The duet has now spent 19 non-consecutive weeks at number one in the Official Charts, breaking a record set more than 70 years ago in 1953, by Frankie Laine's I Believe. Rein Me In is a song by Fender which featured on his third album, last year's Mercury Prize winner People Watching. It was re-released as a duet with Dean in June 2025. A slow-burner, it hovered mainly in the top 20 for months before first topping the chart in February this year. That ascent in itself gave the song a record - for the longest climb to the top in UK chart history. Since its first week at number one, the song has only shifted down on a handful of occasions, thanks to releases by heavy-hitters Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift, but it has always made it back to the summit. Accepting a special record breaker award as Rein Me In held off competition from Shakira and Burna Boy's World Cup hit Dai Dai to stay in the top spot once again this week, Fender told Official Charts he was "completely lost for words". He also thanked Dean and all their fans "for making this song the juggernaut that it is". Rein Me In was named song of the year at the Brit Awards, winning over other shortlisted tracks including big hits such as Raye's Where Is My Husband!, Messy, by Lola Young, and Dean's own Man I Need. Dean was the big winner at the ceremony, taking home four gongs in total. She also collected her first Grammy at the beginning of the year. Earlier this week, her 2025 album, The Art Of Loving, was announced as one of the 12 shortlisted for this year's Mercury Prize - which Fender won last year. The big chart hitters Famously in the 1990s, there were two huge long-running chart hits - Bryan Adams' 1991 hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, from the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves soundtrack, and Wet Wet Wet's cover of Love Is All Around, from Four Weddings And A Funeral. Adams' song, which topped the UK chart for 16 weeks in a row in 1991, remains the longest consecutively-reigning number one. Earlier this month, when Rein Me In took the record for longest-running British number one from Wet Wet Wet, the band - now made up of Graeme Clark, Graeme Duffin and vocalist Kevin Simm - congratulated the duo, telling Sky News: "It's great to see amazing British artists continuing to produce songs that connect with so many people." Other songs to have spent more than 10 weeks at the top spot in the UK, consecutively or otherwise, include One Dance by Drake, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, Dance Monkey by Tones And I, and two for Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You and Bad Habits. Congratulating Fender and Dean on their success, Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, interim co-managing directors of Official Charts, said it was "an extraordinary, history-making" achievement. "For Rein Me In to break a record that has stood for 73 years is remarkable in itself, but it feels especially significant to see two homegrown British artists write a new chapter in Official Chart history together," they said. "Sam and Olivia are both exceptional talents, and the incredible connection Rein Me In has made with audiences speaks to the strength and ambition of British music today."

The duet has now spent 19 non-consecutive weeks at number one in the Official Charts, breaking a record set more than 70 years ago in 1953, by Frankie Laine's I Believe. Rein Me In is a song by Fender which featured on his third album, last year's Mercury Prize winner People Watching. It was re-released as a duet with Dean in June 2025. A slow-burner, it hovered mainly in the top 20 for months before first topping the chart in February this year. That ascent in itself gave the song a record - for the longest climb to the top in UK chart history. Since its first week at number one, the song has only shifted down on a handful of occasions, thanks to releases by heavy-hitters Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, Ariana Grande, and Taylor Swift, but it has always made it back to the summit. Accepting a special record breaker award as Rein Me In held off competition from Shakira and Burna Boy's World Cup hit Dai Dai to stay in the top spot once again this week, Fender told Official Charts he was "completely lost for words". He also thanked Dean and all their fans "for making this song the juggernaut that it is". Rein Me In was named song of the year at the Brit Awards, winning over other shortlisted tracks including big hits such as Raye's Where Is My Husband!, Messy, by Lola Young, and Dean's own Man I Need. Dean was the big winner at the ceremony, taking home four gongs in total. She also collected her first Grammy at the beginning of the year. Earlier this week, her 2025 album, The Art Of Loving, was announced as one of the 12 shortlisted for this year's Mercury Prize - which Fender won last year. The big chart hitters Famously in the 1990s, there were two huge long-running chart hits - Bryan Adams' 1991 hit (Everything I Do) I Do It For You, from the Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves soundtrack, and Wet Wet Wet's cover of Love Is All Around, from Four Weddings And A Funeral. Adams' song, which topped the UK chart for 16 weeks in a row in 1991, remains the longest consecutively-reigning number one. Earlier this month, when Rein Me In took the record for longest-running British number one from Wet Wet Wet, the band - now made up of Graeme Clark, Graeme Duffin and vocalist Kevin Simm - congratulated the duo, telling Sky News: "It's great to see amazing British artists continuing to produce songs that connect with so many people." Other songs to have spent more than 10 weeks at the top spot in the UK, consecutively or otherwise, include One Dance by Drake, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, Dance Monkey by Tones And I, and two for Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You and Bad Habits. Congratulating Fender and Dean on their success, Becca Monahan and Chris Austin, interim co-managing directors of Official Charts, said it was "an extraordinary, history-making" achievement. "For Rein Me In to break a record that has stood for 73 years is remarkable in itself, but it feels especially significant to see two homegrown British artists write a new chapter in Official Chart history together," they said. "Sam and Olivia are both exceptional talents, and the incredible connection Rein Me In has made with audiences speaks to the strength and ambition of British music today."

