TODAY’s Briefing ~ 25-Jul-2026

KEY TAKEAWAYS...

● Angela Rayner has ruled out rent controls in England, keeping the government focused on tenancy reform rather than price caps.

● Donald Trump’s new tariffs have weakened the UK’s trade advantage over the EU in some sectors.

● France and Spain are facing mass wildfire evacuations as Europe’s climate adaptation gap becomes more visible.

● Brussels has found TikTok failed to protect minors’ privacy under the EU’s Digital Services Act.

T he day’s pattern is pressure on institutions that are already stretched. In the UK, Andy Burnham’s government is being tested on housing, security, trade, industrial strategy and devolution. In Europe, wildfires, border systems, tariffs, platform regulation and German political instability show how quickly technical decisions become public tests of state capacity.

Rayner rules out rent controls in England

▫ WHAT HAPPENED:

Angela Rayner has ruled out rent controls in England. The housing secretary instead points to the Renters’ Rights Act, which came into force in May, as the government’s main intervention in the private rented sector. She explained that controls implemented in certain areas of the UK in recent years have not necessarily led to a decrease in rents. Rent pressure remains one of the most visible cost of living problems in England.

▫ WHAT IT MEANS:

Rayner is choosing regulation of tenancy rules over direct price controls. That avoids a confrontation with landlords and some economists who argue rent caps can reduce supply, but it leaves many tenants exposed to high market rents now. The practical question is whether stronger tenant rights can protect people if the underlying shortage of affordable homes remains unresolved.

▫ WHO BENEFITS IF YOU MISUNDERSTAND IT:

• Landlord groups benefit if the choice is framed as proof that rent controls never work, rather than a political decision about supply, enforcement and affordability.
• Private rental platforms and larger landlords benefit if attention moves away from rent levels and local housing shortages.

▫ WHAT TO WATCH NEXT:

Watch whether Rayner announces stronger enforcement funding for councils, how tribunals handle rent challenges, and whether homelessness and eviction data worsen despite the new law.

Protests after Henry Nowak case expose violence and misinformation risks

▫ WHAT HAPPENED:

Most people arrested during violent protests after the sentencing of Henry Nowak’s murderer had previously been reported to police for domestic abuse. Hampshire police data released under freedom of information laws shows 22 of 37 detained people had been accused or convicted of intimate partner violence. The protests followed the release of police bodycam footage showing Nowak, 18, handcuffed as he lay dying after being stabbed.