Labour’s Burnham won the vacant Makerfield parliamentary by-election by 24,927 votes to 15,696 over Reform Party candidate Robert Kenyon, clearing a path for the Greater Manchester mayor to seek the Labour leadership. The 56-year-old has signalled intent to challenge Starmer but must first secure a Commons seat. Investors are watching for policy risk: if Burnham became party leader he could adopt looser fiscal settings than Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves, market participants say. The pound

Lebanese official media and medical sources said a drone strike in southern Lebanon after a ceasefire took effect killed two people.

China's UN ambassador Fu Cong told the Security Council at an open emergency meeting on Gaza's humanitarian situation on the 18th (local time) that Beijing seeks a durable, genuine ceasefire in Gaza. He said recent Middle East tensions have eased and urged preserving that momentum to help resolve other regional hotspots. Fu noted the October Gaza ceasefire agreement but said Israel is continuing to expand military occupation, a development China regards with serious concern. China said force cannot secure lasting peace and called on the parties, especially Israel, to fully comply with the ceasefire and stop actions that violate it. Countries with significant influence over the parties should take more active steps to secure a lasting ceasefire, he added.