British military personnel, planes and high-profile businesses could be among targets for Iran-backed militants if the latest conflict in the Middle East continues to spiral.
UK support for Saudi Arabia in its war against the Houthis rebels – who have been fighting against Yemen’s Riyadh-backed regime for years – could put regional British assets in danger and risks dragging the country further into the conflict, security experts believe.
The Ministry of Defence announced this week that it was increasing military support for Riyadh, including deploying RAF Typhoons to shoot down Houthi drones and missiles fired at the kingdom, and dispatching a transport plane and military advisers to support the Saudi war effort. The UK was already providing air defence equipment and air-to-air refuelling services for Saudi warplanes.
Five key takeaways from the Mercury Prize 2026
Raye has won the 2026 Mercury Prize for her second album This Music May Contain Hope, featuring the global hit song “Where Is My Husband?”
The pop record, on which Hanz Zimmer was a collaborator, beat the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Olivia Dean and Ex-Little Mix star Jade to scoop the £25,000 prize.
First pop album to win
It is the first pop record to win the prize – which has recognised the best British or Irish album of the last 12 months since 1994.
Speaking to the BBC afterwards, Raye said she’d “poured everything I had” into the record – which was delayed by almost a year after all of her songwriting books and demos were stolen.
Straying from the norm
- Of the last 35 winners, 20 have been debut albums – from artists including Arctic Monkeys, Suede and Franz Ferdinand.
- Many people have mistakenly assumed the Mercury Price is dedicated to first albums – but this year’s shortlist included only two: Dove Ellis’s , and Jade’s .
A blow to record company execs
Raye’s win acts as a symbolic blow to mainstream music executives.
In 2021, the singer publicly cut ties with her former record label after accusing them of withholding her debut album for years.
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Rewarding the gritty long-form
Across 17 tracks and 73 minutes, Raye’s record tells a cinematic story about the end of a relationship where she emerges stronger and more resilient.
This year’s awards appeared to celebrate that gritty, long-form format over bubbly singles or TikTok-trending tracks.
Florence + The Machine now joint highest nominee with no wins
Florence + The Machine are now the Mercury’s joint highest nominee without winning, tying with Radiohead on five unconverted nominations.
Paul McCartney also missed out, alongside Britpop band Suede, rapper Dave, Knats, and debut star Dove Ellis.
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Crystal Palace urged to retire bald eagle mascot – what we know
An animal rights group is urging Crystal Palace to retire their live bald eagle mascot with immediate effect.
The group, Peta, has argued that a “bright stadium filled with boisterous fans is no place for animals”.
What you need to know
- Peta asked the Premier League club to stop using the eagle, named Phoenix, in pre-match displays at Selhurst Park and to never use live animal mascots again.
- The London team, known as the Eagles since 1973, introduced a live eagle to matchdays in 2010.
- Kayla, who died in 2020, performed the role for 10 years and her replacement, Phoenix, made her debut against West Ham in 2024.
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The impact on birds
- Peta says birds can become “frightened, disoriented and panicked” in stadium environments, putting themselves and fans at risk.
- Using them for entertainment means the animals cannot engage with their natural instincts, leading to “stress”, Peta added.
The organisation has “detailed records” of incidents involving live mascots being injured in these kinds of environments.
The UK is braced for “damaging” winds and heavy downpours with two named storms expected to wreak disruption on Friday and over the weekend.
Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, could bring gusts of up to 80mph to parts of south-west England, with 60-70mph winds expected widely in the region.
Where will be worst-hit?
The Met Office has issued an amber warning for wind, covering , and the Isles of Scilly, coming into effect from 1am and remaining in place until 10am.
- Strong winds will be combined with spells of heavy rain, though gusts will gradually ease over Friday.
- The forecaster said Storm Austen is “likely to bring some disruption and possible damaging winds” and warned of disruption on the roads.
- Flying debris is “likely”, and the storm will “probably” bring some damage to buildings.
- In coastal areas, large waves could pose a danger to life.
The story so far in pictures
The impact of the storm
Power cuts have affected more than 9,000 homes in Cornwall and Devon.