Andy Burnham has thrown the future of legalising assisted dying into doubt. After telling Sam Coates that he does not want legislation to proceed until social care and palliative care are "fixed". Supporters of the bill insist they are pressing ahead. But has the Prime Minister's intervention made its passage through Parliament far less likely? Sam and Anne examine what Burnham's comments mean for MPs ahead of the crucial September vote. Plus, new polling from POLITICO shows again the 'Burnham bounce' as his approval rating goes up in every demographic, except one - Reform voters. What will this mean in the long term? And, before Sam and Anne take some time off over summer, what do they make of Burnham's first two weeks?

Burnham denounced FIFA's proposal to sell stakes in its competitions - including the World Cup - to private investors when the news first emerged and on Friday said: "The idea that [the plan] could even be brought forward shows that, in my view, [he] is the wrong man to lead the organisation." Burnham's criticism came after the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) joined UEFA and CONCACAF in its opposition and called for "FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance". In a further damaging development, Carlos Cordeiro, a senior advisor to Infantino, resigned in protest at the privatisation plan, saying it was a "bad deal for football" and "for the long-term future of the game". In an exclusive statement to Sky News, Cordeiro added: "As a senior advisor to the FIFA president, a former banker, and a lifelong football fan, I cannot stand by while FIFA considers selling a stake in the World Cup. "Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally." Q&A: Why is UEFA boycotting FIFA tournaments and can it stop Gianni Infantino?World Cup 2030: Dates, schedule, hosts, stadiums and how qualification worksWorld Cup latest news | Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup A second FIFA official - chief operating officer Kevin Lamour - later said the governing body's staff were "deceived" by Infantino's lack of openness over his plans, and told the Associated Press news agency, staff "deserve better than contempt and intimidation". Lamour called the World Cup plans "the project of one person" and said it was time for football leaders to take action. Cordeiro's resignation and Lamour's comments came after FIFA had released a statement in the early hours of Friday morning insisting "nobody is selling football" amid criticism of its proposals. World football's governing body instead hit out at "incorrect media reports" and insisted it would press ahead with a consultation period. FIFA's statement said: "We have heard the feedback provided by the respective confederations in relation to the proposed establishment of FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) and would like to address the issues that have surfaced since the initial media reporting on Tuesday. "We respect the feedback and concern aired in public and reaffirm our commitment to an open and democratic consultation. ⁠"Our planned consultation process was disrupted by incorrect media reports. We will proceed with this consultation process to ensure that each MA has the ability to express its vote based on facts." The statement continued: "FFE has been proposed solely to ensure that all FIFA Member Associations (MAs) have the opportunity to take meaningful ownership of the commercial opportunity of football in their respective countries, and that this does not come at the cost of either the spirit or the governance of FIFA or football itself. "Nobody is selling football. This is not something FIFA would ever entertain." UEFA's 55 member associations said on Thursday they would not participate in any FIFA tournament until the plan was withdrawn. CONCACAF, the confederation representing 41 nations from North and Central America, along with the Caribbean, also made clear its opposition to FIFA's plan, saying it "rejected the proposal". FIFA has promised financial gains for national associations if the commercial entity FFE goes ahead. The plan is supported by an investor group led by Thrive Eternal, founded by Josh Kushner, the brother of Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner. But opponents fear that commercial imperatives will drive FIFA to hold bigger and more frequent tournaments in the future, eating even further into domestic schedules. UEFA's opposition to the plan, in its words, is "unanimous and unequivocal". "No UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership," European football's governing body stated. The AFC had been a big supporter of Infantino up to now but its intervention on Friday marks a shift, with its statement coming close to asking for Infantino to step down. AFC president Sheikh Salman came second behind Infantino in the FIFA presidential election in 2016. A statement said: "The AFC believes this moment must become a catalyst for strengthening institutional reform. While every FIFA MA must have the opportunity to consider and determine proposals affecting the future of world football, meaningful democracy is not measured solely by the opportunity to vote. It begins with transparent governance, timely consultation, informed deliberation and genuine participation throughout the decision-making process. "Accordingly, the AFC calls upon FIFA to undertake an urgent review of its governance and decision-making framework to ensure that proposals of global significance are developed through proper consultation, meaningful engagement and appropriate oversight by FIFA's statutory bodies." 