Broadcast timeline
Sky News — Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow
Thursday 23 July 2026 · 10:00 BST · 30m · 5 stories · 15 annotated moments · 29 of 30 min on news stories (96%)
Broadcast overview
An AI-generated overview based on this broadcast's transcript.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, clubs, and live music venues, expected to save the average pub £1,100 in next year's tax bill and benefit nearly 32,000 venues. The measure, costing around £100 million a year, will be funded by reviewing reliefs on so-called anti-social businesses such as vape shops and a crackdown on online marketplace tax avoidance. Chancellor John Healey voiced support for British businesses, while opposition leader Kemi Badenoch was due to respond later, arguing Burnham's ambitions are too small. Political reactions included the Tories calling for full abolition of business rates, the Lib Dems welcoming the step but noting it falls short of Labour's promise to overhaul the system, and some criticism over the timeline and funding.
A group of 120 high-profile millionaires, including Gary Lineker and Brian Eno, signed a letter urging the government to introduce a 2% wealth tax on assets above £10 million, which they claim could raise £24 billion a year. Separately, a teenage girl and a woman in her forties died after getting into difficulty in the water off West Mersea in Essex; three others were hospitalised, one in a serious condition. The UK withdrew all remaining diplomatic staff from Iran following a 12th night of US strikes, with the Foreign Office citing the security situation. Military analysis noted the conflict's escalation, including threats to commercial shipping and rising fuel prices. In Manchester Crown Court, Mohammed Bashir was sentenced for preparing acts of terrorism after driving an accomplice to conduct reconnaissance on a Ministry of Defence site, following a synagogue attack that killed two people.
- 1:19
- 1:31
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 1:31-1:38
- 1:55
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 1:55-2:02
- 1:55
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 1:55-2:02
- 1:55
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 1:55-2:02
- 1:58
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 1:58-2:09
- 2:02
Claim Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 2:02-2:07
- 2:32
Charged quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
in the country and writing on X, Andy Burnham said this, I'm giving thousands of pubs, clubs and music venues a 20% cut in business rates. I won't stand while these cherished local spaces disappear, replaced by boarded up windows and for sale signs. They're the heart of our communities and it's time we backed them.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 2:32-2:38
- 2:38
Charged quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
a 20% cut in business rates. I won't stand while these cherished local spaces disappear, replaced by boarded up windows and for sale signs. They're the heart of our communities and it's time we backed them. A short time ago, the new Chancellor John Healey told British Business that they have his support.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 2:38-2:42
- 4:02
Charged quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
and live music venues now who might save up to £1100 a year. That was exactly the word I was gonna use to describe this, Gareth. It is a cost of living blitz coming, as you say, after that VAT cut on electricity bills and the £2 cap on single bus fares that was announced yesterday. So we've had three announcements from Andy Burnham
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 4:02-4:05
- 6:29
Contested quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
Yes, the where's the money from question is now very live for each announcement. And the press release that's just dropped on this underlines that it is fully funded. I notice further down, it does exclude the largest music venue, so there's a bit of a saving there and it's targeted on local pubs and club scenes, really.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 6:29-6:32
- 7:00
Contested quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
to get enough money back from this, but maybe you think I'm being too sceptical. No, not at all. I'm very much of a camp that you can't pay for a tax cut with a consultation, but that is the route that they've decided to go down. The tone of the press release is, he's a little bit of help, but we're gonna look at this properly in the budget.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 7:00-7:05
- 7:27
Charged quote Andy Burnham opens new Number 10 North offices in Manchester
about how you might reshape business rates, which has been a big saw, because ultimately, Anne, today's announcement in fiscal terms is tiny. It's small beer, sorry for the intended pun. It's only 100 million. And the thing is, that's 100 million pounds, tiny in fiscal terms, on top of all of the help
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 7:27-7:31
- 8:37
- 10:03
Charged quote 120 UK millionaires urge 2% wealth tax on assets over 10 million pounds
by the way politics is going. We can see why people are looking for desperate solutions and why they're being driven to extremes. And it's because they realize the cards are stacked against them and in favor of the rich. So some of us, some of the rich are saying the cards don't have to be stacked that way.
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 10:03-10:07
- 10:14
Contested quote 120 UK millionaires urge 2% wealth tax on assets over 10 million pounds
the cards are stacked against them and in favor of the rich. So some of us, some of the rich are saying the cards don't have to be stacked that way. We want to pay more tax. We want things to be more equal. A teenage girl and a woman in her forties have died following reports that several people had got into difficulty in the water
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 10:14-10:16
- 10:19
- 12:55
- 23:47
- 27:29
Charged quote Mohammed Bashir sentenced for assisting terrorist plot
as a potential target for a terrorist attack on UK military personnel. You claimed he had asked you to take him to view a house he was considering moving into. That account was a pack of lies. Your trial was due to start this month. On the 30th of April, the prosecution served a notice of further evidence,
Sky News, Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow, 23 July 2026, 27:29-27:31
Source: Sky News, "Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow", Thursday 23 July 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.