R elief at this week’s news that police are sending files to the Crown Prosecution Service, recommending charges against 77 individuals and organisations for their roles in the Grenfell Tower fire, is mixed with grief and anger. On 14 June the disaster’s survivors and their supporters will gather for the ninth annual silent walk around the west London neighbourhood in which the ruined tower stands. Next year marks a decade since the fire.
The public inquiry into the disaster pointed the finger at multiple public and private bodies , decisions and individuals. Three construction firms, Arconic, Kingspan and Celotex, were found to have been deliberately dishonest about their products. Poor regulation of building safety was the fault of central government. Kensington and Chelsea council, and its tenant management organisation, were strongly criticised for poor fire safety and other lapses. So were the architects and contractors commissioned to oversee the block’s refurbishment. The London fire brigade was culpable for its dangerous “stay put” policy, which should have been changed following previous cladding fires, including the one that killed six people in Lakanal House , south London, in 2009.
These conclusions, and the inquiry’s 58 recommendations, were delivered in September 2024. Yet even now, the prospect of criminal trials remains painfully remote. With prosecutors expected to decide on which charges to bring by next June, cases are unlikely to come to court until 2028 at the earliest. One survivors’ group, Grenfell Next of Kin , responded to Tuesday’s announcement with a statement that its confidence in the system has been “shattered”. Another group, Grenfell United, said that survivors “cannot be expected to endure years more of delay”.
Rightly, campaigners point out that the criminal law does not usually take this long. The Met’s defence is that this is the most complex investigation it has ever carried out. The inquiry pulled a massive amount of evidence together, and this material is certain to feature prominently in any court case. But whether blame is placed on the police, on the decision taken by Theresa May’s government to prioritise a public inquiry, or on the uncooperative approach to the inquiry taken by some witnesses, the consequence of such a protracted process has been to increase suffering and bitterness.
Criminal convictions have never been the only outcome sought. Campaigners welcomed the public inquiry’s findings and recommendations. Multimillion pound settlements of civil suits have been agreed. Earlier this year the government pledged dedicated funding for a long-planned memorial. Building regulation is in the process of being overhauled. A programme of cladding removal continues.
But there is frustration about the pace of change, and concern that the laws on corporate manslaughter and negligence are too weak. Last year the Common Wealth thinktank warned of the “very high threshold for liability” and called for tougher penalties to ensure “meaningful deterrence”. Some of the firms who bear responsibility for the Grenfell fire continue to win public contracts – causing further distress.
In spite of the outpouring of sympathy that followed the fire, and the tenacity of survivors who have campaigned for building safety as well as justice, the accountability and resolution that they have been seeking since 2017 remains a long way off. Prosecutors must now take the baton from the police, and move as quickly as they can.
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Trump postpones executive order on AI, citing need to keep ‘lead’ over China
The US president Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on AI because he did not like certain aspects of it and did not want to take any steps that might undermine the US position in its AI competition with China.
The order would create a voluntary framework for AI developers to engage with the U.S. government before the public release of advanced AI models, two sources familiar with the order told Reuters.
“I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump did not specify which parts of the executive order he objected to.
It comes after the Trump became the first US president in nearly a decade to visit China, and described his meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping as “very successful”.
The administration’s plans were reportedly put on hold after a push from xAI founder Elon Musk and other big tech figures.
Replying to a post on X about the reporting, Musk said, “this is false,” adding: “I still don’t know what was in that EO and the president only spoke to me after declining to sign.”
Ken Martin, the Democratic National Committee’s party chair, delayed releasing the DNC autopsy report, a 192-page analysis on the party’s 2024 election loss, for months – now that he has released the controversial report, he is facing mounting questions and a lack of confidence in his leadership.
David Hogg , the former DNC vice-chair, called on Martin to resign on Thursday. In a statement, Hogg wrote:
“This autopsy and the months-long debate about even releasing the report, is a demoralizing joke … Ken Martin should resign, and the DNC should select a new leader who demonstrates competence, creativity, moral clarity, and a relentless commitment to actually changing the broken Democratic Party brand.”
Some on Capitol Hill, including Seth Moulton , a representative from Massachusetts, have also called for Martin’s resignation.
