Newspaper Review & World Brief: Andy Burnham Unveils Cabinet, Vows To End Social Crisis

[00:00:10]Now Andy Banner is officially the new prime minister of the United Kingdom after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace. Now he takes over from Kestama.

[00:00:21]Burnham traveled straight to number 10 Downing Street to deliver his first address to the nation, stating that his absolute priority is tackling the country's uh social crisis. Let's take a listen to what he had to say.

[00:00:36]I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do. Let's build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity.

[00:00:53]Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again.

[00:00:58]>> Andy Bernham has appointed his first cabinet with the new prime minister rewarding those who have been loyal to his takeover efforts. Now, he had promised to pick his top team from all wings of the Labor Party in an effort to show he is trying to run a more inclusive administration. So, let's take a look at these graphics. Just a few of the choices that he has brought into his government. So, firstly, we start off with John Healey, the former defense secretary who quit the government over a lack of funding for the defense investment plan. He is the surprise appointment to the Treasury. He does replace Rachel Reeves. Thereafter, we have Shabbana Mahmood. She keeps her role in Bernham's cabinet after being appointed home secretary by Kristama last year. And then we have Ed Milliband. He does come in as foreign secretary. The former cabinet minister under Gordon Brown led Labour to an election defeat in 2015 if you remember and he replaces David Lammy. And then we do have Iette Cooper. She is considered to be a powerhouse in cabinet she shifts from the foreign office to the vital role of health secretary replacing west streeting. And speaking of west, arguably the man who started this entire process, this shift in modern British politics, he has been appointed defense secretary.

[00:02:23]Well, moving on now and Joshua Kerry, he is a 28-year-old man from South Yorkshire. He has been charged with the murder of former Conservative Minister Anne Whitikham. Now, Kerry was charged on Monday following a fastmoving investigation led by counterterrorism officers. The 78year-old politician was found dead with serious head injuries at her Devon home on the 9th of July.

[00:02:49]Detectives say the attack appeared targeted. Kerry will appear at Westminster Magistrate's Court this morning.

[00:02:58]to the Middle East. Hamas has officially named Khalil Alhaya as the new head of its political bureau and overall leader.

[00:03:07]Al-Ha was chosen following a complex multi-layered internal ballot. Now, he did win a secret runoff against former political leader Khaled Mashal and he officially fills the leadership vacancy left behind by Yaha Sima who was killed by Israeli forces in October 2024. He is Hamas's chief negotiator in the ongoing indirect ceasefire and hostage release talks. Now he has been operating he had been in those positions. Now he had been operating in exile out of Doha over in Qatar. Now we stay in the Middle East with Yemen. It's Iran aligned Houthi rebels have declared an immediate label blockade on Saudi Arabia threatened to choke off global oil supplies. The group announced a maritime embargo targeting the Bab al-mander strait. That's the Mandab doorway. Essentially, a critical southern gateway to the Red Sea in retaliation for what they claim is an aggressive Saudi siege on Yemen ports and airports. The sudden escalation opens a major new front in the regional war putting 7% of the global oil supply at risk just as shipping traffic through the straight of war moves remains heavily restricted.

[00:04:25]Let's move on to our newspaper review now and we start off as always with the front page of this day which does lead with finance minister Taiw clarification that the Tinabu administration has not borrowed up to 80 trillion naira and said he says that much of Nigeria's rising debt profile reflects an exchange rate adjustment inherited liabilities and debt refinancing rather than fresh roaring.

[00:04:50]Nigeria Bar Association also finds itself on the front page as it released its voter list amid allegations of irregularities and Rabio Kuango's disclosure that he and Peter Obi have signed a one-time agreement ahead of the 2027 presidential election. It is a Tuesday and on this week's edition of the advocate by Oni Keo Braithweight, she examines the allegations surrounding the presidential foreign investment promotion council and she argues that those claims, as you can imagine, should be tested through evidence and not public opinion. Thereafter, we have the Daily Independent, which highlights the FCCP's resumption of enforcement of digital lending regulations following a federal high court judgment affirming the commission's powers.

[00:05:38]Then we take a look at the new Telegraph and it is focusing on concerns raised by the Northern Christian Association over what it describes as an imbalance in federal allocations to mosque and church related projects in the 2026 budget.

[00:05:53]Moving on to the Guardian, it is highlighting the ADC's demand for full disclosure of the 7.13 trillion naira recorded as energy security spending in the NNPCL's audited accounts. So, we take a look now at the Daily Trust, which is reporting that six children from the same family lost their lives after lightning struck a tree they sheltered under during a thunderstorm in Ada Mawa State.

[00:06:21]Looking at the CBN with a punch this morning, which is highlighting the CBN's confirmation that it's opened to do accounts for that controversial presidential foreign investment promotion council following authorization from the office of the accountant journal. All of this coming out as those investigations into the agency continue. And then we take a look at our British dies. We're starting off with the Times and its lead story. Andy Bernham carried out a purge of Turkey as loyalists on his first day as prime minister, marking John Healey, his new chancellor to reassure the markets.

[00:06:58]We'll see if that actually works. And then on the Daily Mail again, Andy Bernham, he is pictured on the front page in an apparent prayer as it describes his first day as prime minister. Let's pray he knows what he's doing. A huge amen to that. Now, the son also leads on the death of former England captain and manager Kevin Keegan who unfortunately lost his life uh yesterday aged 75 after a battle with cancer. Those are your newspaper headlines and you are brief. Love to hear your thoughts.

