Tuesday briefing: Why Labour banned Burnham – and what the ‘King of the North’ might do next

<p>In today’s newsletter: By putting out one fire, Labour might have ignited several others</p><p>Good morning. The “King of the North” will not be marching south – at least not for now.</p><p>Andy Burnham has been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/26/andy-burnham-barred-from-byelection-to-help-labour-focus-says-scotland-secretary-douglas-alexander">barred from standing as an MP</a> in the forthcoming Gorton and Denton byelection, after a 10-strong “officers’ group” of Labour’s ruling body, which includes the prime minister, voted overwhelmingly to reject his request to stand. It has left the party, once again, in turmoil.</p><p><em><strong>US news</strong></em> | Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy militarised immigration agents in US cities may finally be reaching a reckoning as he faces <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/jan/26/donald-trump-administration-reviewing-alex-pretti-shooting">widespread opposition across the US</a>, dissenting lawmakers in his own party, and impending court rulings after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti.</p><p><em><strong>UK news</strong></em> | Former home secretary <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jan/26/former-home-secretary-suella-braverman-defects-to-reform-uk">Suella Braverman has defected to Reform UK</a>, making her the third sitting Conservative MP to join Nigel Farage’s party in little more than a week.</p><p><em><strong>Europe</strong></em> | As many as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/hundreds-feared-dead-after-attempting-to-cross-mediterranean-amid-cyclone-harry">380 people may have drowned</a> attempting to cross the Mediterranean last week during Cyclone Harry, as a shipwreck that killed 50 is confirmed by Maltese authorities.</p><p><em><strong>Saudi Arabia</strong></em> | A judge has ordered <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/saudi-arabia-ordered-pay-london-dissident-pegasus-spying-ghanem-al-masarir">Saudi Arabia to pay more than £3m in damages</a> to London-based dissident Ghanem al-Masarir, whose phones were targeted with Pegasus spyware.</p><p><em><strong>Ukraine | </strong></em>A US security agreement for Ukraine is <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/26/ukraine-war-briefing-us-security-agreement-volodymyr-zelenskyy">“100% ready” to be signed</a>, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said, after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/23/us-ukraine-russia-abu-dhabi-talks-putin-witkoff-kushner">two days of talks</a> involving representatives from Ukraine, the US and Russia.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jan/27/tuesday-briefing-andy-burnham-byelection-greater-manchester-labour-first-edition">Continue reading...</a>

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