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Tests Loom for Popular UK PM Burnham as Parliament Returns

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham smiles during a visit to Bath, western England, on July 22, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham smiles during a visit to Bath, western England, on July 22, 2026. (AFP)
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Tests Loom for Popular UK PM Burnham as Parliament Returns

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham smiles during a visit to Bath, western England, on July 22, 2026. (AFP)
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham smiles during a visit to Bath, western England, on July 22, 2026. (AFP)

Andy Burnham has enjoyed a honeymoon first month as UK leader, but the hard trade-offs involved in governing are about to get real for the prime minister as parliament returns from its summer break in the coming days.

Since succeeding Keir Starmer on July 20, Burnham has pleased voters with several low-cost sweeteners, including cutting electricity bills and bus fares, while burnishing his casual man-of-the-people vibes.

He has poured pints of beer with his finance minister, played guitar in Ukraine, and kept up a prolific output of slick social media videos during a self-styled "listening tour" of Britain.

Projecting a sunnier outlook than the straitlaced Starmer, and benefiting from the woes besetting hard-right rival Nigel Farage, Burnham has sparked a poll bounce for his ruling Labour Party.

A YouGov survey published on August 18 found that 46 percent of Britons view him favorably, up 12 percentage points from when he first arrived at Downing Street.

With lawmakers on holiday, the new prime minister has largely been able to avoid thornier issues during his first weeks in office.

"He's benefited enormously from parliament not being there," former senior civil servant Jill Rutter told AFP, adding that it had allowed the 56-year-old Burnham to "control the narrative" so far.

MPs return to Westminster on Tuesday, when Burnham is expected to deliver his first speech to parliament as prime minister.

His government is set to announce that day whether it is watering down contentious plans to release thousands of prisoners early to ease chronic overcrowding in jails.

Then on Wednesday, MPs and the public will learn whether Burnham is any good at facing down the weekly grilling by the leader of the opposition when he takes part in his first Prime Minister's Questions session.

Looming on the horizon is his government's first budget on October 28, when Burnham must demonstrate that he can fund his pledges regarding cost-of-living support and ending rough sleeping, all while plugging a huge gap in defense spending.

He must do so against a backdrop of strained public finances and with limited levers to pull due to his commitment not to raise income tax, employee payroll contributions, or a value-added tax on consumer goods.

"That might be when reality starts to hit," former minister Tony McNulty, who served alongside Burnham in Labour governments of the early 2000s, told AFP.

McNulty, now a politics lecturer at Queen Mary University of London, insists Burnham is capable of taking tough decisions and "sticking" to them, despite opponents labelling him a "people pleaser".

- Trump meeting? -

Plenty of sensitive issues lie ahead, including welfare reform, how to fund social care, and whether to proceed with the scrapping of jury trials for many offences.

Whether to extract oil and gas at the controversial Jackdaw and Rosebank fields in the North Sea could be one of the most divisive questions.

"You either alienate the unions by saying no and get noises off from (US President) Donald Trump in a very unhelpful way," explained Rutter.

Or Burnham gives drilling a green light and "you alienate the Labour net zero (supporters) who say we're going to lose more support to the Greens".

Burnham will host his first European leader since taking office when French President Emmanuel Macron visits London this week.

It comes as he must decide how to proceed with a "reset" with the European bloc that was championed by Starmer ahead of a bilateral summit expected this year.

Burnham has said Britain must be "bolder" in getting closer to the bloc, but has ruled out rejoining the single market, customs union or allowing freedom of movement.

"The EU isn't handing out sweets just because we've got a sort of fun prime minister who likes (1980s English rock band) The Smiths," added Rutter.

A likely first meeting with Trump, possibly at the United Nations General Assembly next month, will be tricky for Burnham who once described the US president's policies as "poisonous".

Labour lawmaker Jess Phillips said on a Sky News podcast last week that Burnham must "show what his actual priorities are" but in doing so runs the risk of disappointing many MPs.

MP Luke Akehurst told AFP that Burnham's positive start "gives him a significant bank of political capital" among Labour colleagues "who will need to trust his judgement in addressing the range of complex policy issues that the government faces".

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World

100 Leading Israeli Thinkers Warn of ‘Internal Collapse’

An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
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100 Leading Israeli Thinkers Warn of ‘Internal Collapse’

An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 
An Israeli boy holds a toy gun in the occupied West Bank city of Hebron in March 2024 (AFP) 

One hundred prominent Israeli thinkers, researchers and former officials have warned that Israel faces a critical choice: become a major power or risk collapse, arguing that while the country has the potential to achieve greater regional influence, its “foundations are rusting.”

The warning emerged from an in-depth study by MIND Israel, a nonpartisan organization specializing in foreign and security strategy. Maariv reported Sunday that the research identified another type of danger alongside external security threats: an existential threat from within.

“If we do not address these foundations, not only will we fail to become a major power, but the entire structure will collapse,” warned Dr. Avner Golov, MIND Israel’s vice president.

The study, involving 100 experts, identified six critical issues requiring urgent decisions: Israel’s regional standing, the quality of its human capital, the relationship between the economy and security, governance and national resilience, demographic changes, and relations with the United States.

