'Culture shift' needed in how UK does business, PM urges The UK needs a culture shift in how it does business, Andy Burnham has said ahead of a meeting with some of the UK's biggest bosses. The prime minister said those who take risks in business should be backed by government and local leaders should have the power to work with businesses. The current Labour government has been criticised for increasing costs for businesses, such as with the employer national insurance and minimum wage changes under Burnham's predecessor Sir Keir Starmer. Downing Street said Burnham will meet with the chief executives of BP, Shell, HSBC, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, BT, Vodafone, Rolls-Royce, and several others at Number 10. Ahead of the meeting, Burnham said he would give people the confidence that if they have a great idea, they'll get all the support they need to bring it to life.

Long-term government borrowing costs have risen to a 28-year high, putting further pressure on Prime Minister Andy Burnham ahead of his first Budget next month. The yield on a 30-year gilt -- a loan to the British government -- rose to 5.89%, the highest since 1998. The effective cost of borrowing for governments across the globe has continued to rise this morning with new multi-decade highs in market interest rates. The moves reflect concerns about inflation arising from the ongoing Iran war, competition from major tech firms for long-term borrowing, and concerns about state borrowing levels. All of those factors will make the Budget process trickier for Burnham, who will face MPs on Tuesday for the first time as prime minister, and his Chancellor John Healey. Higher borrowing costs will reduce the amount of headroom the government has against its self-imposed fiscal rules, limiting the amount Healey can spend on consumer-friendly measures to ease the cost of living.

Mike Ashley attacks Burnham plans as'populist' Billionaire Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley has criticised recent cost of living and retail policies from Andy Burnham as populist reactions. In a letter to the prime minister, the entrepreneur accused him of jumping on'everyday fixes' or bandwagons, while disastrous business rates policies and increases to the cost of employing workers were causing businesses to struggle. He also described a previous proposal of increasing business rates on large warehouses to help reduce them for pubs and clubs as delusional. A Downing Street spokesperson said Burnham would build a new economy that backs British business, delivers growth in every postcode and ensures the essentials in life - like energy, water and housing - are affordable again. Promises including cutting VAT from household electricity bills and reducing business rates for some firms is just the start, they added.

Andy Burnham has refused to rule out tax rises in the upcoming autumn Budget, saying he won't be unrealistic about the challenging state of public finances. The prime minister said he would take a careful approach to the economy, and defended his previously announced cost of living pledges as funded spending commitments. Burnham became prime minister in July promising to give people breathing space and help with the cost of living, but questions remain over how major policies such as social care reforms will be funded. Experts have previously warned that he and Chancellor John Healey will have little financial room to manoeuvre in their first Budget on 28 October. Speaking during his first visit to Ukraine, Burnham said the policies announced so far including capping bus fares at £2 and cutting VAT on household electricity bills were the first steps that I've felt able to make, and were doable because he was able to reprioritise funding from elsewhere.

Along with Anthony Albanese, common targets for deepfakes included ABC financial journalist Alan Kohler; and politicians Jacqui Lambie and Angus Taylor. Along with Anthony Albanese, common targets for deepfakes included ABC financial journalist Alan Kohler; and politicians Jacqui Lambie and Angus Taylor. Deepfake Anthony Albanese used in celebrity scams duping Australians out of $7.4m, Asic warns Australia's corporate watchdog says PM is the figure most commonly used in deepfakes to promote phony investment opportunities There has been a steep rise in scammers luring victims into phony investment opportunities using deepfakes of celebrities and politicians, Australia's corporate watchdog has warned. And Anthony Albanese is the figure most commonly co-opted. Real footage of the prime minister, overlaid with fake audio promising Australians can invest $4,000 to earn $40,000 a month, appears in one video online.

A mobile game made by a developer in Manchester has recently beaten the global phenomenon Minecraft to top Apple's paid games chart. Its success is perhaps even more surprising given its subject matter - UK politics. No 10: Full Confidence by Benjamin Brewis sees players take on the role of prime minister, making decisions through a wave of parliamentary scenarios and trying to remain in power for as long as possible. The success of Brewis's app, and the creation of others like it, suggests the dramatic recent ebb and flow of Westminster may have inspired a popular new sub-genre. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.

Andy Burnham is set to spend his first day working at the northern branch of Downing Street. No 10 North in Manchester will form part of the prime minister's aim to shift power from Whitehall and Westminster to regions across the country. Ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh will also operate regularly from the new site, with up to 300 civil servants expected to join them by the end of next year. On Friday in Manchester Burnham will chair a meeting of the National Economic Council, a cabinet committee first launched in 2008 to respond to economic challenges around the UK. Ahead of that meeting, the PM said: For 40 years, power and resources have been sucked into the centre, and too many communities have felt forgotten, without the attention and investment they deserve.

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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.