Revealed: Brexit voting areas have seen faster growth in foreign workers since EU referendum
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Guardian investigation also finds same areas experienced relative decline over same period

Leave-voting areas have seen faster relative growth in foreign workers since the Brexit referendum, a Guardian investigation has found.

Data analysis suggests that the decade since the Brexit vote may not have matched the expectations of many Leave supporters, showing their local areas have also become relatively more deprived over the same period.

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Burnham must be upfront about tax or risk spooking the bond markets | Heather Stewart
Posted on Sunday June 21, 2026

Victory in Makerfield is propelling him towards No 10 but investors expect to know how he will fund his promises

• Burnham allies confident of ‘coronation’

Andy Burnham’s thumping victory in the Makerfield byelection came and went without the bond market rout that Rachel Reeves’s backers had warned about. But as he moves towards the premiership, Burnham would be wise to set clear expectations about tax and spend, and to be upfront about the fact that not everyone can be a winner.

The yield, or interest rate, on UK government bonds did move up on Friday, but only modestly. That relative calm was partly because a Burnham win was already priced in, and because he took out the insurance policy of loudly promising to stick by Reeves’s budget rules.

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Trump hails Iran deal but conflict continues to cast long shadow over global economy
Posted on Sunday June 21, 2026

As the price of crude oil falls governments are counting the costs of the war in the Middle East

Hailing his Iran deal this week amid the excess of Versailles, Donald Trump urged sceptics to take Wall Street’s word for its success. “There is nothing as smart as the market – and the market loves it,” he said, claiming credit for ending the economic chaos that had kicked off when he started bombing Iran in late February. Without the agreement, he said, “the alternative would be a worldwide depression”.

By the weekend, the outlook was less optimistic after planned US-Iran peace talks in Switzerland were abruptly called off, then reinstated, and Iran said Israeli bombing in Jordan meant it was justified in closing the strait of Hormuz again. Still, hopes persist that the sea passage carrying about 20% of the world’s oil supplies will reopen fully in the coming days and weeks.

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How Europe’s EV makers shrank their product to challenge the bloated SUVs
Posted on Sunday June 21, 2026

Smaller, cheaper cars built for narrow city streets are becoming more stylish – but require careful design decisions

The winding backstreets of London, Paris and Rome are a large part of their charm. But they are also a problem for electric carmakers. For a long time, squeezing big batteries into smaller, cheaper cars to fit European streets was too much of a problem, so manufacturers focused on bloated SUVs instead.

But that is finally changing. Battery technology has improved and Europe’s carmakers havecut manufacturing costs enough that they can now sell cars that might have a chance of fitting down a medieval lane or two.

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A viral doomsday scenario aims to shake Europe out of its AI complacency
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Does a thought-experiment about US ascendancy in the technology say as much about AI jitters as it does about the reality?

It’s 2031 and the US and China are about to tear Europe into pieces.

The US ploughed vast sums into datacentres and the EU did not. China built robots and Europe did not. American companies “restructured” their workflows around AI and fired people, while EU workers went on long lunch breaks and handed over administrative tasks to the AI model Claude.

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Key Trump allies and Musk on leaked list for secretive Peter Thiel retreat
Posted on Saturday June 20, 2026

Figures including Jared Kushner and Scott Bessent named in directory of Dialog participants that was exposed online

A website leak has exposed participants in the secretive, Peter Thiel-founded Dialog retreats which includes top politicians from across the American divide, officials from foreign countries, other titans of the tech industry world and prominent media figures.

The annual Dialog retreats, which have been compared to other quasi-secret elite conferences like the Bilderberg Group and Bohemian Grove since they began in 2006, have had some participants revealed in previous media reports. Fairly little is known about the invitation-only event, which is usually held at luxury establishments around the world and features organized discussions on global affairs.

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Spain v Saudi Arabia: World Cup 2026 – live
Posted on Sunday June 21, 2026

⚽️ Kick-off: 12pm local time/5pm BST/2am (Mon) AEST
⚽️ Player guide | Bracketology | Golden Boot | Email John

The Spain coach, Luis De La Fuente had this to say in his Saturday press conference: “This generation of footballers is highly competitive and really fired up... It’s going to be a completely different story,” he said at his pre-match press conference on Saturday. There is no drama or crisis. The bottom line is simply that we need to win tomorrow.”

Four changes for Spain: Lamine Yamal, Pedro Porro, Dani Olmo and Alex Baena also come into the side with Marcos Llorente, Fabian Ruiz, Ferran Torres and Gavi dropping out.

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Declan Rice reveals he has played through hamstring nerve pain for six months
Posted on Sunday June 21, 2026

• Midfielder says schedule ‘obscene’ for club and country

• But adds he is ‘ready and fit’ for England game v Ghana

Declan Rice has revealed he has been managing nerve pain in a hamstring since Christmas as he reflected on the “obscene” amount of matches he has played this season.

The England midfielder sparked concern when he was forced off in the 72nd minute of the 4-2 World Cup win over Croatia last Wednesday. The problem relates to the upper hamstring, with the pain radiating into his lower back. But Rice described his substitution as “smart” and said he would be fighting fit for England’s second group game against Ghana in Boston on Tuesday.

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