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Anas Sarwar reportedly set to quit as Scottish Labour leader to be minister in Andy Burnham’s government – as it happened
UK NewsPoliticsJuly 21, 2026 at 8:13 PMNational

Anas Sarwar reportedly set to quit as Scottish Labour leader to be minister in Andy Burnham’s government – as it happened

By Nadeem Badshah, Yohannes Lowe and Tom AmbroseThe Guardian - UK News

Sarwar expected to be elevated to Lords to take up a ministerial post at revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and TradeBurnham to cut VAT on electricity bills in first cost-of-living moveAntónio Costa, the president of the European council, said in a post on X that he held a “good” phone call with Andy Burnham last night, in which he said they agreed to “further strengthen” EU-UK relations and continue to cooperate to support Ukraine.He said there was also discussion about “common geopolitical challenges facing Europe”, which could be a reference to many things, including energy prices soaring due to the US-Israel war on Iran, Europe’s trading and security relationship with Washington, the future of Nato, the continent facing a wave of hybrid warfare, driven by Russia, or the surge of national populism and backlash against immigration. Continue reading...

Sarwar expected to be elevated to Lords to take up a ministerial post at revamped Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade

António Costa, the president of the European council, said in a post on X that he held a “good” phone call with Andy Burnham last night, in which he said they agreed to “further strengthen” EU-UK relations and continue to cooperate to support Ukraine.

He said there was also discussion about “common geopolitical challenges facing Europe”, which could be a reference to many things, including energy prices soaring due to the US-Israel war on Iran, Europe’s trading and security relationship with Washington, the future of Nato, the continent facing a wave of hybrid warfare, driven by Russia, or the surge of national populism and backlash against immigration.

Continue reading...