Flights to and from Exeter airport have been cancelled.
Great Western Railway (GWR) has imposed speed limits on routes between Devon and Cornwall.
Network Rail Scotland also said its trains will also be slowed down in areas with heavy rain.
The expert view
This is the first stormy weather in the south of the UK this season and we expect some disruption as it moves through. With trees in leaf, it is likely fallen branches and trees could obstruct roads and railways so take extra care on the Friday morning commute.
Neil Armstrong, Chief met office forecaster
The autumn jobs gardeners are getting wrong – and the easy fixes
Advice changes over time
Digging over the soil
Standard advice has been to dig soil every autumn. But according to organic gardener Charles Dowding, soil should be disturbed as little as possible.
Clearing dead leaves
Raking fallen leaves can be counterproductive. Leaves on flower beds are a useful source of organic matter.
Bird feeding
While new studies suggest bird feeders can spread disease.
Save birdseed for colder months
A disease called trichomonosis can spread to greenfinches and chaffinches via birdfeeders. Greenfinch numbers have dropped by 60 per cent in the UK since the 1990s, mainly due to this disease.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said this year people should only offer birdseed and peanuts from November to April, when the cold kills off the parasite.
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A more laissez-faire approach
Leave the mess
Once flower beds have died back, it is tempting to neaten things up. But seed heads are a food source for birds, while leaves can become shelters for insects that are fodder for robins, wrens and goldcrests.
No crocks in pots
Standard advice is to put a layer of coarse material at the bottom of every pot to improve drainage. But this can actually saturate the compost even more – which we don’t want.
Europe’s record-breaking summer killed 50,000 people
More than 50,000 people are estimated to have died across Europe as a result of this summer’s record-breaking heatwaves, according to a new study.
Researchers estimate there were 4,354 excess deaths in the UK alone this summer.
Excess deaths have doubled
The number of excess deaths across Europe doubled in 2026, in comparison with last year – far surpassing the previous record of 29,000 deaths.
This was recorded in 2022 when the continent again endured exceptionally high temperatures, and the UK experienced 40°C for the first time.
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Heat worsens underlying conditions
What are excess deaths?
Excess deaths are those that occur outside of the number that would occur under normal conditions. Heat is often dubbed a “silent killer” that can worsen underlying health conditions, resulting in more deaths.
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Death toll may be higher in reality
30°C
According to the Met Office, the UK saw its hottest ever summer this year with five widespread heatwaves, and 40 days where the temperature was above 30°C.
Mainland Europe experienced its third hottest summer.
40%
Researchers looked at 854 urban areas in 30 European countries.
Because the study only looked at urban areas –roughly 40 per cent of each country’s population– researchers believe the death toll could be an underestimate.
Countries hardest hit by heat
According to the study, published in , southern and western Europe were hardest hit.
There were an estimated 22,000 deaths among those aged 85 and over. However, researchers noted that an estimated 6,000 people under the age of 65 are also likely to have died as a result of heat.
Around a third of the deaths took place in late June – before people had a chance to acclimatise to the weather, and when average temperatures across Europe were more than 5°C above normal levels.
- Italy experienced the highest number of excess deaths (13,303)
- Followed by France (7,268)
- And then the UK (4,354)
The expert view
It is yet another reminder both of the imperative of rolling out targeted interventions to protect those who are most vulnerable to this increasingly extreme heat, and of the growing need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels.
Dr Clair Barnes, extreme weather and climate change researcher at Imperial College
NHS Mounjaro roll-out plan deemed ‘unambitious’ by MPs
Current plans for rolling out weight-loss drug Mounjaro on the NHS “are unambitious” and reach a “woefully small number of people”, MPs have said.
What you need to know
6%
Only around 6 per cent of eligible people will get or currently receive Mounjaro on the NHS in its first three years, with millions more turning to private firms, according to the Commons Health and Social Care Committee.
MPs also used their report to call for obesity to be treated as a long-term condition like diabetes, and said people suffer relapses.
