Andy Burnham looks set to abandon plans to introduce rent controls as part of his cost of living policy blitz following Whitehall concerns that they would have a negative impact on the private rented sector.
Earlier this week, the new Prime Minister told reporters he was looking at the policy in a bid to give people some “breathing room” amid increasing prices in everyday life.
Asked what his priorities were, and whether he was looking at bus fares, energy bills or rent freezes as part of his package of help upon entering No 10, he said: “We’re looking at all of those things,” but stressed no final decisions had been made.
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SCIENCE
Apes kiss and cuddle ‘to keep the peace’ – everything we know
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Photographer: Andreas Last
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Touching, embracing and kissing before stressful events may be an ancient way of building trust, scientists have found after studying the behaviour of our closest ape relatives.
Chimpanzees and bonobos use physical contact to reassure each other ahead of conflicts over food, researchers at Durham University found.
What the study found
Chimpanzees, despite their reputation for aggression, engaged in close contact, including placing fingers in one another’s mouths.
The experts studied chimpanzees and bonobos living at two great ape sanctuaries in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia.
The team found that individuals who touched and hugged were more likely to access food and eat alongside each other peacefully.
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The expert view
Comparing bonobos and chimpanzees – our two closest relatives – offers fascinating insight into the evolutionary roots of social behaviour and how they, and we, manage tension, competition and cooperation.
Dr Jake Brooker, a researcher speaking to the bbc
Caption: Bonobo Family
Photographer: Jeff McCurry
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POLITICS
What Burnham has promised so far
Caption: ASHTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, ENGLAND – MAY 30: Andy Burnham, Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, attends a traditional Saturday breakfast club in Ashton-in-Makerfield to meet with retired miners and local organisers on May 30, 2026 in Ashton-in-Makerfield, England. Miners from the area have a long-running campaign regarding the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme, they are demanding a fairer multi-billion pound restructuring of the pension surplus sharing arrangement originally set up during privatisation. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
Photographer: Christopher Furlong
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
Andy Burnham has announced a raft of policies in his first week as Prime Minister.
In his first speech to the nation in Downing Street, Burnham said he wanted to bring forward the “biggest changes in the last 40 years” to British politics and “bring back hope”.
The key policies so far
VAT will be cut from household electricity bills, reducing them by 5 per cent to save a typical household about £45 a year from 1 October.
Single bus fares across England will be capped at £2 from January, down from up to £3.
He promised to end rough sleeping in England, allocating an additional £340m over three years as he seeks to replicate the homelessness schemes he rolled out in Greater Manchester.
He will review an early prisoner release policy, due to come into force this autumn, following anger that two killers of PC Andrew Harper could be freed early.
How will the policies be paid for?
Burnham came under fire after saying that cutting plans for a digital ID scheme would pay for cuts to energy bills, with one former minister pointing out that the latter policy was unfunded. The Prime Minister has since said the policies are being fully funded by “re-prioritising” the Government’s budget and that he’s taking “a difficult look” at previous commitments.
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Andy Burnham has delivered his first speech as prime minister after being formally appointed to the role by King Charles during an audience at Buckingham Palace, hours after Sir Keir Starmer formally resigned. Speaking outside No. 10, Burnham said “I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be”. Read more on our live blog. #ukpolitics #burnham
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Ozzy Osbourne on stage in 2022 (Photo: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire)
MUSIC
Kelly Osbourne mourns father Ozzy a year after his death
The daughter of Black Sabbath singer Ozzy Osbourne said she “aches every single day” on the first anniversary of his death.
Osbourne, known as the Prince of Darkness, died aged 76 in July last year just over two weeks after his Back To The Beginning farewell concert where he and his bandmates reunited.
What his daughter says
Today, I sit here beside you in a way I never thought would be possible. I know you are still with me. I feel you in the quiet, in the wind, in every song that stops me in my tracks, is the smell of your cologne and in every moment that love outweighs grief. You are all around me.
kelly osbourne
(Photo: Channel 4)
How did Ozzy Osbourne die?
The music star died of a reported heart attack after suffering a string of health issues over the years, including multiple surgeries following a fall in 2019 and being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Black Sabbath formed in 1968 and are widely credited with defining and popularising the sound of heavy metal. Osbourne also had a successful solo career.
BOOKS
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TELEVISION
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Labour MP Jo Cox was murdered in 2016 (Photo: Daniel LEAL / AFP)
uk news
Cyclists ride to remember murdered MP Jo Cox
A group of cyclists are riding 290 miles from Yorkshire to London in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.
The Labour MP for Batley and Spen was killed outside her constituency surgery in Leeds in June 2016.
What her sister says
Perhaps the greatest tribute we can offer Jo is not merely to repeat her words, but to live by them, and show that we really do have far more in common than that which divides us. This is exactly what this bike ride does: women and men, young and old, from different places and different backgrounds, spend time together.
