Firefighters are tackling multiple fires in central England on a day that the U.K. recorded its hottest day of the year as an intense stretch of hot weather continued to grip Europe.

A special election is taking place Thursday in the seaside town of Clacton, just east of London.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has shifted some of Britain's political power from London to Manchester with "No_ 10 North."

The Bank of England kept its key interest rate on hold for the fifth time this year after a bigger-than-expected drop in the inflation rate last month gave policymakers breathing space to assess the fallout from renewed fighting in Iran.

Voters in Manchester are electing a new mayor Thursday to replace Andy Burnham, who left the job to become Britain’s prime minister.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has set a Sept. 19 deadline for the 211 member federations to accept a $20 million offer to each in his controversial plan to sell stakes in a subsidiary running the World Cup.

Scientists are alarmed by the British government's decision to cut funding for the Lovell radio telescope at Jodrell Bank Observatory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and new U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham have discussed joint drone projects and Ukraine’s urgent need for ballistic missile interceptors during a visit to a British naval base.

Britain’s new leader, Andy Burnham, is facing the same old problem: How can he kickstart a sluggish economy so that growing companies and increased output generate enough additional revenue to boost defense spending and pay for everything else voters want without raising taxes.

New U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has gathered his Cabinet after removing allies of predecessor Keir Starmer from the government.

Andy Burnham has become Britain's new prime minister, replacing Keir Starmer.

Andy Burnham has taken office as Britain’s new prime minister.

Andy Burnham has been officially declared leader of Britain’s governing Labour Party, clearing his final hurdle to taking office as prime minister next week.

Andy Burnham is about to become Britain’s 59th prime minister, following the sudden downfall of Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Keir Starmer has answered questions from lawmakers in the House of Commons for the last time before leaving the British prime minister's office next week.

The British government has announced plans for a six-hour social media curfew from midnight for 16- and 17-year-olds.

British lawmakers have approved a law aimed at preventing police and officials from covering up errors and wrongdoing.

Nominations have opened in a Labour Party election to replace Keir Starmer as Britain's prime minister.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage says he’ll quit his Parliament seat and seek reelection in an attempt to clear his name over financial allegations.

Britain's future military will focus on self-flying jets, uncrewed submarines and drones.

Andy Burnham, likely the next U.K. prime minister, has pledged to give more autonomy to local leaders.

Andy Burnham has set himself apart from the man he expects to replace as British prime minister.

Andy Burnham is closer to becoming Britain’s next prime minister without a contest.

Andy Burnham is preparing for a Labour Party leadership contest that could make him Britain's prime minister within weeks.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has resigned as leader of the Labour Party, paving the way for Britain to have its seventh prime minister in just over a decade.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced his resignation, forced out by his party after losing voter support.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is facing a crucial decision.

Andy Burnham is a political insider turned outsider aiming to be Britain’s next prime minister.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer says he will fight attempts by rival Andy Burnham to oust him from office.

Keir Starmer's future as Britain's prime minister is on the line in a special election in Makerfield in northwest England.

U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey has resigned, saying the government is not willing to spend enough on the military at a time of rising threats.

About 75,000 voters in northwest England are about to make a significant decision.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer faces more embarrassment with the release of files about former U.K. ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson.

Wes Streeting's ambition to head the British government was one of the worst-kept secrets in U.K. politics.

Britain’s government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as the one to save it.

Britain's government faces uncertainty as the Labour Party grapples with internal turmoil.

Efforts to unseat British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have erupted into open rebellion within his party.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has vowed to prove his doubters wrong as he faces calls to step down after poor local election results for his Labour Party.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is fighting for his job after poor local election results for his Labour Party.

British voters will cast ballots in elections that could hasten the end of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s troubled term.

Keir Starmer faces a key test as a special election threatens to deepen the UK Labour Party’s crisis and his own leadership troubles.

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is heading to China, aiming to improve relations with Beijing amid tensions with the United States.

A row has erupted within Britain's Labour Party after Manchester's mayor, Andy Burnham, was blocked from running in a special election.

Manchester is facing the latest tragedy to befall the city with a mix of defiance and shock.

A man drove a car into people outside a synagogue in England and stabbed two of them to death on the holiest day of the Jewish year.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has accused hard-right politician Nigel Farage of crossing “a moral line” with his anti-immigration stance.

Britain’s Treasury chief has warned that global challenges from wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with U.S. tariffs, have worsened the U.K.'s economic outlook.

Keir Starmer is facing challenges within his party less than 15 months after becoming Britain's prime minister.

Scotland’s leader has defended the ban on nonessential travel between the country and the northwest English city of Manchester after its mayor lambasted the decision and called for compensation.

Families of 96 Liverpool soccer fans who died in a stadium overcrowding disaster in 1989 slammed a British judge’s decision to end the trial of two former police officers and an ex-lawyer on charges of perverting the course of justice.

Scotland’s leader has told British Prime Minister Boris Johnson that a second Scottish independence referendum is “a matter of when, not if,” after her party won its fourth straight parliamentary election.

The Scottish National Party has won its fourth straight parliamentary election on Saturday and insisted it will push on with another referendum on Scotland’s independence from the U.K. even though it just failed to secure a majority.