'Infantino is in a hole and he needs to stop digging Analysis from Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol: "It is a desperate, tone-deaf statement that was issued in the middle of the night from FIFA's Zurich bunker. It's very interesting that it doesn't mention their president by name. "The way I read this is that this is a statement from Gianni Infantino; it's not necessarily a FIFA statement. How many people inside FIFA actually agree with what he is doing? "He's in a hole and he needs to stop digging. He needs to start reading the room. He needs to start accepting the fact his power is starting to ebb away and he needs to start by apologising to football, to football fans all around the world - and he also needs to start apologising and explain himself to the confederations and the presidents of the 211 member associations. "And he needs to stop blaming the media. What is this crazy obsession he's got? He seems to have picked it up from President Donald Trump, where he thinks it's a good idea to keep lashing out at the media. He seems to somehow think that is going to help him. "The reporting that has been done this week, which was led by The Times and the Financial Times has been completely and utterly accurate. And if it wasn't for this reporting, there wouldn't be this furore that we have now and we wouldn't know the facts we know now. "I suggest Infantino needs to change course. He needs to wake up and fully understand the mess he has created for himself and he needs to start saying sorry because I think that's the only way he's going to be able to save himself." Is there a way out for Infantino? Analysis from Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol: "Infantino has been in plenty of tight spots and he has managed to extricate from them. But I think he's in big, big trouble now. I think this is the biggest crisis he's faced - and it's all of his own making. "The best way for him to survive, he seems to think, is to pretend this is all just a democratic process, what's happening now is just a consultation, the 211 FAs can decide whether to go ahead with this plan, and if they don't, no problem at all, it's all been a storm in a teacup. "Other people, I think, would advise him to come out and say sorry, then lie low for a while, maybe ride it out and maybe he could be re-elected as FIFA president unopposed next March, but that doesn't seem to be what he's doing. "I'm not sure he can carry on down this road of blaming the media and carrying on with the consultation process. I'm not sure he understands the strength of feeling against him - not just over this, but over lots of things he's done since he's been FIFA president."

Reservoir storage currently stands at 72%, down from 75% a week ago and nearly 10 percentage points below the long-term average for this time of year. The reservoirs now classed as having "exceptionally low" levels are Blagdon and Wimbleball, both in Somerset, which are 56% and 54% full respectively, and Hanningfield in Essex, which is 65% full. The seven with "notably low" levels include Ardingly in West Sussex, which is 66% full; Blithfield in Staffordshire (63%); Clatworthy in Somerset (56%); and Clywedog in Powys (69%), which provides water for central and north-west England. Also in this category are the Dove group of reservoirs in Derbyshire (77%); Grafham in Cambridgeshire (78%); and the Lower Thames group of reservoirs in Berkshire and west London (74%). The figures are from the Environment Agency's latest weekly dry weather and drought report. Check the weather where you are The Met Office said on Friday that a prolonged heatwave, exceptionally low rainfall, and widespread drought conditions have combined to make July "a remarkable month". England and Wales are both on course for their driest July since rainfall records began in 1836. Southern England has been particularly dry, with just 1.5mm of rainfall - which is 2% of its long-term average rainfall for the month. Northern Ireland is on track for its eighth driest July while the UK as a whole is on course for its third driest. Scotland has received 72% of its average rainfall for the month and is not currently within its top 10 driest Julys. Forecasters have said temperatures in the coming days will be closer to average for this time of year. Sky News weather producer Kirsty McCabe said the UK and Ireland can expect "cooler and fresher conditions with a few showers around, mainly in the North".