[00:07:32]>> Okay, very well. Uh communications and condolences to the family of Kevin Keegan uh Kevin Keegan King Kev very very checked career. Mhm.

[00:07:45]>> Left, played in Hamburg. Probably the only British player that got two balloons.

[00:07:51]Very successful player, but he but he never, you know, could make it in the World Cup. But at the time he got around it. Things were already plateauing for him. He was a star. He was a dazzling start. Got the chance to coach England, but he wasn't too successful when he coached England.

[00:08:06]>> Great guy. He's a king. Legend. Legend >> for John Healey.

[00:08:13]Uh Bernham can start this king of the north thing he says and all of that.

[00:08:18]It's fine. I am more concerned about the facts. There are deficits on ground that Healey has to look for money to fix.

[00:08:28]Will Labor want to raise taxes? I doubt.

[00:08:33]He was saying yesterday he's going to build housing, right? Where is he going to get the money from?

[00:08:39]>> He's not said anything. And that's why I said he will not finish his term.

[00:08:44]Secondly, legitimacy questions is starting to hang around him. He needs to go for an election at some point. He doesn't have a mandate for the fact that he got how many MPs from Labor to sit with him to be able to coronate him. It doesn't mean he has a mandate. So he has to go out there to look for the mandates of the people.

[00:09:02]>> So to make a film bi-election is not enough. You don't think >> Fei? Isn't it the height? Isn't it the height of petulent delusion to think the 25,000 mandate he got in Meccafield would equate a mandate of over 50 million British people?

[00:09:21]>> See at the height of petulent delusion.

[00:09:24]>> I mean I think it's it's safe to say that the opposition by the opposition the conservative the tourists have already started saying that he must call for an election obviously for legitimacy and that call is not going to die down.

[00:09:36]It's going to actually gather momentum.

[00:09:37]It happens all the time. Once there's a leadership um a change in leadership that uh consequently means a change in the prime minister then there would always be that question around legitimacy and does he have the mandate of the people. But let's look at some of the big wins. I mean thank you so much Adei for breaking down his cabinet. Um my concern with Bernham and Andy Bernham even though I really am rooting for him because I feel that five prime ministers in four years is a little bit too much and the United Kingdom has to stabilize to a very large extent. My concern with him is that he is his popular populist style of government and he might be appealing to his base a little bit too much. Look at his appointments for instance. Um he's put John Healey. Uh yes he's very strong with the trade unionist. um he's come from uh you know defense he would he's that one that was very bold enough to call out sir stama you know in terms of defense spending then we're straightening going to defense from health he retained shabna mammud who I mean all his all his appointments seem to moving away from sarcastama's own appointments and people who were loyal to him you know were effective effectively removed it's just to what extent they would be competent but in terms of policy directions. One of his first major policy direction is the removal of the 5% VAT on energy taxes which is set to appro save um you know Britain's approximately £45 anom it might seem like a small amount but every penny counts at this time and he's looking to fund that at least we find that's one area where he's chose you know demonstrated where he will fund that from um from the digital ID uh you know initiative launched by cap kama if you recall this was one of the moves of the previous prime minister to tackle illegal migration whereby everyone would have a digital ID and make it difficult for illeg people who do not have that ID to access services or even jobs. So good on that one. Let's see how how many more policies he would move to please the British people.

[00:11:42]>> Okay. Some key editorial points on what I consider the major topics. Now Andy Bham is now the seventh prime minister of the UK in a decade. In 10 years they have three and his problems have begun from day one because he will have to deal with issues about finances, sluggish economic growth, um national health service, high cost of living and he says he will meet the people at their point of need and he's proposing a 10-year plan. But I share the view also that his major problem will be legitimacy because very soon he will be reminded that he was not elected. Now he has chosen John Healey uh as new chancellor and of course he has made it clear and Healey too has said so uh former defense secretary that the fiscal rules uh put in place by the former chancellor uh will be followed. He has been congratulated by everyone all over the world. So let's join them in congratulating him after a fashion. Uh but I note in particular that he his favorite football club the Everton football club also took time out to congratulate him. They say that a toughy is now uh in number 10 within the next 100 days. It will be interesting to see how tough Andy Boham is and one area of challenge will be in foreign relations where he has very little experience. Uh but he says his first stop will be Trump and Zilinski.

[00:13:15]Now Amas the man they have put there now I'll hire former chief negotiator uh for the AMAS movement the radical wing of the uh of the Palestinian struggle is a hardliner he has lost already four sons in this struggle for Palestinian liberation now a hardliner now in position winning after the second round of elections the big question will be the future of Hamas and the future of the state of Palestine and peace in the Middle East. Now, as for Yemen, well, that further complicates further escalates the conflict in the uh Middle East. Now, this straight the Madra straight that they are trying to close is a 20m waterway between uh you know the Gulf of Adam, between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden and that Swiss Canal and the exit to the Mediterranean.

[00:14:13]So those vessels and the attack on Saudi Arabian vessels will just further complicate conflict in that part of uh the world. But they say they are acting in retaliation and this dates back to 2014 and the outbreak of civil war in Yemen. And let's note that the Houthi rebels are backed by Iran. So that further widens the scope of the analysis. Thank you very much Adifi.