Burnham’s first 24 hours in No 10

Spain win World Cup in triumph of football over Argentine felony | Germany’s free speech crackdown

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Monday, 20 July 2026 Issue No. 512

Good morning. Andy Burnham has begun one of the most important days of his life. Just after midday, the King will appoint him Britain’s 59th prime minister and within the hour, he will make his first speech outside No 10. Gordon Rayner, our Associate Editor, explains what Burnham’s first 24 hours in office will entail. Elsewhere, Spain won the World Cup last night, but the match won’t be remembered as a classic. The fixture’s legacy will be one of fighting and a half-time show, writes Oliver Brown, our Chief Sports Writer. Finally, Josh Kerr reflects on his world record fastest mile, and he’s already set himself a new target. Chris Evans, Editor P.S. Don’t miss this season’s hottest offer. Try a whole year of The Telegraph for £19 – only in our Summer Sale. If you’re already a subscriber make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.   In today’s edition The Orwellian world of Germany’s free speech crackdown — Labour’s battle with Wall Street over Thames Water — Plus, the worst British sitcoms of all time – ranked

Summer Sale: One year for just £19 Think outside your inbox. Unlock full access to our free-thinking journalism, plus thousands of fun puzzles. Subscribe now   What Burnham’s first 24 hours in No 10 looks like Gordon Rayner Associate Editor   At about noon today, Andy Burnham will be driven through the gates of Buckingham Palace to fulfil what he has long believed to be his destiny. The King will appoint him as Britain’s 59th prime minister, and thus will begin the most important 24 hours of Burnham’s life to date. The first day of any prime minister’s tenure is an exhausting round of decisions, meetings, phone calls, appointments and questions. Burnham may believe that his time as mayor of Greater Manchester will stand him in good stead, but nothing can prepare him for what he is about to experience. He will want to appoint his Cabinet, but must also be ready to break off if Donald Trump rings. He will be shown the bunker where he and his top team will be sequestered in the event of war. He will be asked to write the letters of last resort to the commanders of Britain’s nuclear strike submarines. Most of all, though, he will be expected to lead. Civil servants, newly appointed ministers, Labour MPs and the country as a whole will be relying on him to set Britain on the course he intends it to follow. There is no time to ease into the job, as he is about to discover. Continue reading ➤ Go deeper with our full coverage: Burnham plans new era of big state ➤ Follow the latest updates here ➤ Incoming PM hints at rise in tax-free allowance – here’s what his policies could mean for your money ➤ Nandy expected to run Burnham’s new super-ministry ➤ Anger as ‘Luddite’ Burnham prepares to gut AI department ➤   ‘I celebrated world record with a beer and a 5am run’ Kerr signs the front page of The Sunday Telegraph the day after his record run Josh Kerr   I got married last December, and I had my first celebratory beer since that day on Saturday night. Joining Roger Bannister, Steve Ovett, Seb Coe and Steve Cram among the British one-mile world record holders – before celebrating with my family, friends and 60,000 incredible fans inside the London Stadium – was the stuff of dreams. That night, I didn’t sleep much before waking to a 5am peek of light coming through the curtain. I was soon thinking about a certain 1500m world record that has stood since 1998, one year longer than the mile. So I got out of bed and went for a run to clear my head. I felt physically good, but I was soon in a spot of trouble with my wife, Larimar, when I told her about my ambitions for the 1500m record. She said: “Can you just give us 12 hours before you set another goal?” This sport moves quickly; the world is always turning. Long-held records like the 1500m are hard to wrap your head around, but they can be broken. It could be on the cards this season, most likely in one of the remaining Diamond League races. We have not made any decisions yet – and things would have to be put in place with the right 1500m race – but I do think that it is in the legs. I now have to see how my body responds. This column is available only to subscribers. Continue reading ➤   Opinion Eamonn Butler Burnham’s attack on Thatcher ignores the rot she inherited, and the transformation delivered New Labour leader’s premise is profoundly misleading, and a familiar Left-leaning