“He should resign,” Moulton told Axios , adding that it’s “Utterly nuts it took us this long to release the autopsy.”
Host Stephen Colbert and the CBS Late Show bid farewell to the small screen on Thursday night after a controversial cancellation.
The CBS Late Show leaves the air as the No 1 show in network TV late night, with that 11.35pm real estate immediately and ignominiously rented out to Byron Allen’s longtime syndication seat-filler Comics Unleashed. It’s a stunning streaming-era abdication that will for ever be tied with Trump, even as the network has insisted (as echoed by a dolphin in a finale gag) that the decision was purely financial, not political.
With plenty of strong choices for last guests already sorted – David Letterman, Bruce Springsteen and Jon Stewart had already dropped by – the supersized 80-minute finale made a running gag out of a delayed reveal. Throughout the first half-hour, Bryan Cranston, Paul Rudd, Tim Meadows, Tig Notaro and Ryan Reynolds interrupted various usual Colbert bits. Finally, Colbert welcomed Paul McCartney , highlighting the show’s occupation (and CBS’s impending abandonment) of the refurbished Ed Sullivan Theater, where McCartney famously performed back in 1964 with the Beatles.
Trump commented on Colbert’s departure early Friday morning on Truth Social :
“Colbert is finally finished at CBS. Amazing that he lasted so long! No talent, no ratings, no life. He was like a dead person. You could take any person off of the street and they would be better than this total jerk. Thank goodness he’s finally gone!”
Advocacy group sues Trump administration over decision to reinstate near-ban on abortions for veterans
An advocacy group has filed suit against the Trump administration over its decision to reinstate a near-ban on abortions for veterans and their family members who depend on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for healthcare, AP reports.
The federal lawsuit filed Thursday says the rule finalized by the VA on 31 December takes away limited abortion access that was “crucial for the health, autonomy, and equality of veterans and their family members.”
Attorneys for the group Minority Veterans of America want the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to throw out the rule. They say the VA adopted the change without citing medical evidence or other justifications, violating the Administrative Procedures Act that governs federal rulemaking.
Cubans gather before US embassy in Havana to protest Raul Castro indictment
Thousands of Cubans gathered on Friday before the U.S. embassy in Havana to protest a U.S. decision to indict former leader Raul Castro in the downing of two civilian airplanes 30 years ago, Reuters reports.
The pro-government demonstration, which began shortly after sunrise on Havana’s waterfront, comes as Cuban officials rallied this week around the island’s former president and revolutionary hero.
Cuba says Castro’s indictment on murder charges on Wednesday was based on “spurious” allegations designed to serve as a pretext to invade the nation amid a Trump administration push to upend the island’s government.
Cuban president Miguel Diaz-Canel and Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attended the rally, the 94-year old Castro did not.
Opening summary
House Republicans canceled a scheduled Thursday vote on a war powers resolution aimed at ending the US war with Iran, a measure that likely would have advanced had the vote been held.
Donald Trump has announced he will deploy an “additional” 5,000 US troops to Poland, just days after the Pentagon controversially halted a long-planned deployment of forces to the country – the largest on Nato’s eastern flank.
Nato’s secretary general Mark Rutte struck somewhat more cautious note, saying the bloc’s trajectory was one that was prioritising a stronger Europe, “less reliant on the US”.
On Thursday, the US president admitted that he might skip Donald Trump Jr’s wedding, reportedly taking place in the Bahamas over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, citing that he has “this thing called Iran”.
US arms sales to Taiwan have been “paused” to ensure the US military has enough munitions for its Iran operations, according to Washington’s acting navy secretary.
The US president, Donald Trump, and the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, on Thursday again raised the spectre of military intervention in Cuba, a day after the administration announced criminal charges against Raúl Castro, the island’s former leader.
Trump postpones executive order on AI, citing need to keep ‘lead’ over China
The US president Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on AI because he did not like certain aspects of it and did not want to take any steps that might undermine the US position in its AI competition with China.
The order would create a voluntary framework for AI developers to engage with the U.S. government before the public release of advanced AI models, two sources familiar with the order told Reuters.
“I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump did not specify which parts of the executive order he objected to.
