5 important things happening in the UK today

Here are 5 important things happening in the UK today, Thursday 25 September 2025.

MPs push for Burnham to replace Starmer: Andy Burnham has said that MPs are privately urging him to challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour Party leadership. Giving the clearest hint yet that he is considering a return to Westminster, the Mayor of Greater Manchester declined to rule out challenging the Prime Minister before May’s local elections in an interview with the Telegraph. [Telegraph]

Starmer bets on ‘levelling up’-style initiative to tackle Reform threat: Deprived areas of the UK will be given tens of millions of pounds each from a new fund that Keir Starmer hopes will help Labour tackle the threat posed by Reform UK. The Prime Minister will launch the regeneration initiative on Thursday, gambling that an updated version of “levelling up” will address anger about Britain’s broken communities. [Guardian]

UK visa costs nearing Trump-like levels: UK employers who sponsor skilled migrants are in some cases already paying fees nearing the level of Donald Trump’s $100,000 H-1B levy, underlining the formidable barriers to luring top talent into Britain. For skilled workers bringing family to the UK through the main visa route for professionals, fees total tens of thousands of pounds over the five years before they can apply for indefinite leave to remain. [Financial Times]

Co-op says cyber attack cost it £206 million in revenue: The Co-op has said the cyber attack it suffered earlier this year cost it at least £206m in lost revenues. The retailer’s IT networks were infiltrated by hackers in April, resulted in payment problems, widespread shortages of goods in shops, and the loss of customer data. [BBC]