FILE - In this Friday, Oct. 23, 2020 file photo, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson walks from 10 Downing Street to a meeting with his ministers at the Foreign Office, in London. Less than a year after winning a landslide election victory, Johnson is facing multiple crises with few political friends. Johnson himself spent a week in hospital with the virus in April, some of it on oxygen in intensive care. “Our constituents have been some of the hardest hit by this virus, with many losing jobs, businesses, and livelihoods,” said group leader Jake Berry, demanding a road-map out of coronavirus restrictions and a jobs plan for the north. Even supportive lawmakers say Johnson’s government needs to show it cares about issues that matter to millions of people.

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein)LONDON – The British government on Wednesday put another 1.4 million people into England’s tightest coronavirus restrictions, but faced growing criticism that its piecemeal approach to curbing the outbreak is sowing division and confusion. Jarvis said local authorities had struck a deal with the British government on financial support to accompany the area measures. Instead, it has adopted a three-tier system for England, with areas classed as medium, high or very high virus risk. The measures have caused tension between Johnson’s Conservative government and local authorities in northern England, which has the country’s highest infection rates. Wednesday’s announcement about South Yorkshire means 7.3 million people, or 13% of England’s population, have been placed under the toughest restrictions — all of them in the north.

Virus cases are surging across Europe and many U.S. states, but responses by leaders are miles apart, with officials in Ireland, France and elsewhere imposing curfews and restricting gatherings even as some U.S. governors resist mask mandates or more aggressive measures. Oklahoma health officials reported a record high of 821 people hospitalized Tuesday with the virus or under investigation for the infection. Mahoney, himself, cast the deciding vote against a city mask mandate early this month. Late Monday, he also reversed course on a local measure, mandating that city residents wear masks when they're in close proximity to people other than family members. Associated Press writers Adam Causey in Oklahoma City, Dave Kolpack in Fargo, North Dakota, and Jill Lawless and Sylvia Hui in London contributed to this story.

Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham speaks to the media outside Bridgewater Hall, following last-ditch talks with the Prime Minister aimed at securing additional financial support for his consent on new coronavirus restrictions, in Manchester, England, Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2020. But he stressed that not acting would put lives and the health care system in Manchester at risk. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been fighting for more financial support for workers and businesses affected by the restrictions in his region of almost 3 million people. At a minute past midnight on Friday, Greater Manchester will join the Liverpool and Lancashire regions of northwest England which have been placed in Tier 3, the highest level. Instead it has adopted a three-tier system for England, with areas classed as medium, high or very high virus risk.

Hospitality workers protest in Parliament Square in London, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. Hospitality workers are demonstrating outside Parliament against tougher coronavirus restrictions and the amount of financial support given by the government to the industry. Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford said Monday administration was backing a short, sharp “firebreak” to slow the spread of COVID-19. “We’ve got a great industry with lots of heart, and nobody works in the hospitality industry to get rich. We do it because we love what we’re doing — and there’s so many people who depend on it,” he said.

John Ambrose, a guide with the Beatles-themed Fab4 Taxi Tours, wears a face mask as he walks past a statue of the Beatles in Liverpool, England, Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Now, the coronavirus is putting Liverpool's hard-won revival in jeopardy, and raising tensions between the north of England and the wealthier south. Now, the coronavirus is putting the city’s hard-won revival in jeopardy, and raising tensions between the north of England and the wealthier south. However, Liverpudlians retained their mistrust of London politicians, and the virus pandemic has brought it to the surface. Authorities in northern England agree on the need to act.

The government is negotiating with the leaders of Manchester, Lancashire and other communities in northern England about moving into the top risk tier, which would require the closure of many businesses. The opposition Labour Party’s spokesman on health issues, Jonathan Ashworth, described the measures as inadequate to stem the exponential growth of the virus. Hancock said discussions were continuing with Greater Manchester and Lancashire about moving those communities into the government’s highest risk tier. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham once again rejected government pressure to accept the higher risk rating without further financial support. “They are willing to sacrifice jobs and businesses here to try and save them elsewhere,″ a visibly furious Burnham said.

“In some parts of the country, the number of cases are rising very fast and we are taking that very seriously." In many areas of northern England, it's not clear the local restrictions have worked — in some areas, the number of new infections is 10 times higher than when the localized virus restrictions were announced. Unions are demanding that the government accompanies any lockdown changes with a financial support package to prevent mass unemployment. A national program that has helped keep a lid on unemployment is due to halt at the end of October. ___Follow AP coverage of the virus outbreak at https://apnews.com/VirusOutbreak and https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak

“We are doing that data again but we anticipate it will be far higher due to local restrictions, the national constraints on events, working from home and the curfew,” she said. The programme will be replaced by the less generous Jobs Support Scheme, which will see the government pay up to 22% of wages for workers who come back from Nov. 1. Many workers on furlough returned to their jobs when the sector reopened in early July after months of lockdown. But Nicholls said around 900,000 hospitality workers remain on furlough and urged the government to do more to ensure that most of them remain in their jobs through winter. That would push unemployment towards the 3 million mark, a level the U.K. has not seen since the early 1990s.