The UK government borrowed slightly less than expected in June, according to official figures published as new prime minister Andy Burnham began setting out measures to cut living costs for households. Borrowing - the difference between spending and income from taxes - was £16bn last month, £7.9bn lower than at the same point last year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said. Separate figures also showed the unemployment rate remained unchanged between March and May, with the UK statistics body saying the labour market was relatively steady. However while the borrowing figures were better than forecast, the UK is still carrying significant public debt. 'I made £100,000 of TikTok sales in one day': The business of live shopping The Papers: 'Burnham era begins' and'King Kev' Your tips on getting a fussy child to eat, and six recipes they'll love Mum's'tears of joy' as daughter released from hospital What will Andy Burnham's first day be like?

Andy Burnham takes power as British prime minister, succeeding Keir Starmer at Downing Street. The Labour leader has criticized Donald Trump but pledges continuity on NATO and Ukraine.

Russians are returning to cash, as mobile internet shutdowns disrupt card payments, and more businesses seek to dodge tax under mounting financial pressure more than four years into the war with Ukraine. Russia has added 1.56tn roubles (£14.8bn; The spike comes amid a wave of Ukrainian drone attacks, which have repeatedly led the Kremlin to shut down mobile internet across large swathes of the country, leaving many unable to pay by card. The government says the aim of the shutdowns is to counter the drone strikes. Having cash on hand gives you some sense of control and security, one woman in Moscow told the BBC on condition of anonymity.

Andy Burnham's plans to move DSIT into the business department have not yet been signed off, with some experts saying they hope he will change his mind. Andy Burnham's plans to move DSIT into the business department have not yet been signed off, with some experts saying they hope he will change his mind. Andy Burnham's plan to scrap the government's technology department has triggered an angry backlash from MPs, Whitehall officials and tech experts. The incoming prime minister has asked officials to draw up plans to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of a wider Whitehall shake-up. The plans have not yet been signed off, but they are causing significant disquiet among experts inside and outside government.

Follow this section to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW? Smart Alerts: Get notified about major news as it happens. Follow this tag to personalize your feed and get instant alerts. Follow Go to your personalized feed WHY FOLLOW?

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Figure caption, Green Party leader says he hasn't been offered state security Green Party leader Zack Polanski has called for the government to provide him with extra security, warning I am worried about it both for myself and for all party leaders. The politician said he hadn't been offered anything at all after being asked for his thoughts following Ann Widdecombe's death. I am worried and I have been worried for a long time. I would encourage the government to provide me with extra security, but that is a choice for them, he told BBC Breakfast.

But he was acclaimed for his reforms while serving as Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, and his new duties included logistics, budgets, reforms, anticorruption measures and deals to secure multibillion-dollar Western aid or loans. After his appointment in January, Fedorov provided Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with a list of urgent problems and ways to solve them. He mentioned a "chaotic" management system, constant rotations of commanding officers, non-transparent distribution of arms and military equipment, bureaucracy, resistance to reforms from Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii's General Staff of Armed Forces, decision-making based on loyalty and not data analysis, and "isolation" of effective commanders and proponents of reforms. Then on Wednesday, just seven months into his role, Fedorov was removed from his position by Zelenskyy. The changes that Fedorov was trying to bring about in Ukraine's military had angered Syrskii. But Fedorov's ouster appears to have angered Ukrainians even more -- potentially presenting Zelenskyy with a political challenge. Rallies, relatively large by wartime Ukraine's standards, have since erupted in Kyiv and key Ukrainian cities. "He's a young, smart, educated person who proved with his previous job that he really is a reformer and can make Ukraine a nation of the future," Taisiya, who rallied on Thursday in central Kyiv, told Al Jazeera.

Why has British Steel been nationalised? British Steel has been taken into public ownership after years of uncertainty over the future of the steelworks. It comes months after the UK government took control of the company's plant in Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire, though it was still owned by China's Jingye Group. What is British Steel and why is it important? British Steel's Scunthorpe plant employs 2,700 people, about three-quarters of the company's workforce.

New photograph marks Queen's 79th birthday A new photograph of Queen Camilla has been released to celebrate her 79th birthday. The picture, showing the Queen in a long blue dress, was taken last month in the state drawing room of Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland. Buckingham Palace said the Queen was marking her birthday with a renewed commitment to supporting children's literacy, with the announcement that every year 6 and P6 child across the UK will be gifted a special edition of the book Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell this Christmas. Much of the Queen's public work supports reading and literacy, including the creation of the Reading Room charity designed to promote the benefits of reading. Rundell's book will be distributed to children through schools and libraries.

When does Andy Burnham become prime minister? Andy Burnham will take over from Sir Keir Starmer as Labour leader on Friday, after winning the support of the party's MPs. It means he will soon become the UK's prime minister - the seventh in the last 10 years. When does Andy Burnham become prime minister? Burnham becomes Labour leader on Friday - but he will not become prime minister until Monday, three days later.