It comes after the Trump became the first US president in nearly a decade to visit China, and described his meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping as “very successful”.
The administration’s plans were reportedly put on hold after a push from xAI founder Elon Musk and other big tech figures.
Replying to a post on X about the reporting, Musk said, “this is false,” adding: “I still don’t know what was in that EO and the president only spoke to me after declining to sign.”
House Republicans canceled a scheduled Thursday vote on a war powers resolution aimed at ending the US war with Iran, a measure that likely would have advanced had the vote been held.
The cancellation, which avoided political embarrassment for Donald Trump, is the latest signal that congressional support for the US president’s war is diminishing.
The three top House Democrats, Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark and Pete Aguilar, called Republican leadership “cowardly” for cancelling the vote.
“For nearly three months, Donald Trump has forced America and our men and women in uniform into a reckless and costly war of choice in Iran. Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth took us to war without clear objectives, an exit strategy, public support or the authorization required by the United States Congress,” the Democrats said in a statement.
“The Republican-controlled House continues to behave like a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Trump administration. Republicans cowardly pulled a scheduled vote on a War Powers Resolution – legislation that would have passed with bipartisan support and required the President to end the conflict in the Middle East,” they added.
The vote has been postponed until lawmakers return from a recess in June, but it appears likely that the resolution could pass then.
According to Politico , Brian Fitzpatrick, a Philadelphia-area Republican representative who broke with his party last week to vote for the last Iran war powers resolution, and was attacked by Donald Trump on Wednesday, said the delay would not stop the resolution from passing soon. “The next time they bring it, it’s passing,” he said.
Among the Republican House members absent on Thursday but expected to be present when the resolution is put to a vote in June was Thomas Massie, the Kentucky representative who has been a critic of the joint US-Israeli war on Iran. Massie lost a primary election this week to a Trump-backed candidate who was encouraged to run after the president was angered by Massie’s role in forcing the Department of Justice to release investigative files on Jeffrey Epstein , the late child sex offender Trump socialized with for nearly two decades.
Earlier this week in the Senate, four Republicans joined Democrats in advancing the war powers resolution. It was the eighth time the chamber had attempted to move the bill forward.
Amber heat health alerts have been issued for the bank holiday weekend as record-breaking May temperatures as high as 33C (91F) are expected in parts of the UK.
The alerts – which indicate a possible risk to life as well as potential damage to properties, significant travel delays and power cuts – were announced for the East Midlands, West Midlands, the east of England , London and the south-east, and will be in effect from 2pm on Friday until 5pm on Wednesday.
Yellow alerts were also issued for the north-east and north-west of England, Yorkshire and Humber, and south-west England, indicating potentially significant impacts on health and social services as well as risk of life to anyone who is over the age of 75 or has existing health conditions.
The UK is forecast to have its hottest ever day in May over the long weekend, marginally exceeding the 32.8C recorded around parts of London, West Sussex and Kent more than 80 years ago, on 29 May 1944. Friday marked the hottest day of the year so far, as temperatures reached 26.9C at Heathrow in the early afternoon, the Met Office said.
The hotter weather is being attributed to a change in wind direction, with strong jet-stream winds shifting north and bringing warmer air from hotter places. It follows one of central and southern England’s driest Aprils on record , which left river levels below normal.
The peak temperature in the UK, which is predicted to occur in southern England or the Midlands on Monday, is likely to be hotter than many parts of the Mediterranean, including Rome, Athens and Barcelona.
The Met Office deputy chief forecaster, Steve Kocher, said: “Temperatures will climb through the weekend, especially in the south, where 30C is likely to be recorded on Saturday and 32C on Sunday. Temperatures are forecast to peak on Monday, when we could see 33C recorded in southern England and the Midlands.
“It is likely that the May and spring UK temperature records will be broken over the bank holiday weekend, with forecast temperatures surpassing the existing record of 32.8C. As well as it being hot, there will be lots of dry and sunny weather for much of the UK. There will, however, be more cloud and some showers in Northern Ireland and western Scotland through the weekend. With relatively low sea surface temperatures, there is also likely to be some low cloud and sea fog clinging closely to western coasts.”