- They pointed to the “two-tier system” that has developed for access to drugs, adding: “The Government must urgently reassess the pace of roll out of Mounjaro.”
As a first step, the department should hold a summit on GLP-1 access with a range of providers and healthcare professionals to open a dialogue on how best to improve the roll out.
A closer look at the detail
- In June 2024, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommended Mounjaro as an option for managing overweight and obesity.
- The NHS has also approved semaglutide (Wegovy) for obese people, though many get their prescriptions privately due to a lack of access on the NHS.
- With Mounjaro, the NHS estimated 2.8 million patients would be eligible and, if all presented within the first year of availability, the cost would be £15.2bn over five years.
The gradual roll out of Mounjaro
As a result, Nice agreed to NHS England’s request that the roll out of Mounjaro should be done gradually, MPs said.
The NHS has been giving access to 220,000 people over three years, with the Health Foundation saying this makes up only around 6 per cent of those who would be eligible based on Nice’s recommendation.
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- In their report on obesity, MPs said a new framework is needed to “include ambitious targets for the proportion of a local population that should be able to access GLP-1s”.
- Data suggests more than 2.37 million packs of GLP-1s are being prescribed every month in the UK, “with the vast majority of these being accessed privately”, the study said.
to give NHS doctors ‘second pair of eyes’ on MRI scans
A number of AI programmes are set to be used by the NHS in England to help doctors spot prostate cancer on MRI scans.
The technologies would act like a “second pair of eyes” for medics, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said.
What you need to know
The NHS spending watchdog has recommended five tools in new draft guidance, which will be used on the health service for two years while evidence is gathered on how they work.
The technologies are designed to help radiologists by highlighting areas on prostate scans where cancer may be present.
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Pressure on radiologists
- According to Nice, demand for prostate MRI has increased, as pre-biopsy scans are now included to confirm or rule out the disease.
- This has put pressure on radiology teams, which are already stretched because of workforce pressures.
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The expert view
These AI technologies have the potential to act like a second pair of eyes, helping radiologists review prostate MRI scans. They have the potential to make MRI reporting more accurate and could help identify people whose scans need priority review.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, programme director for HealthTech at Nice
All the options for lower energy bills that could be in the Budget
Energy bills remain a major concern for families across the UK. The PM has asked ministers “to look at whether we can remove standing charges from gas bills” and has already cut VAT from electricity bills. However, experts argue that’s not enough.
So, what measures could Chancellor John Healey announce at the Budget to make energy more affordable?
Abolish the standing charge
- Andy Burnham has asked the Chancellor and Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh to remove standing charges from energy bills.
- This would remove the component of households’ dual fuel bills which is charged regardless of how much energy is being used.
- According to energy research centre Nesta, the typical household would save £27 a year under this system.
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VAT removed from energy bills
VAT on household electricity was cut from 5 per cent to zero from 1 October, but only until the end of the 2026-27 financial year on 31 March.
It is saving the typical household £45 a year on their bills.
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Targeted support
- Some experts have called for the Government to deliver targeted support above the current Warm Home Discount which provides a one-off £150 rebate on energy bills for low-income or pensioner households.
- Energy UK said this could come in the form of an increased amount for those eligible or as a debt relief scheme for billpayers – not penalising those who fall behind on bills.
Expand support to people on benefits
Citizens Advice has called for expanded support for people in receipt of child benefit and personal independence payments (PIP).
This, the charity says, will protect households with children and disabled households who need help over the coldest months of the year, but currently fall outside the means-tested benefits criteria.
The Defence Secretary, Wes Streeting, said the “defensive” mission was necessary to support an important ally, to defend energy supplies and regional security, and for the protection of civilians following deadly Houthi strikes on Saudi airports and other critical infrastructure. Saudi strikes targeting the militant group have also caused civilian casualties, according to human rights groups.
British assets could be in the crosshairs
The mission could still draw reprisals against British assets from the Iran-backed militants despite its narrow scope. Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti warned last month that any new party to the war would become a target.
“We advise Britain to think carefully… Should [it] become involved in the aggression against Yemen in any form, it will bear the consequences, as Yemen will respond in a manner commensurate with the scale and nature of that involvement,” he said.