MIND Israel President Maj. Gen. (res.) Amos Yadlin noted that the organization intends to present the issues to the public ahead of elections in late October and encourage voters to question party leaders about them.

Presenting the research, Golov explained that the researchers’ review of history found that civilizations tend not to be destroyed from outside while they remain strong internally.

“Internal processes dismantle them,” he added, citing declining social cohesion, erosion of trust in state institutions, the prioritization of short-term political gains over long-term national interests and an inability to adapt.

Contrasting views

Golov outlined two opposing assessments encountered by the researchers. One held that Israel had survived a global pandemic, social upheaval, the Oct. 7 attack and its aftermath while maintaining a resilient economy, technological leadership and strong security capabilities — evidence, in that view, that the country was moving toward becoming a major power.

The other argued that a process of collapse had already begun, driven by an identity crisis, declining governance and a political emergency.

“We believe both sides are right,” Golov concluded, arguing that Israel simultaneously faces historic opportunities and serious internal vulnerabilities.

Asked what the public should do with the questions raised by the study, Golov urged voters to look beyond questions of governing coalitions and demand concrete plans from political leaders. Key measures, he maintained, should be taken during a new government’s first 100 days.

Turning to security policy, Golov called for an updated version of Israel’s traditional “Iron Wall” doctrine following Oct. 7.

He argued that Israel could no longer rely solely on containing enemies behind defensive barriers but must seek to shape developments beyond them.

“The wall still needs to be strong, but we cannot rely only on that,” he stressed.

Golov also urged Israel not to depend exclusively on the United States and to strengthen regional relationships.

“Alongside the walls, we need bridges,” he concluded.

World

Iran's Guards Threaten to Hit New Targets if US Attacks

Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
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Iran's Guards Threaten to Hit New Targets if US Attacks

Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.
Image from a video published by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) of its operations within the naval blockade on Iran.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards on Monday warned they would attack new targets and deploy new weapons if the US launches further attacks on the country.

Almost seven months into their war, Tehran and Washington remain locked in a stalemate, though neither side appears willing to return to full-scale war, said AFP.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the ideological arm of Iran's military, said "there will certainly be significant changes in our defense and our counteroffensive" in the event of a new US attack.

"We will introduce new weapons with new capabilities into the battlefield, and the world will be surprised," he said.

"Our targets will not necessarily be the same as before either. We have new targets that have not yet been attacked."

The Guards also said they were prepared for a "prolonged war".

On Saturday, the central command of Iran's military said the US was planning new action against Tehran, according to state television, but it did not elaborate.

Fighting between the US and Iran has eased in recent days after a flare-up at the end of last month, though Tehran continues sporadic attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

Both sides are maintaining rival blockades in the waterway in an effort to exert pressure.

World

Explosion Injures 3 South Korean Military Officers in Border Area with North Korea

This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
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Explosion Injures 3 South Korean Military Officers in Border Area with North Korea

This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)
This handout photo taken on August 4, 2025 and provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry shows South Korean soldiers removing loudspeakers that were set up for propaganda broadcasts near the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas in an undisclosed location in South Korea. (Photo by Handout / South Korean Defense Ministry / AFP)

An explosion near South Korea's heavily fortified border with North Korea injured three South Korean military officers on Monday, South Korea's Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said the explosion occurred during an unspecified operation in the Demilitarized Zone, a border buffer zone separating the two nations that is commonly referred to as the DMZ.

The cause was not immediately clear, the ministry said.

South Korean officials did not say whether it was possible the explosion was caused by a land mine planted by North Korea, which has added mines, anti-tank barriers and other front line fortifications in recent months as relations between the war-divided rivals have sharply deteriorated.

Two of the officers were airlifted from the site by helicopter, while the third was transported by land before being airlifted, according to the ministry. The officers are being treated at a military hospital near the capital Seoul, The Associaqted Press said.

The DMZ, which is 248 kilometers (155 miles) long and 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) wide, is one of the world’s most heavily armed borders. An estimated 2 million mines are peppered inside and near the border, which also is guarded by barbed wire fences, tank traps and combat troops on both sides. The zone is a legacy of the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, which ended with an armistice but not a peace treaty.

There have been growing concerns in South Korea about increased activity by North Korean soldiers near the military demarcation line as the North strengthens its border defenses during prolonged tensions between the countries. The South Korean military has not officially confirmed media reports that North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL more than 20 times during front line operations in August alone.

The South’s military fired warning shots to repel some 10 North Korean soldiers who crossed the military demarcation line at the eastern section of the DMZ in April 2025. The North Korean soldiers retreated after the South broadcast audio warnings and fired the shots and there were no clashes. In June 2024, North Korean troops crossed the border three times, prompting South Korea to fire warning shots.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in recent years has suspended virtually all cooperation and diplomacy with South Korea while declaring Seoul as his most hostile enemy during a stalemate in his larger nuclear negotiations with Washington.

North Korean mines in past years have occasionally washed down a swollen river into South Korea, killing or injuring civilians. In August 2015, land mine blasts maimed two South Korean soldiers and caused tensions between the two Koreas to flare.