The public are advised to stay hydrated; not spend too much time in direct sunlight, especially between 11am and 3pm; wear sunglasses, and avoid alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks where possible. Windows should be closed during the day and opened at night in order to let cooler air in.
Mikel Arteta has said he could not bear to watch Manchester City’s draw at Bournemouth and was building a fire in his garden when Arsenal’s first title in 22 years was confirmed. The manager also admitted his relief at being crowned champions after three successive runners-up finishes and revealed he had questioned whether he was good enough to help his team make the final step.
Arteta had gone to the training ground to watch the City match with the squad on Tuesday, having previously said he planned to stay at home. But 20 minutes before kick-off he decided he could not bear the tension and went back to be with his family.
“I was supposed to be here with the players, and certain staff, because that’s what they wanted,” he said. “But I couldn’t. I had to leave. I couldn’t bring the energy that I wanted.
“It was their moment to be together, watch it themselves and just see what the outcome would be. I went home, went outside to the garden, started to build a fire and started to do some barbecue. I didn’t watch any of it. I was just hearing noises in the background and the living room. Then the magic happened.
“My oldest son [Gabriel, who plays for Arsenal’s under-18s] opened the garden door, ran towards me, started to cry, gave me a hug and said: ‘We’re champions Daddy.’ My other two boys and my wife came over and it was beautiful to see the joy in them – they are always with me.
“It was magical. A minute later Martin Ødegaard was with the video: ‘Where are you? Come over.’ I said: ‘Enjoy it. See you in a few hours, somewhere in London.’”
Asked whether he regretted not being there to celebrate with his players, Arteta added: “It was a moment and they have to be themselves in that moment and if I’m there, I think it was not going to be the same. And yes, I’m glad they did it that way, they enjoyed it so much and the staff was all over the place and then we had our moment together a few hours later.”
Arteta was pictured in a West End nightclub with most of the Arsenal squad, leading chants of “Champions of England”. It has been a personal triumph for the 44-year-old, who phoned Andoni Iraola – the Bournemouth manager and his childhood friend from the Antiguoko youth team in northern Spain – to thank him for his role in helping them become champions. Arteta said it had been “one of the best feelings of his life” but that there had been times when he doubted himself.
“We won the league, but I’m most proud of how we won it,” he said. “Because we showed a very important value not only in sport but in life as well, which is perseverance. That is to be resilient, to be composed in moments when people are doubting, to be vulnerable, because I’ve asked that question to myself: am I good enough to lead this team, this club, these players to win a major trophy? Until you do it, you cannot validate yourself.
“And I thought about many ways. What is the best way to do it? We have to bring people from outside and speakers to inspire them. And then you have to find your own way. But the big lesson here is stay humble, stay curious and focus on the point and what you want to achieve.”
Arteta pointed to a meeting, a few days before Arsenal’s first match of the season, around an olive tree he had planted at the club’s training ground after he was appointed in December 2019.
He said: “I got all the players together and I told them: ‘Look at each other, look at the squad that we built over the summer and that we are capable of everything, that we can be very, very good. It only depends on us and on our behaviours and everybody understanding the role I’m going to have daily or on the day, to give the best for the team.’ And once they realised that, I think we went to a different level.”
Arsenal are understood to be hopeful that Jurriën Timber may be fit to face Paris Saint-Germain in next Saturday’s Champions League final and have Mikel Merino back in training. “Now, of course, you want more,” Arteta said, “and we have the biggest one to play in Budapest in a few days.”
Thomas Tuchel has named his England squad for this summer’s World Cup, handing a shock call-up to Ivan Toney, picking Djed Spence over the exiled Trent Alexander-Arnold and, as expected, finding no space for Harry Maguire, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden.
Tuchel, charged with leading England to glory in Canada, Mexico and the US, called players about his plans on Wednesday and Thursday and confirmed his selection on Friday.
The German has gone against the public mood with some calls, not least with the decision to bring in Toney from the cold. The Al-Ahli striker has not played for England since June 2025 but has scored 42 goals for the Saudi Pro League side this season and was part of Gareth Southgate’s squad at Euro 2024.