Any expansion of the UK role in the war could put British assets in the crosshairs, according to Adam Barron, a Yemen and Gulf specialist at the New America Foundation think-tank.
“There is a question of how the Houthis interpret this support [for Saudi Arabia], if they view it as something that renders the UK a belligerent, and thus puts UK assets in the Red Sea and Gulf region at risk of being targeted in retaliation,” he said.
The most probable targets for retaliation include British shipping in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, which has been used as an alternative to the Strait of Hormuz since Iran blocked the key waterway, and the wider Red Sea, Barron believes.
The Houthis have maintained intermittent sea blockades by firing on commercial ships since 2023, which have cost the shipping industry billions of pounds through disruption and higher insurance premiums.
“The Houthis are showing a lot of resilience with their ability to to store missiles out of harm’s way and continue to launch them at will,” he said. “I would assume British embassies are at risk, and potentially high-profile British businesses.”
The danger to troops at bases
The group possesses long-range missiles and drones that it has used to devastating effect against Saudi infrastructure, including oil fields and airports, as well as Iranian-made anti-ship missiles. The militants have also acquired formidable air defences used to claim several shootdowns of Saudi aircraft, including an unconfirmed strike on a UK-made Typhoon.
British pilots are expected to remain inside Saudi airspace. However, last month an Italian F-2000 Eurofighter aircraft was hit on the ground at Saudi Arabia’s Taif airbase. Earlier this year US personnel were injured and American aircraft damaged in Iranian strikes at other Saudi bases. The attacks highlight the potential danger to British planes and troops stationed inside the country.
Babak Taghvaee, an author and historian specialising on the militaries of Iran and its allies, said: “British aircraft and personnel operating in Saudi Arabia would face a genuine risk from Houthi missile and drone attacks….Aircraft can be vulnerable on the ground even when their airborne missions are strictly defensive.”
The Houthis fought a seven-year war against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government that ended in 2022, before flaring again this year following the US-Israeli war with Iran. This time, the Saudi-led coalition said its goal was to “eliminate” the militant group, while the Houthis aspire to take control of Yemen from its internationally recognised government.
More than 1,000 Yemenis have been killed during the recent fighting with at least 21 deaths in Saudi Arabia, according to local authorities. At least 230,000 Yemenis have been displaced, Doctors Without Borders reported on Wednesday.
The US State Department has ordered non-emergency US government employees and their families to leave Saudi Arabia as the conflict escalates. A spokesperson warned: “The hostilities have the potential to escalate rapidly.”
Saudi Arabia is likely to press for the UK to become more involved in the conflict, experts believe, having also tapped allies including Turkey, Pakistan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the US for help against the Houthis.
Donald Trump reportedly rejected a recent request from the kingdom to join strikes against the group, having launched a bombing campaign against it last year with British support. Operation Rough Rider ended inconclusively.
Dina Esfandiary, a Gulf expert at Bloomberg Economics, said Saudi officials had “impressed upon [allies] how important the war is and what a massive impact it is going to have on their economic wellbeing…and ability to export energy”, adding that Riyadh considered the Houthis a “global problem”.
Saudi leaders “100 per cent want everyone more involved. They need all the help they can get”, said Esfandiary. Riyadh is pushing for allies to play offensive as well as defensive roles, she added.
Taghvaee noted the potential for “mission creep” if the UK forces suffered losses. “If British aircraft were damaged or British personnel killed, London could face pressure to move beyond interception and authorise strikes against the forces responsible. A deployment initially intended to protect Saudi infrastructure could consequently expand into a broader campaign.”
The Saudis may have leverage over the UK as a supplier of energy during a global fuel crisis, and as a leading buyer of British arms.
The British government maintains that energy deals are not a factor in the expansion of support for Saudi Arabia, and insists the mission will remain defensive. Streeting reiterated the UK position that “there is no long-term military solution to the conflict” and urged a return to diplomacy.
However, with both sides of the conflict appearing set on further escalation, their allies risk being dragged along with it.