narrative Continue reading ➤     William Sitwell Militant vegans have clipped the wings of a great British tradition Continue reading ➤     Jane Shilling I have not read The Odyssey and I’m not ashamed to admit it Continue reading ➤   To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. Headlines US ‘prepares for return of all-out war’ Lammy fighting to ‘cover up’ foreigners’ crimes Heat pump households face winter warmth rationing Records tumble at Lord’s as England win thriller against India Police looking into claims Labour banned fox hunting after £1m donation World cup diary Spain win World Cup in triumph of football over Argentine felony Donald Trump refused to leave the stage for Spain’s World Cup trophy lift | Credit: Carl Recine/Getty Images Oliver Brown Chief Sports Writer at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey   Spain are World Cup champions for a second time and not even the most one-eyed Argentina fan could claim it is undeserved. In a tense, needling, sometimes downright ugly final, it took 106 minutes for Ferran Torres to find the winner and break the resistance of opponents who barely even attempted to play. Lionel Messi watched the Spanish celebrations with a tear rolling down each cheek, knowing that this was his last international appearance at the age of 39. As heart-rending as it was to see an all-time great depart the grandest stage in distress, there was little doubt this result represented the best outcome for football. Lionel Messi could not hold back the tears at the end Frankly, Argentina’s tactics were a disgrace, as they resorted to brutish, spoiling menace in place of any creative intent, becoming the first team in a World Cup final to go 90 minutes without a single shot on target. Enzo Fernandez, their snarling malcontent, received a red card for one reckless challenge too many, while Leandro Paredes was also sent off in the aftermath for prompting a brawl. Paredes swings a kick at Garcia, grabs him by the throat, and then throws Gavi to the floor | Credit: Charly Triballeau and Al Bello/Getty Images It was far from a vintage final, destined instead to be remembered for stranger reasons, not least a horribly overblown half-time show that lasted 28 minutes rather than the allotted 15. The sight of Gianni Infantino ushering Donald Trump away from Spain’s victory party marked a suitably bizarre end to an often confounding tournament. At least we could be certain, in the end, that the finest technical team prevailed. Read the full report here ➤ Sam Wallace: Lionel Messi’s tears show the burden he bears ➤ Watch: Argentina throw punches in fight after final whistle ➤ The 17 ridiculous things that happened during the final ➤ Watch: Donald Trump refuses to leave stage during trophy lift ➤ Review: A half-time show that won by playing it simple ➤   Essential Reads Berlin police told Dr Rainer Zitelmann he faced three years in prison for a social media post comparing Vladimir Putin to Adolf Hitler The Orwellian world of Germany’s free speech crackdown Germany’s strict speech laws were designed to prevent a return to the horrors of the Third Reich, writes James Rothwell, our Berlin Correspondent. Now, unease grows over how these laws are being enforced, with anti-Hitler memes, jokes about politicians and online posts all triggering police investigations. The country finds itself confronting an uncomfortable question: where should the boundaries of free speech lie? For subscribers only ➤   Labour’s battle with Wall Street over Thames Water risks a £20bn bill Thames Water’s future may be decided not in Westminster but in the courts, writes Ben Marlow, our Associate Editor. As ministers weigh the prospect of bringing Britain’s biggest water company back into public ownership, creditors are preparing for a legal battle that could drag on for years, raising the prospect of a legal dispute that could leave taxpayers facing a multibillion-pound bill. Continue reading ➤ Thames Water creditors eye ‘golden share’ for Burnham ➤   Lauren Clark decided to become an egg donor in her 30s: ‘I felt an unexpected, difficult-to-explain urge to help’ ‘I’m not a mother, but I’ve donated my eggs so other women can be’ Unlike sperm donation, writes Lauren Clark, egg donation is the part of creating a child that doesn’t often get talked about. I’ve written a letter to be given to the children born from my eggs if they choose to seek me out. Will they ever want to read it? My journey had more gruelling physical challenges and a far more heightened emotional response than I could have imagined, but I have no regrets. Continue reading ➤   The worst British