Tuchel admitted even he did not expect to pick Toney and said he had consulted the striker’s club manager, Matthias Jaissle. “A bit of a surprise to us but when it came down to all different kinds of scenarios he was back in the picture. I had fantastic feedback from his club coach, who was my player. He still collects the numbers. I think he has very special skills, meaning the scenario where we are chasing a result he can be a presence in the box when we are pushing for a goal. He can take attention off other strikers. He has a natural presence, he is a natural finisher. He is very strong in the air and he is a world-class penalty taker.”
Tuchel, perhaps surprisingly, has picked two strikers to provide cover for Harry Kane, with Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins also included. That meant the available slots in the No 10 position went to Jude Bellingham, Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze, leaving no room for Palmer and Foden after disappointing seasons for Chelsea and Manchester City respectively. Palmer has struggled for form and fitness, and Tuchel is thought to have reservations over whether the 24-year-old has the personality for a camp that could last seven weeks.
Tuchel believes Bellingham and Rogers can bring the best out of each other. “They can play together,” he said. “If they compete for one position it is possible to compete as accomplices, not enemies. Jude and Morgan are friends anyway. It is possible to fight but still support your friend. We took a lot of care about that – that this energy is right.”
Creating the right environment in the camp was a huge priority for Tuchel, who did not hesitate to leave out some of the country’s biggest talents. “I think from day one we were very clear we were trying to select and build the best possible team,” he said. “It is not necessarily to select the most talented 26 players. Teams win championships.”
With Morgan Gibbs-White also excluded, Tuchel has not been afraid to make some unpopular decisions. There will be many England fans wondering why Alexander-Arnold has not made the cut. The Real Madrid right-back has not been in a squad since last June, though, and Tuchel has gone on the record to say he does not trust him defensively.
Alexander-Arnold was so low down the pecking order that the last name to be confirmed in the squad was Spence, who has been in and out of the Tottenham side this season. Spence also sustained a broken jaw after being fouled by Chelsea’s Liam Delap on Tuesday.
The other full-backs are Reece James, Tino Livramento and Nico O’Reilly. Luke Shaw and Myles Lewis-Skelly can consider themselves unfortunate not to be included. Maguire, who has 66 caps, was less than impressed to be left out. The United centre-back said he was “shocked and gutted” on Thursday evening and there were angry social media posts from some members of his family.
Maguire’s reaction did not go down well with Tuchel. “I was a bit surprised but I respect his personality a lot, I respect his quality a lot,” he said. “He had an outstanding season. I can see the reason behind his disappointment. Still I was surprised as we had a private conversation.”
With Maguire excluded Tuchel’s centre-backs are John Stones, Dan Burn, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi and Jarrel Quansah. Konsa and Quansah can cover at right-back and Burn can play on the left.
There was an insistence that it was not a risk to take Stones. “Otherwise I would not have picked him,” Tuchel said. “He is a world-class player. He knows how to adapt to a winning culture.”
Declan Rice, Elliot Anderson and Jordan Henderson were guaranteed picks in midfield, while Kobbie Mainoo’s fine form for United since the turn of the year meant he edged out Adam Wharton, Alex Scott and James Garner.
Bukayo Saka and Noni Madueke were chosen over Jarrod Bowen on the right wing; Marcus Rashford and Anthony Gordon will compete for a spot on the left. The goalkeepers are Jordan Pickford, Dean Henderson and James Trafford, with Nick Pope and Aaron Ramsdale overlooked. Jason Steele will go as a fourth training goalkeeper.
Scott, Rio Ngumoha and Josh King will go to Florida with England for the buildup next month to cover for the Arsenal players at the Champions League final.
Tuchel is hungry for success and said winning the World Cup would require nerves of steel. “I am a competitor,” he said. “I arrive in the US with hunger.”
From João Pessoa, Brazil Recommended if you like Hermeto Pascoal, Mr Bungle, King Crimson Up next Celestial album released 7 August, touring the UK and Europe from 15 August
Thanks in part to its famed music department at the local Federal University of Paraíba, João Pessoa – the easternmost city in South America – is a hotbed of artists playing different folk styles from all over the continent. Papangu sound like all of them at the same time. The five-piece blend a long list of genres: bossa nova, the circle-dance song ciranda and forró , with its dry-tuned accordion and pulsing rhythm section, plus the more ubiquitous progressive rock and extreme metal. The band’s virtuoso chops and intensity keep their songs from buckling under the weight of those ideas, from Vitor Silva’s hurried drums to the mountains of synthesisers and pianos.
