred wedding photos and other reminders of unhappy nuptials. Between 2000 and 2020, the number of divorces in China spiked from about 1.2 million to more than four million as society began to shrug off traditional stigmas about marriage breakdowns – fuelling concerns about the country’s shrinking population.
Sport Briefing: Today’s essential headlines
- England vs Australia, first ODI: Score and latest updates from Trent Bridge
- Gabby Logan: Sex chat on my podcast embarrasses my teenage son
- Emma Raducanu steps up a gear to reach quarter-finals in Korea
- Man City could be expelled from all competitions, not just the Premier League
- Former Arsenal player charged after £600,000 of cannabis seized at Stansted Airport
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here.