Broadcast timeline
ITV Lunchtime News
Tuesday 22 September 2026 · 13:30 BST · 25m · 7 stories · 15 annotated moments · 19 of 25 min on news stories (75%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
The bulletin opened with government borrowing, which rose to £18.3 billion in August, the second highest August borrowing on record, ahead of Chancellor John Healey's first budget. Joel Hills reported that tax revenues had held up but spending on benefits and state pensions was higher than expected and the Middle East war had pushed up energy prices and inflation, making debt interest cost almost £9 billion in August alone. He said the Chancellor was hemmed in by higher borrowing and a weaker economic outlook, leaving difficult choices between tax rises, spending restraint, scaling back ambitions or a combination. It then turned to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's first meeting with President Trump at the UN in New York, where support for Ukraine, especially air defence, and a global AI agreement were expected to be raised, though the correspondent noted Trump would roam wherever he saw fit.
A British father pleaded guilty to causing the death of his young son, who fell from a fourth-floor window at a hotel in Paphos, Cyprus, in July; the 37-year-old cannot yet be publicly identified under Cypriot rules, his lawyer said he pleaded guilty to avoid a lengthy trial and spare the family, and sentencing is due on 5 October. An investigation reported in the bulletin found some medical schools in England and Wales gave as little as one hour or 90 minutes of menopause teaching across a five-year degree, with women reporting difficulty getting help and some paying privately; research from Liverpool John Moores University was cited showing a 92% reduction in suicidal thoughts among suicidal women given HRT. The bulletin also reported that Martha's Rule, allowing patients and families to request a second opinion, would be expanded to all A&E departments in England by 2028 after the death of 13-year-old Martha Mills from sepsis in 2021; that a meningitis B outbreak that killed two young people was caused by a new strain, with young people urged to get the MenB vaccine; and that from April next year bereavement leave would cover early pregnancy loss before 24 weeks, including miscarriage, termination or unsuccessful IVF embryo transfer, with up to two weeks of unpaid leave.
The new book Swansong Diana My Sister by Earl Spencer went on sale, with the author calling it his record of history while Buckingham Palace disputed it; he said he told Diana's sisters and Princes William and Harry at the same time, that only Harry was completely fine with it, and that Diana's sisters were still digesting the claims, while a spokesperson said no final decisions had been made about a possible Harry documentary for the 30th anniversary of Diana's death. A British Library event to encourage children to read became a celebration of Dolly Parton's life, including a message she had been due to deliver in person, and highlighted her Imagination Library, which has delivered seven million free books in the UK since 2007 and hopes to expand to 157,000 children a month with £5 million from the Postcode Lottery. The final story covered the launch of the Royal Daffodil, the first new ferry across the Mersey in more than 60 years, with Claire Sweeney among the guests.
- 0:05
- 0:16
Claim Government borrowing overshoots forecasts as inflation adds to Budget pressure
Government borrowing was £18.3 billion last month, £3.5 billion higher than the independent forecaster predicted.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 0:16-0:28
- 2:37
- 2:37
Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister
Andy Burnham arrived in New York for the UN General Assembly.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 2:37-2:49
- 3:54
Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister
Burnham corrected Trump on Manchester's status after Trump dismissed him as just the mayor of a town, and they joked about it.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 3:54-4:14
- 4:27
Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister
Andy Burnham has been urging the US to provide Patriot air defence missiles to Ukraine.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 4:27-4:39
- 4:32
Claim Andy Burnham makes first UN address as Prime Minister
Andy Burnham was due to address the UN General Assembly and wanted a single set of global principles and standards for artificial intelligence.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 4:32-4:39
- 5:11
- 6:52
- 8:24
Claim Medical students receive minimal menopause training, investigation finds
A survey found that 20% of institutions provided as little as a 90-minute lecture across an entire five-year course.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 8:24-8:37
- 10:54
Claim Medical students receive minimal menopause training, investigation finds
Research indicated that HRT was associated with a 92% reduction in suicidal thoughts among suicidal women.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 10:54-11:07
- 13:04
- 15:29
- 15:29
Claim British Library event celebrates Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Organisers had planned for Dolly Parton to attend a British Library event before her death last month.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 15:29-15:40
- 15:35
Claim British Library event celebrates Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Organisers had planned for Dolly Parton to attend a British Library event before her death last month.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 15:35-15:40
- 17:17
Claim British Library event celebrates Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Dolly Parton's foundation aims to expand its book scheme to 157,000 children per month using five million pounds from the Postcode Lottery.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 17:17-17:30
- 17:17
Claim British Library event celebrates Dolly Parton's Imagination Library
Dolly Parton's foundation aims to expand its book scheme to 157,000 children per month using five million pounds from the Postcode Lottery.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 17:17-17:30
- 17:56
- 18:10
Claim Royal Daffodil launched as first new Mersey ferry in 60 years
A new ferry was launched across the Mersey, the first in 60 years.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 18:10-18:19
- 18:30
Claim Royal Daffodil launched as first new Mersey ferry in 60 years
A new ferry was launched across the Mersey, the first in 60 years.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 18:30-18:36
- 18:30
Claim Royal Daffodil launched as first new Mersey ferry in 60 years
A new ferry was launched across the Mersey, the first in 60 years.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 18:30-18:36
- 19:04
Claim Royal Daffodil launched as first new Mersey ferry in 60 years
A new ferry was launched across the Mersey, the first in 60 years.
ITV, ITV Lunchtime News, 22 September 2026, 19:04-19:17
- 20:30 ~5 min without annotations
Source: ITV1, "ITV Lunchtime News", Tuesday 22 September 2026. Transcript excerpts and stills are shown only to support the analysis annotated alongside them. Search-result excerpts are distinct from the editorial annotations — see our copyright basis. The full broadcast is not reproduced.