For their upcoming third album, Celestial, the band recorded everything live in just nine days and refused to use any kind of computer in order to make a statement against AI music. After all, what program designed to scrape existing ideas from the internet could produce something as genre-splicing and organic as this ?
Papangu broke through in Brazil when they played to more than 50,000 people at Slipknot’s festival, Knotfest, in 2024. Now they’re focused on Europe, scheduled to tour the UK for the second time in two years, and they play Bristol’s experimental festival Arctangent this August. If Angine de Poitrine have set a precedent for proudly technical, outsider music finding a mass audience, then who’s to say these maestros can’t repeat that trick? It would be another nice break from the AI slop filling up most people’s feeds, at least. Matt Mills
This week’s best new tracks
Stormzy and Odeal – 24 Hours “Nobu or Lebanese Grill?” For his first single in a couple of years, Stormzy plays generous first-date organiser, with British R&B star Odeal singing a chorus resplendent with romance and summer sunshine. BBT
Lido Pimienta – Tóxica “You always want more!” the Colombian singer chants (in Spanish) over stark cumbia , an incantation to cast out draining spirits – and the first taste of an album called Caribenya, celebrating Indigenous Caribbeans and, natch, Enya. LS
Helena Gao – Lao Shi 老师 After cowriting Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun, the Chinese-Danish pop star takes the spotlight with this cheeky plea to learn how to please a lover: her vocals Caroline Polachek-worthy, her 2-step glimmering like fireflies. LS
Arab Strap – You You You Over muscular synthpop, Aidan Moffat recites his middle-aged health woes in a droll laundry list, but as it spools out he works himself into a rage at demagogues, the UK government and Spotify’s founder. BBT
Mary in the Junkyard – New Muscles In singing about her newfound strength, are Clari Freeman-Taylor’s lyrics about being ready to fight? Or satirising self-improvement culture? Either way, the London band’s incantation shivers with traces of Wild Beasts’ clattering menace. LS
Moriah Mensah – Hero A 19-year-old rapper and producer of Nigerian-Ghanaian heritage from Peckham, Mensah debuts with a two and half minute epic, as she hypes herself up over towering synths and earth-scorching bass. BBT
Play Time – Open the Door, Joey There’s as much steady krautrock as there is exploratory Alice Coltrane styling to this captivatingly wibbly, six-minute tonal workout from musicians including percussionist Booker Stardrum. LS
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A large swathe of western Europe is bracing for the first significant heat event of the summer, with temperatures forecast to rise to more than 10C above the norm and new monthly records for May expected to be set in possibly hundreds of places.
Temperatures across Portugal , Spain, France and the UK were expected to exceed 30C (86F) on Friday and into next week, reaching 32C in Paris and London and 35C in south-west France, with highs of up to 38C in the Guadiana and Guadalquivir regions of Spain.
“Both maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to reach unprecedented levels for the season in multiple regions, particularly the south-west, during a premature heat event that will be intense and last several days,” said Météo-France .
The French national weather forecaster said records were almost certain to be set for the highest May temperature recorded in France (30.5C in 2025), and the highest average temperature across the country on a day in May (22.8C in 2017).
It said the exceptional temperatures, likely to exceed previous records by three or four degrees in some cities such as Nantes and Brest, were caused by a heat dome, with hot air from Morocco trapped under the high pressure of a powerful anticyclone.
Météo-France said the temperatures expected in Brittany in particular were “quite remarkable so early in the pre-summer season”, and likely to exceed existing records by as many as three or more degrees.
It said climate breakdown meant that Europe, the world’s fastest-warming continent, could expect such exceptional heat events “more and more often and more and more prematurely, and to be more and more intense”.
The Met Office said temperatures in the UK, where “extraordinary” heat health alerts have been issued for the weekend, could reach 33C locally on Monday, exceeding the current highest temperature recorded in May of 32.8C, set in 1944.
