Football fan Keir Starmer has cause to celebrate following a week bookended by England’s Euro 2020 victory over Germany and a much-needed win for Labour in the Batley and Spen by-election.
Despite the best efforts of far-left candidate George Galloway, who came third with 8,264 votes, Labour held the West Yorkshire seat by a narrow majority of just 323 over the Tory runner-up.
The Conservatives were also left smarting from the continuing fallout of Matt Hancock’s affair scandal, with questions raised over whether the disgraced former health secretary broke the law by breaching social distancing rules when he kissed an aide.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Latest Videos FromThe Week
The cloud cast over the government by his resignation has had a silver lining for Sajid Javid, however. The former minister is returning to the cabinet as Hancock’s replacement after quitting early last year following an acrimonious split with Boris Johnson.
To find out how closely you’ve been paying attention to global events, put your knowledge to the test with our Quiz of The Week:
New York prosecutors gave Donald Trump’s lawyers 24 hours to present any arguments as to why the former president’s family business should not face criminal prosecution over its financial dealings, following a two-year investigation. After that deadline came and went, The Trump Organization and chief financial officer Allen Weisselberg have been indicted and pleaded not guilty to tax crime charges.
On the opposite side of the world, the Chinese Communist Party marked its 100th anniversary with a celebration full of pomp and a speech by Xi Jinping in which he railed against “sanctimonious preaching” by foreign powers. “We have never bullied, oppressed or subjugated to the people of any other country, and we never will,” the party leader told a crowd of more than 70,000 in Tiananmen Square.
As the global battle against Covid-19 continues, a string of Australian cities were placed back under lockdown restrictions following a rise in cases attributed to the arrival of a highly contagious variant of the coronavirus. Meanwhile, reports from North Korea revealed that Kim Jong Un has sacked some of his most senior officials over an undefined “crisis” in the hermit state’s anti-Covid campaign.
Back on UK shores, attention was focused on England’s Euro 2020 quarter final clash with Ukraine on Saturday as fans prayed for a win to send the Three Lions into the semi-finals, amid hopes that this time, it might really be “coming home”.
