What happened today?

Friday is heating up across the UK, with a new heatwave in full swing, temperatures are set to creep into the 30s this weekend. Health alerts have been issued for many parts of the country, with the sweltering conditions expected to linger into the start of next week.

The week ends with a big political win for the prime minister after getting his migrant deal with France over the line. The one in, one out deal, though criticised by the opposition parties, will reduce illegal crossings to the UK. The deal is set to come into effect within weeks, and is a nice distraction for Starmer after weeks of chaos over policy.


In some tough news for the chancellor, the UK economy shrank unexpectedly in May, according to the latest official figures, contracting for the second month in a row. It’s a blow for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, with the government having made boosting economic growth its key priority.

Wimbledon and the Lionesses dominate the sports pages, with all Brits out of the Championship and the Lionesses set to face Wales in a must-win match on Sunday!

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Thursday’s headlines report on Emmanuel Macron’s three-day state visit to the UK, as a migrant returns deal is set to be struck between France and the UK. Under the plans, for every migrant sent back, France would send an asylum seeker to the UK – possibly one with a family connection to Britain.

The English media assesses England’s Lionesses’ performance last night as they thrashed the Dutch to get their Euro campaign up and running, after a 2-1 loss to France in their opening game.

A five-day doctors’ strike has been confirmed, causing concern for a difficult summer ahead for the NHS. Tens of thousands of appointments are set to be cancelled as doctors demand a 29% pay rise to reverse real-terms pay cuts since 2008–09.

Tuesday’s headlines feature a variety of domestic and international news, with French President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit to the UK leading the way. It marks the first time an EU leader has had a full state visit to the UK since Brexit. Macron and his wife Brigitte will be welcomed by the King and Camilla for a state banquet. The three-day state visit will see discussions regarding illegal crossings of the channel.

The public inquiry into the Southport murders is set to begin, with the families of the three murdered schoolgirls demanding “real change”.

Tuesday will also mark a major milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal following a far-reaching inquiry. Part of a final report is set to be published and will focus on compensation and the human impact of the scandal.

There’s good news for local Premier League fans, as MPs could be set to vote on a plan to make at least 10 Premier League matches available on free-to-air television each season.

It’s heating up across the UK again this Tuesday, with temperatures creeping up to the 30s by the end of the week, with a third UK heatwave of the summer on the way.

Tuesday’s headlines continue to be dominated by the ongoing chaos caused by Donald Trump’s tariffs, especially since the US president announced that if China doesn’t retract its retaliatory tariffs, the US will impose a further 50% tariff on China – on top of the initial tariff slapped on the country. China has hinted that if Trump goes ahead with more tariffs on China, it will respond with even more tariffs, and it won’t back down. 

Much of the coverage looks at the global stock markets and their reaction. Almost $6 trillion has been wiped off the markets since the tariffs were announced last week. On Monday, the FTSE, Wall Street and the Asia-Pacific suffered heavy losses, with the S&P 500 set to enter a bear market after a 20% fall since December. The chaos has economists predicting a global recession. 

The UK stock markets are predicted to open about 2% higher today after a more positive performance from Asian markets. European and UK shares are expected to see a rebound when trading starts at 08:00 BST this morning. 

Elsewhere, a British woman gave birth to a healthy baby girl after having a womb transplant – a first for UK medicine that could benefit thousands of others.

The King and Queen have arrived in Italy for a state visit where they will meet with the Italian president and prime minister, and Charles will deliver a speech to both houses of Italy’s parliament. Prince Harry is also back in the headlines as the royal returns to Britain for a two-day court case regarding his security. 

Monday’s headlines continue to report on the backlash of the US tariffs – announced last week – that’s sparked a massive stock market sell-off and fears of a looming global recession.

The prime minister has promised to “shelter British business from the storm” expected from Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs. The government has stepped in to help the British car industry (amid 25% car tariffs) by making the rules on manufacturers going all-electric more flexible.

Elsewhere, as of next month, health workers will go door-to-door under new plans to tackle sickness rates across England.

The UK weather continues to dominate the headlines as wildfires broke out across Scotland and Northern Ireland over the weekend after temperatures soared.

In sports, there is continued coverage of the weekend’s Premier League action, including Liverpool’s unbeaten run being ended by Fulham, a drab performance between Man Utd and Man City and Southampton being relegated.

Friday’s UK headlines are similar to headlines from around the world: the fallout from Donald Trump’s tariffs after “trillions” have been wiped off the global stock markets. 

On Wednesday, Trump announced a baseline tariff on almost every country in the world of at least 10% – whilst some countries face much higher levies, with the EU being hit with 20%. 

Since the announcement, global markets have experienced significant declines, with both the US and European markets reporting their worst one-day losses since the COVID-19 pandemic and raising concerns about a potential recession and international retaliation. Economists are warning of a ‘spiral of doom’, suggesting that retaliatory measures could lead to further economic destabilisation. 

Elsewhere, a probe into the bitter dispute surrounding Prince Harry’s charity Sentebale. The Charity Commission said it had opened a case to examine “concerns raised” about Sentebale, following claims made by its head, Sophie Chandauka. Prince Harry has said he hopes the watchdog will “unveil the truth”.

Thursday’s headlines are, of course, dominated by yesterday’s news that the US will introduce a baseline 10% tariff on the world, including the UK and other countries, and are facing far higher tariffs, including the EU being hit with a 20% levy. 

The headlines are in general agreement that the UK being hit with the baseline tariff is far less severe than what was expected, and there could be some wiggle room as the tariffs don’t come into effect on Saturday.

Wednesday’s news headlines are dominated – in print and online – by one story and one story only. The US is set to unveil its newest tariffs, which are expected to hit every country with what the US media is reporting to be a blanket 20% tariff on all non-American goods. The headlines range from the stock markets, the UK’s attempts for a last-minute exemption, and how the tariffs threaten to unbalance the books for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Beyond the tariffs, there are a handful of other stories dominating the UK news including an armed man being shot dead at Milton Keynes station, the ongoing row between Prince Harry and the charity he founded, and news that 23 more women have made allegations against serial rapist Zhenhao Zou.

Tuesday’s UK headlines are dominated by international stories with a sprinkling of domestic politics and royal stories. 

France’s far-right leader Marine Le Pen has expressed her outrage at being banned from running for public office for five years after being found guilty by a French court of embezzling EU funds. The UK media are assessing what this means for France’s far-right, noting that it’s unlikely to stop the rise, and questions linger from the public figures, including Elon Musk, over how much the outcome was politically motivated.

Tariffs dominate much of the global news today, ahead of Wednesday’s ‘liberation day’ (according to Donald Trump). US tariffs are set to hit every nation tomorrow; the stock markets are in panic, and Britain failed to secure a trade deal before the tariffs.

Prince Harry and Prince Andrew are in the news as Harry’s charity row rumbles on and Andrew’s accuser has been involved in a serious car accident and says she has four days to live.

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