Parts of the UK could also enter a heatwave, with temperatures exceeding 26C to 28C – depending on the location – for three days. That is unlikely in France, where night-time temperatures must also stay above a certain level for an official heatwave to be declared, or Spain , where temperatures would have to reach high summer levels.
In Spain, where temperatures already reached 38C on Thursday, a two-year-old girl died in the north-west region of Galicia after accidentally being left in her father’s car for hours.
The state meteorological office, Aemet, said the hot spell was expected to stretch well into next week and could bring record May temperatures. “Full-on summer heat is the phrase that best describes the weather we’ll see across most of Spain over the coming days,” said Aemet spokesperson Rubén del Campo.
“Temperatures will be between 5C and 10C above the seasonal average – and 10C above average for the time of year in northern regions. These are the kind of temperatures we normally see in July and August.”
A group of “accidental activist” families have succeeded in their efforts to secure the future of their adult children’s care home after uncovering serious alleged management failures that took the charity to the brink of bankruptcy.
The families launched a campaign after discovering that William Blake House, a residential learning disability care home charity in Northamptonshire, owed £1.5m in unpaid taxes, had paid its former chair £1m in fees, and was close to bankruptcy.
Their campaigning prompted a rare Charity Commission inquiry into alleged financial irregularities at the charity, helped underpin a detailed rescue plan, and outflanked potential takeover bids from private sector rivals.
Administrators confirmed the services will be run by Camphill MK Communities , a learning disability residential care charity that shares a common care ethos with William Blake House and has the backing of the families.
“We are overjoyed and so relieved to have learned today that this lovely charity is going to take over the care of our vulnerable children and provide them with a home for life,” the families said in a statement.
The administrators said that pending regulatory approval, the move signalled “a significant and positive step forward in securing a stable future for the residents staff and wider community connected to William Blake House”.
Funded mainly by local authorities, William Blake House is home to 22 adults with learning disabilities, autism and complex care needs who require support throughout the day and night. Many residents are non-verbal.
The families said: “Our months of determined effort to find out the truth, to confront the authorities and to be heard have finally paid off. Now that we have Camphill with their integrity and expertise, we can sleep at night.”
Camphill MK’s chief executive, Tim Davies, said: “This is about more than organisational change. It is a long-term commitment to people, to community and to the belief that people with learning disabilities deserve lives filled with meaning, security, friendship and belonging.”
The families’ victory is a rare good news story from a care sector in crisis as a result of shrinking care fees, staff shortages and rising wage costs. Several learning disability care providers have shut, merged or cut back on services in the past 18 months.
The story of a group of passionate, well-organised parents determined not to put up with sub-standard care for their disabled children has historical echoes. Many learning disability charities were set up the 1960s and 1970s by families appalled by the dismal services offered by state institutions.
The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Ed Davey, who highlighted the campaign in the Commons in March, praised the families: “As the father of a disabled son, the situation they have been put through is one of my worst nightmares, and I commend their courage in fighting for their loved ones to get the best possible care.”
The saga began in autumn when a handful of families realised that serious failings in the management, finances and governance of the charity threatened the future of its care services and put their childrens’ “home for life” in jeopardy.
Facing a race against time, they spent thousands of hours piecing together the charity’s complex finances and tangled interests, getting fellow families on board, interviewing former trustees and pleading with regulators to intervene.
For weeks the families waited to hear whether charity and care watchdogs would act. In February, acting on information from the families, the Charity Commission opened an inquiry into William Blake House’s finances over concerns the charity’s resources had been used for unauthorised personal benefit. The inquiry continues.
In March, the commission took over the running of the charity on an interim basis. The appointment of an interim manager over the heads of the existing board happens when the commission considers the consequences of not acting would be a major risk of harm to the charity’s finances, assets, services, beneficiaries or reputation.
The families lobbied to prevent the insolvency courts simply winding up the charity, before facing an anxious wait to discover who would take over the charity’s services.
The headline of this article was amended on 22 May 2026. An earlier version said that William Blake House was a children’s care home. It provides care for adults with disabilities.