Kim Leadbeater, Jo cox’s sister and MP for Spen Valley, speaking to the bbc
Caption: Kim Leadbeater speaking to the Press Association in her office at the Houses of Parliament in London, ahead of the tenth anniversary of Jo Cox’s murder. Kim Leadbeater, whose sibling was shot and stabbed by a neo-Nazi almost 10 years ago, said she understands anger at Monday’s knife attack in Belfast but appealed for people not to “riot and cause more trouble and more problems”. Picture date: Wednesday June 10, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire
Photographer: Stefan Rousseau
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How the ride will work
The cyclists have set off from the Princess Mary Athletics Stadium in Cleckheaton and will finish in Southwark in London on Sunday. The youngest rider this year is 22 and the oldest, Kath Lyons from Skipton, is in her eighties. Some have travelled from New Zealand to complete the ride, the BBC reports.
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European Commission Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) crew after loading essential medical supplies and emergency kits on an aircraft to support an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Photo: Monicah Mwangi/Reuters)
HEALTH
How worried should you be about an Ebola outbreak
A humanitarian worker in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been medically evacuated to the UK following a potential healthcare‑related exposure to Ebola.
Ebola is a highly dangerous pathogen that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids.
What we know so far
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said the individual, who is a UK resident, has no symptoms and the move is purely precautionary.
The patient is well but being monitored at a London hospital. The hospital is not named either but likely to be the Royal Free due to the facilities available there.
The incubation period of Ebola ranges from two to 21 days and the humanitarian worker will have to isolate throughout.
NEWS
1 min read
The expert view
The risk to the general public remains low. This individual has been transferred out of an abundance of caution, and we’re pleased they remain well.
RICHARD PEABODY, director of epidemic and emerging infections at UKHSA
Caption: TOPSHOT – A doctor provides care to a patient with Ebola virus disease at the Rwampara Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 13, 2026. Health workers at the epicentre of the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are threatening to strike, telling AFP on July 13 they had not been paid since the virus was detected in mid-May. The highly infectious disease has killed more than 700 people among the nearly 2,000 confirmed infected in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15, according to the latest official toll published on July 14. (Photo by BENEDICTION MURHABAZI / AFP via Getty Images)
Photographer: BENEDICTION MURHABAZI
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HOUSING
How Burnham plans to fix the housing crisis
Andy Burnham is now Prime Minister, and he has formed his Cabinet. Housing, as we learned in Burnham’s first speech, is front and centre of this new Labour government.
Here are four key housing and devolution policies that I believe may be announced under a Burnham government.
The 4 changes Burnham is set to make
1Burnham announced his intention to end rough sleeping with a Housing First policy based on the Finnish model.
2We also know Burnham would like a major social and council housebuilding drive. If that sounds familiar, it’s because this was also Angela Rayner’s pledge when she became Housing Secretary in 2024.
3Rayner wanted to go further on devolution when she was previously housing secretary – expect a localised approach.
4We could see more state intervention in the housing market.
The Chancellor’s impact
The new Chancellor, John Healey, was housing and planning minister in 2010. After that, he held the role of shadow housing secretary under Jeremy Corbyn . In that time, I sat down with him for multiple interviews where he explained that he thought the housing market was in trouble because house prices had risen too far above earnings.
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Andy Burnham faces an early problem after a hot mic picked up a joke between two new cabinet ministers about the early release of prisoners. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting made the remarks during a conversation with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, in which he said new Justice Secretary Alex Norris was “the enemy now” and “wants to let them all out”. #UK #parliament #burnham
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Are you having as much sex as everyone else?
It’s natural for libido to wax and wane due to life events, dating status or hormonal changes.
And it can be hard to say what a “normal” sexual frequency is. But research and case studies give us a rough idea.
The statistics
When it happens
61%
A 2023 survey concluded that almost two thirds (61 per cent) of us wait until night-time to have sex.
Only 14 per cent opt to get busy in the early evening, and 10 per cent in the morning.
Three
Research from 2019 suggests that the average number of times British live-in or married couples have sex per month is three.
Are Gen Z having less sex than older people?
I see my partner on the weekends and have sex with others in the week.
Leanne, a 27-year-old influencer from Bristol has sex three or four times a week, but only sees her long-distance partner on the weekends. They have agreed they can both sleep with other people during the week.
Millennials
35-year-old Rebecca usually sleeps with her partner once or twice per week due to not having much child-free time.
Clare, 32, says her job is busy and she has to schedule sex with her partner on weekends, or some afternoons twice a month. “Occasionally this slips and I do worry that it makes us not as connected,” she says.
Gen X
Daisy, 56
I haven’t had the issue of my sex life drying up with menopause. I’m more aroused now.
Anna, 52
I’ve been married for 15 years. I love my husband, but our sex life is non-existent, and has been for about five years.
Mimi, 46
I’m not really motivated to seek out partners; I vaguely like the idea of it but not enough to take any action.
Boomers
I’ve been married for 20 years and sex has become something of a rarity. We maybe have sex once a week on a Sunday morning as we’re both relaxed and I can take Viagra late on Saturday night – without it, I can’t perform.
