Heathrow third runway GDP yield may be 90% less than previous estimates
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

Department for Transport analysis suggests tiny economic boost would be outweighed by up to £62.5bn in trade-offs

The economic boost from a Heathrow third runway could be a tiny fraction of previous estimates, government analysis shows, while the overall trade-off from the bigger airport could set the UK back by as much as £62.5bn.

As ministers promised to speed up expansion of the London airport in the name of economic growth, documents prepared by the Department for Transport said the runway was expected to boost GDP by only up to 0.05% – 90% less than the 0.5% previously stated.

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What could US-Iran peace deal mean for UK household costs?
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

The impact on petrol and food prices, energy bills and mortgages if the truce holds and strait of Hormuz reopens

Around the world, markets reacted with relief this week to news that Donald Trump had signed a draft peace deal with Iran that promised to reopen flows of oil and gas from the Gulf to global buyers.

There are already signs the truce could unravel, with Friday’s peace talks in Switzerland abruptly called off, but for now markets seem persuaded that commercial vessel traffic through the key waterway can start returning to normal.

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Shoppers splash out on fans and paddling pools as retail sales in Great Britain hot up
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

May heatwave drives up volume of sales 1.2%, the strongest monthly growth since January, says ONS

Retail sales bounced back to growth in May as record hot weather spurred sales of fans and paddling pools, while online purchases also soared.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the volume of retail sales in Great Britain grew 1.2% in May compared with the previous month, the strongest monthly rate of growth since January.

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UK borrows more than expected as impact of Iran war takes toll
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

May figure of £23.3bn underlines challenge facing Andy Burnham if he ends up as Labour leader

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The UK borrowed a higher-than-expected £23.3bn in May amid the economic fallout from the Iran war, underlining the fiscal pressures facing Andy Burnham if he takes over as the Labour leader.

In figures released shortly after Burnham’s victory in the Makerfield byelection, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said public sector net borrowing – the difference between government spending and income – for the month was the second highest for any May on record.

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On the trail of the dotcom queen: how Julie Meyer left a pattern of unpaid bills, missing funds and broken dreams in her wake
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

Investigation: The entrepreneur was once the toast of London’s tech scene, a ‘global leader of tomorrow’ who starred on Dragons’ Den and promised untold riches for the startups she championed. But people she worked with in the last decade, from Malta to Switzerland, describe a very different reality

Julie Meyer is sitting in a starkly lit attic, surrounded by piles of £50 notes. A California blond in a crisp, white shirt, her long, stockinged legs crossed at the knee, she listens intently to the young man standing before her. As he talks, she sizes him up. Eventually, she tells him: “I’m going to make you an offer.” It could be a scene from a heist movie, but Meyer is in a BBC studio, shooting a 2009 episode of the TV show Dragons’ Den. A celebrated entrepreneur with a venture capital fund, she is ready to invest in whichever contestants catch her eye. For the viewers, she has some advice: “What is success? A lot of it is self-belief. Continuing on when most rational people would stop.”

This is an online spin-off from the original Dragons’ Den series, so the stakes are a little lower. But for Lex Deak, a 23-year-old with a big idea for a social media website, what happens in this room today could be make or break. He desperately wants to work with Meyer.

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The UK’s social media ban for under-16s has just empowered big tech | Taylor Lorenz
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

Age verification means that the sector’s biggest players will now have access to information that will only make them richer and more powerful

This week, the UK announced a wide-ranging ban on social media that will soon block users from communicating or accessing information on apps such as X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat unless they prove that they’re over the age of 16.

The prime minister, Keir Starmer, called the policy “a line in the sand”. “Tech giants had their chance and failed,” he said, “but we’re stepping in to protect children, back parents and set a new normal for future generations.” All internet users, especially children, should be protected from exploitative systems online, but this new law will only foster more harm and help the largest and most powerful tech companies consolidate power and influence over everyone’s lives.

Taylor Lorenz is a technology journalist who writes the newsletter User Mag and is the author of the bestselling book Extremely Online: The Untold Story of Fame, Influence, and Power on the Internet

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England v New Zealand: second men’s Test, day three – live
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

Updates from the third day’s play at the Oval
Day two report | Sign up for the Spin

61st over: England 227-6 (Cox 27, Archer 0) Shot! Cox flicks his wrists on a half volley from Matt Henry and the ball traces away for four across the baking square. Lovely timing on that.

60th over: England 223-6 (Cox 23, Archer 0) It will be intriguing to see how Cox plays this morning, I have a feeling we might see some dashing strokeplay if he can hang around for a few overs and get settled. Jamieson is back of a length, Cox lets one pass by and then defends with a straight bat to mid off. The Oval is thrumming with excitement and plenty of folk can be spied applying a thick layer of sun cream, there isn’t a lot of shade here at the moment. A cheer greets Cox and England’s first run of the day, a guide to point for single off the final delivery.

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World Cup 2026: Dias backs Ronaldo to handle flak; Kane’s Wonderwall moment; Pochettino on spies – live
Posted on Friday June 19, 2026

⚽ All the latest news from day eight of the tournament
⚽ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Mail us

Let’s begin our look at what will happen later today.

First up is USA v Australia in Seattle at 8pm BST/12pm local time.

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