HotMinute

Keir Starmer is expected to set out a timetable to stand down as prime minister as early as Monday, according to reports, after Labour’s defeat in last week’s Makerfield by-election intensified pressure on his leadership. Government insiders cited by the BBC said the mood in Whitehall had shifted sharply over the past 48 hours, with several now believing the Prime Minister could announce a plan to quit within days.

The most popular London commuter town for homebuyers this year is Hitchin in Hertfordshire, according to the latest data from online property platform Rightmove. Hitchin, a popular market town in North Hertfordshire surrounded by verdant countryside, sees almost twice the enquiries per available listing than London, making it by far the most popular commuter town for homebuyers in 2026.

UK retail employment has fallen to its lowest level on record, new figures show. There were 2.76 million retail jobs in March 2026, according to the latest Office for National Statistics data. On a four-quarter average, which smooths out seasonal variation in hiring, employment stood at 2.79 million across the first quarter of 2026. The British Retail Consortium said this is the lowest figure on record.

Just 22% of likely viewers in Great Britain plan to watch 2026 FIFA World Cup matches live when they kick off in the early hours of the morning, according to new polling from Ipsos. The figure points to a sharp drop in live engagement for fixtures scheduled between 1:00 AM and 5:00 AM, with most of that audience shifting to catch-up and highlights instead.

The New West End Company has called for longer Sunday shopping hours in London. The proposal appears in Unlocking the London Advantage, the West End business group’s new report with property consultancy Colliers, which recommends a review of shopping-hour restrictions in what it calls the West End International Centre.

Investors who passed on SpaceX’s stock market debut last week are likely to end up holding a stake in the company anyway, often within weeks and without making any decision to buy it, according to analysis from investment platform AJ Bell. SpaceX listed on the Nasdaq exchange last week at a valuation of $1.78 trillion.

The UK government has unveiled reforms requiring sellers to provide upfront “sales packs” and introducing earlier binding contracts. The aim is to cut around four weeks off the average home purchase and reduce the one-in-three rate of sales that collapse. The changes, announced by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Thursday (18 June), will require sellers and estate agents to hand over key information at the point a property is listed.

The average British pub is set to pour an extra 1,240 pints over the course of the World Cup, according to new analysis from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA). The trade body estimates that around 55 million additional pints could be sold nationwide if England reach the final – equivalent to roughly 14 extra kegs per venue across the tournament.

Reddit users with high karma scores face fewer consequences for posting misinformation than lower-status users do, according to a new study of more than 10,000 posts on the platform.

London is the third most expensive of thirteen major global cities to visit for a three-night break, according to a new report. The finding comes from Unlocking the London Advantage, produced by the West End business group New West End Company with property consultancy Colliers. It puts the cost of a three-night stay in London at £690, behind only Paris (£930) in Europe and against an average of £500 across the thirteen cities benchmarked. Shanghai is the most affordable in the index at £380.