JACK, 63, OFFICE WORKER, KENT
Couple, talk and arguing with fight at house for disagreement, conflict and divorce discussion. Woman, explain and bored man for conversation, toxic relationship and drama and marriage fail in lounge – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The seven rules that could save your marriage
Keep your sense of self
I did what I thought I was supposed to do and forgot my needs and wants. I think it’s really important that you’re an individual and not just a person who is married.
KATIE STRATFORD*, A 55-YEAR-OLD MUM OF TWO, WHO DIVORCED ATER 19 YEARS
Caption: A married couple sitting in silence, looking in opposite directions. The image captures the concept of female loneliness within a marriage, emotional disconnection, and relationship problems. Symbolizes quiet desperation and isolation at home
Photographer: Galina Zhigalova
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Seven rules to save your marriage
(Photo: Kathrin Ziegler/Getty).
The small things
Small things, like being brought a cup of tea or saying thank you, make a big difference.
Therapists
Karen Deulofeu, who ended her six-year marriage, believes all couples should seek support, even before they think they need it.
Female psychiatrist discussing with mid adult woman during therapy session – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: MTStock Studio/Getty).
Listen
Listen properly by repeating what you have heard and ask if you’ve got that right.
Don’t lose communication
People don’t talk about the deep issues; nobody else is going to do it for you. You don’t want to ask questions because it might rock the boat…you have to keep talking, and talk about what it is that you want within the relationship to keep going forward.
KATIE STRATFORD
‘One question is how to achieve such a longevity hack when most of us have relationships that unsettle us,’ says Dr Amir Levine (Photo: Oliver Rossi/Getty)
Seven rules to save your marriage
Remember that things change
“What you see on social media and what friends say is quite often the nice version. Everything is a phase,” says Deulofeu.
‘I’m genuinely considering returning to full-time work’ (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty Images)
Caption: A senior couple spend time in an indoor sunny market. The woman looks through a clothes on a rail as her husband waits patiently behind her.
Photographer: Catherine Falls Commercial
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Source: Moment RF
Look at yourself first
“Focus on what’s in your control and what you can do differently, rather than the other person or a situation that you can’t control. Invest in understanding yourself,” she adds.
Burnham added that he wanted to introduce policies that “people will feel and feel quite quickly… It won’t solve everything. It won’t take all of the pressure off, but it just shows a direction of travel and that we’re serious about helping them out.”
However, The i Paper understands that rent controls will not be part of the package, with the policy not under active consideration by officials.
Burnham has already announced a VAT cut on electricity bills and a new £2 cap on bus fares as part of his cost of living plans.
Angela Rayner has opposed rent controls
The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has repeatedly taken a dim view of rent controls, pointing instead to the impact its Renters Reform Act is having on the private rented sector.
Early figures following the introduction of the new law showed that landlords were making fewer increases in rent, with letting agents reporting that rent rises were 23 per cent lower compared with the previous year.
Angela Rayner has returned to her former brief as Housing Secretary following Burnham’s coronation as Labour leader and appoitment as Prime Minister, and she has previously opposed the introduction of rent controls.
It is a similar stance to that taken by her housing minister Matthew Pennycook, who earlier this year warned there was “sufficient international evidence” demonstrating the “potential detrimental impacts” of such a policy.
Florence Eshalomi, the new minister in the department, was chair of the Housing, Communities and Local Government Select Committee, which issued a report this year that warned against rent controls and the “potential consequences this could have on the supply of affordable properties”.
Burnham advocated for the introduction of controls during his time as Greater Manchester mayor, writing a letter in 2023 to the then Conservative government, demanding it introduce a freeze on rents to protect tenants during the cost of living crisis.
Economists and policymakers who oppose rent controls agree they can lower costs in the short term, but argue that the benefits are outweighed by the drawbacks. In particular, rent freezes can constrain the supply of rental properties as landlords sell up due to being unable able to meet their costs, they say.
They also argue that controls can also discourage the construction of new rental properties, while disincentivising landlords from maintaining existing ones, and pushing up prices in the unregulated rental sector at the same time.
Policy rejected by Starmer
Rent control policy was briefly looked at earlier this year by former chancellor Rachel Reeves, who told MPs in April that she would “use every lever we have to bear down on the cost of living, including for people in the private rented sector”.
The move was rejected by Sir Keir Starmer, however, and a former government source told The i Paper that the Ministry of Housing did not undertake any work on the policy, adding: “We always thought it was a mad idea.”
Even close Burnham ally Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary, has previously dismissed the notion of rent freezes. During her time as shadow housing secretary, Nandy warned that rent controls were a “short-term fix” that would “almost certainly” leave people homeless.
The idea was criticised this week by Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association. He said: “Rent controls would choke off supply in the private rented sector, making it harder to meet the Prime Minister’s welcome ambition to end rough sleeping.
“The reality is that rent increases have fallen by two thirds over the past two years at exactly the time when supply is better meeting tenant demand. Rent controls would undermine all of this.”