sitcoms of all time – ranked With Robin Askwith’s notoriously awful 1984 comedy Bottle Boys getting a rerun on Rewind TV, Benji Wilson unearths the worst British sitcoms ever made and ranks them in order of awfulness. They include Bruce Forsyth’s supermarket-set Slinger’s Day, and Amanda Holden’s Big Top. Where will Mrs Brown’s Boys feature in the list? Continue reading ➤   Seize the day The healthiest muesli (and the options worse than chocolate cereal) Muesli has long enjoyed a reputation as a healthy breakfast choice, but not every box is equal. Ella Nunn analyses 12 of Britain’s most popular brands with the help of a nutritionist to separate the nourishing options from those packed with unnecessary sugar. Find out which boxes deserve a place in your cupboard, and which are best left on the supermarket shelf. Continue reading ➤ Here is another article that I hope you’ll find useful this morning: If you’re struggling to keep cool in the office while still looking polished, here are five ways to refresh your summer workwear wardrobe.   CAPTION COMPETITION WITH... Matt Pritchett Cartoonist   Hello! For this week’s caption competition, you have an England fan and his wife. Congratulations to James Savory who came up with my favourite caption for the Viking invasion. Keep it up everybody! Send me your captions here ➤ P.S. For an inside look at what inspires my weekly cartoons, you can sign up for my personal subscriber-exclusive newsletter here.   Your say Time for tea Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal reader correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes... Devolution, land taxes, the 1970s: it’s fair to say that the list of things our new prime minister likes has put him at odds with many Telegraph readers. On one subject, however, the level of disagreement has reached new heights. In a TikTok interview, Andy Burnham revealed that it is his custom, when making tea, to put the milk in first, on the grounds that it “softens” the teabag. Incendiary stuff. Kemi Badenoch might like to revisit her suggestion that this man is a people pleaser.   On the Letters page, Jonathan Mann was having none of it: “Putting the milk in first lowers the temperature, so the full flavour of the tea is never achieved. For the same reason, the water should not be reheated, as this depletes the oxygen content needed to bring out the tea’s character.”   The Telegraph’s William Sitwell also weighed in, appalled by Burnham’s admission, yet his article has prompted further controversy. Christine Morris responded: “Sitwell argues that the correct tea-making sequence is: ‘Bag in, boiling water over, brew, add milk, remove bag’. No, no, no. The teabag should be removed before the addition of milk.” She spoke for many when she added, “Ideally, of course, tea should be made with leaves in a pot, then poured into the cup”. What followed may divide the crowd, though: “Milk or lemon (or even sugar) can subsequently be added according to the drinker’s taste.”   It fell to Duncan McAra to defend Burnham: “Milk is poured in first for chemical reasons. A solvent (such as tea) should be added to an emulsion (such as milk), not vice versa. This was explained to me by my maternal grandmother, the wife of a tea-planter in the Nilgiri Mountains in the 1920s. No doubt the Royal Society of Chemistry would concur.” What is your method? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter. Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name.   On this day 1837 | Euston railway station opens, becoming London’s first intercity hub 1969 | Apollo 11 lands on the surface of the moon (see the historic front page from the following day below) 1982 | Hyde Park and Regent’s Park bombings 2001 | The London Stock Exchange goes public Birthdays: Omar Epps (53), Sandra Oh (55), Carlos Santana (79) Plus, in the news today, France is facing a shortage of vegetables after heatwaves decimated crops across the country. Which of the following are among the hardest hit? France has experienced wildfires during three record-breaking heatwaves 1. Carrots 2. Blueberries 3. Onions 4. All of the above Click one of the options to reveal the answer...   Puzzles Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.   Yesterday’s Mini Panagram was PELOTON. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.   Please let me know what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor Summer Sale: One year for just £19 Think outside your inbox. Unlock full access to our free-thinking journalism, plus thousands of fun puzzles. Subscribe now

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