Burnham gambles on radical progressive plan to help Britain ‘rise again’
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

PM accepts some of his plan could be difficult and admits he ‘may pay a political price’

• Analysis: PM’s promises will take time to come good

• Key takeaways from Burnham’s conference speech

Andy Burnham has staked his future on a gamble that the public will back radical progressive policies on social care, electoral reform and Europe, telling voters that his agenda will break the mould of the last 40 years and “allow us to rise again”.

In a deeply personal speech at Labour’s conference, Burnham began building his next general election manifesto, acknowledging that he may end up paying the price for creating sharp new dividing lines in politics.

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Give BrewDog ‘second chance’ says new owner as it invests £50m
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

US cannabis and drinks firm Tilray, which took over in March, says it will improve beers, pubs and working conditions

BrewDog’s new owner has urged drinkers to give the ailing brand “a second chance” as it invests more than £50m in improving the company’s beers, pubs and working conditions.

The US cannabis and drinks company Tilray bought BrewDog for £33m in March this year, after the company collapsed into administration after five years of losses and a series of controversies relating to the treatment of workers under the founder James Watt.

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Will pensioners be poorer as a result of Burnham scrapping the triple lock?
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

Original triple lock was designed to lift pensioners out of poverty but OBR says it contributes to unsustainability of public finances

The prime minister has announced that the pensions triple lock will be scrapped in its current form, to partly fund a national care service.

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UK mortgage demand drops to 32-month low as Iran war drives up borrowing costs
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

Average five-year fixed mortgage interest rate has hit 5.94%, its highest since October 2023, says Moneyfacts

• Business live – latest updates

Demand for UK mortgages slumped to a 32-month low in August as buyers were deterred by rising costs linked to the war in Iran.

Just 54,918 mortgages for new home purchases were approved in August, the Bank of England reported on Tuesday, the lowest monthly total since December 2023.

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Anthropic ‘warns of existential AI risks to humanity’ in IPO document
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

Reported admission to investors of AI’s ‘self-preserving behaviours’ comes as company prepares for a potential $2tn flotation

Anthropic is telling investors that advanced AI could pose “catastrophic or existential risks to humanity”, according to reports, as it prepares for a potential $2tn (£1.5tn) flotation.

The warning inside the startup’s IPO prospectus, which has yet to be made public, was reported by Reuters and the Financial Times. It follows the company’s call for a slowdown in breakneck development of the technology – a warning echoed by rivals.

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Mac mini M6 review: truly mighty but now more pricey
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

Apple’s cheapest desktop computer is no longer a bargain but its newest, fastest chip makes it a pocket powerhouse

Apple’s latest Mac mini brings real speed and power for far more than everyday tasks in a practically pocketable form you can fit almost anywhere.

The impressive new desktop machine is the first to receive an update to Apple’s latest M6 chip while remaining smaller than a headphones box. It is the cheapest computer Apple sells with an M-series chip, but like every other memory-containing piece of electronics, it has been hit by RAMageddon, driving up the starting price to £899 (€1,049/$899/A$1,449) from the £599 or equivalent of its M4 predecessor.

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Manchester City guilty over Premier League charges after £900m of ‘sham’ contracts
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

• Commission: club broke rules over nine-season period

• City will appeal against verdict before Friday deadline

The Premier League has confirmed Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period, with the club found to have boosted their income by a staggering amount of more than £900m.

In a bombshell announcement the Premier League revealed an independent commission had found City guilty of arranging “sham ­contracts” with commercial partners to artificially inflate revenues and reduce costs, and of filing inaccurate accounts to hide the true state of their finances, which if accurately reported would have led to significant breaches of Premier League and Uefa spending limits.

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Czechia v England: Nations League football – live
Posted on Tuesday September 29, 2026

⚽️ Nations League updates, 7.45pm BST kick-off in Prague
⚽️ Live scores | Follow us over on TikTok and Instagram

James Trafford looks genuinely affronted. The Leeds goalkeeper’s reaction borders on incredulity. Was it a season of frustration for him at Manchester City last time out, he is asked? A wasted year? “I won two trophies,” he says very simply and very firmly.

Defiance is the stock in trade of a goalkeeper and Trafford has a nice line in it, on and off the pitch. Thrust into the England lineup against Spain at Wembley on Saturday for only his third cap, he performed well, particularly during the opening 35 minutes when the world champions threatened to run riot. Trafford made two excellent saves that kept England in contention, laying the groundwork for their surge into a 2-1 half-time lead. They ended up losing 3-2 in the Nations League opener after Harry Kane missed a 54th-minute penalty for 3-1.

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