Sky News Today with Gareth Barlow

At the Labour conference in Liverpool, Prime Minister Andy Burnham was preparing to make his first conference speech as leader. In a post on X, he said Britain could not carry on as it was, that politics as usual had taken the country backwards and that he would set out a different path, including an honest conversation about social care, youth unemployment and giving people more control over energy, water and housing. It was understood he would suggest reviewing the pensions triple lock, which guarantees pension rises by whichever is highest of 2.5%, inflation or average wage growth; next April's increase was likely to be £479, matching 3.9% average wage growth. Deputy Prime Minister Lucy Powell said the government was committed to the triple lock and pensioners' income was secure and would continue to rise over this Parliament. United Union general secretary Sharon Graham said scrapping it would be morally and electorally wrong. Political editor Beth Rigby said Burnham would lean into a review of the triple lock rather than announce scrapping it, and would put social care reform to the electorate in the next Labour manifesto; Housing Secretary Angela Rayner called the conversation brave and did not dismiss it.

Breaking news during the broadcast was that former snooker world champion Graeme Dott had been sentenced to seven years in prison after being found guilty of sexually abusing children. Scotland correspondent Connor Gillies said the abuse spanned almost 20 years, included molesting a young boy in a shower in the Glasgow area around the time Dott won the World Snooker Championship in 2006, and abusing a girl aged nine. The court heard he rewarded the boy with crisps and sweets, and the judge described classic hallmarks of grooming and a gross violation of trust; Dott protested his innocence and was removed from the snooker world hall of fame. Later, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Bryant addressed the Labour conference, thanking those who served during Operation Banner and the Troubles, warning against binning the European Convention on Human Rights, and saying Labour would stand by the Good Friday Agreement. He said there was unfinished business from the agreement and promised a reformed legacy commission so families in Northern Ireland and Great Britain could get answers; he also said Stormont was crying out for change and needed urgent constitutional reform, urging politicians to work together and compromise.

Later, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened in the RAF Fairford incident, telling Fox News that what happened, what almost happened and what could have happened in the UK over the weekend was a very serious situation that clearly involved the hands of a foreign actor. He thanked UK authorities for their cooperation and said more news would come out. US correspondent Mark Stone said British authorities had confirmed only that they were investigating possible Iranian involvement, while Rubio did not explicitly blame Iran; the Iranian government has denied any involvement, and a US source said President Trump's comments about a joint investigation should be taken seriously. West of England correspondent Dan Whitehead reported that five men arrested in Gloucestershire had been released on bail after no explosives were found, police remained at a cordon around Whelford, and counter-terrorism police were examining whether any individual was knowingly or unknowingly working for a foreign state. Operations at RAF Fairford continued under heightened security.