What does Andy Burnham mean by more ‘public control’ of water and energy? He is too vague

The Manchester mayor is tapping into deep public frustration over the water industry but at some stage he needs to say what he means

UK government to pay £1.3bn to help fund Universal Studios theme park in Bedfordshire

Chancellor hails deal saying it will create tens of thousands of jobs in the construction, hospitality, creative and technology sectors

Zero-hours contracts: ministers’ detailed plans for UK ban criticised by firms and unions

Government says it would prefer workers to be guaranteed between eight and 20 hours a week based on regular hours

Despite what the UK right will tell you, appeasing bond markets has actually led to instability

Austerity has benefitted bond traders but impoverished UK society and led to the rise of populism. Is it right that we carry on adhering to their interests, asks Guardian columnist Andy Beckett

Mandelson lobbied hard for advisory firm after Labour victory, papers show

Emails and WhatsApp messages reveal exchanges with ministers when he was president of Global Counsel

‘Utter disaster’: Alan Bates attacks schemes compensating post office operators

Government should not be involved in providing redress to victims of Horizon IT scandal, campaigner tells MPs

Reeves examines using private sector funds to speed building of new towns

Chancellor in talks with banks and investment funds about public-private partnerships to build infrastructure

The Guardian view on the Aberdeen South byelection: the politics of energy take centre stage

Editorial: While Westminster’s attention is focused on Andy Burnham and Makerfield, another pivotal byelection is taking place in Scotland’s north-east

Wes Streeting backs calls for national insurance cut and North Sea drilling

Labour leadership hopeful says NI reduction for firms could ‘incentivise’ hiring, particularly of younger people

The disaster of Brexit is a warning against simple solutions to hard problems

Alan Milburn says youth unemployment has no quick fixes – an idea with an important lesson for those thinking about how to rejoin the EU

Rise in youth unemployment driving more to homelessness, UK charities say

Centrepoint warns young people facing ‘huge scarcity of work opportunities’ after Alan Milburn’s report on crisis

Labour reports Farage’s alleged hack to security officials after he fails to do so

Reform UK leader has claimed ‘hostile actors’ linked to Moscow accessed his data and leaked information on £5m gift

Labour poised for fresh welfare changes after scale of youth jobs crisis revealed

Alan Milburn’s landmark report says unemployment among young costs UK £125bn a year and warns of ‘lost generation’

Enfield council withdraws from government’s new towns programme

London authority’s new Tory-led administration delivers significant blow to Labour’s flagship housebuilding scheme

New food exports deal signals end to Brexit ‘sausage wars’

First details of agreement published, heralding end to EU-UK checks on dairy products, eggs, fish and fresh red meat