The 30-year-old, whose real name is Andres Felipe Valencia Barrientos, pleaded not guilty. He was charged with six counts of sexual penetration without consent, three counts of assault and one count of strangulation over an alleged incident in a Perth hotel room in September 2024. Following an eight-day trial, Barrientos was found not guilty of three sexual penetration without consent charges, while the other three resulted in a hung jury - meaning they couldn't decide if he was guilty or not. He was also cleared of the strangulation count and one of the assault counts. However, he was found guilty of the other two assault counts, relating to allegations he bit the victim's neck and breast. The woman - who was 20 at the time and cannot be named - was a fan of the star and went back to his hotel room after he played at a Perth nightclub. She said they had initially had consensual sex but that it became non-consensual and violent. Barrientos is due to be sentenced in three weeks. It remains to be seen if the prosecution will seek a retrial on the counts the jury couldn't decide on. Read more from Sky News:British climber from Netflix show missing after avalancheCancer patient becomes first to receive 'landmark' treatment Barrientos rose to fame as a social media personality and rapper and has appeared as a presenter on several BBC Three shows. He is also known for working with YouTube collective Beta Squad, while featuring on Soccer Aid and The Great Celebrity Bake Off For Stand Up To Cancer on Channel 4.

👉 Tap here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈 Speaking to the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Baroness Harman said she wishes the new Labour leader and prime minister, Andy Burnham, "all the success he can possibly have on behalf of this country and the Labour Party". Politics latest: Follow live But, she said there should be an all-woman shortlist next time the party's leadership comes up for election. "We've got to have a woman next time," the former deputy Labour leader said. "And I've worked out that the only way we'll have a woman leader of the Labour Party next time, is if we start a conversation now where we say that, actually, men cannot stand for the leadership next time." She said Labour needed to "start the discussion about male ambition and male allyship", and that "male ambition should not be to lead themselves, male ambition ought to be to support a woman to lead". Labour has had two female interim leaders - Margaret Beckett and Baroness Harman herself - but never a full-time female leader. The party has had four female deputy leaders, including the incumbent, Lucy Powell. Baroness Harman said she'll "be wanting to encourage and support" any young rising stars in the Labour Party who are male. "But I'll be saying to them, 'Are you going to support a woman next time or are you gonna put yourself in front and put a woman behind you?' "Because for every man who stands for leader and gets to be a leader, he has pushed a woman... into second place behind him," she said. Burnham, who became Labour leader on 17 July, stood unopposed for the role.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of all of UEFA's 55 member associations on Thursday afternoon, with a 55-0 vote. In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, UEFA said: "We unanimously and unequivocally reject FIFA's proposal to transfer ownership interests in the World Cup and other FIFA competitions to private investors." Q&A: Why is UEFA boycotting FIFA tournaments and can it stop Gianni Infantino?World Cup 2030: Dates, schedule, hosts, stadiums and how qualification worksWorld Cup latest news | Saudi Arabia to host 2034 World Cup In a further blow to Infantino, CONCACAF also rejected the idea of the proposals. It too convened a meeting of its 41 member associations, with a statement expressing "deep concerns" surrounding "the absence of any review or approval by the relevant FIFA governance bodies". It went on to include a series of action points in relation to Infantino's plans - but did not mention any plans of a boycott, as UEFA decided to. It is the first time a confederation has done so for a FIFA tournament. The first test of UEFA's boycott for senior teams will come in October for the 2027 Women's World Cup qualifier play-offs, which England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland are scheduled to play in. Sarina Wiegman and her staff are preparing for their two-legged tie against Greece as normal, Sky Sports News understands. It is currently the same for the Women's U20 World Cup; however, the timing could not be much worse for European nations. The tournament is due to start on September 5 in Poland and concludes on September 27. Poland, England, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain are the European nations taking part. Everyone at UEFA's two-hour meeting on Thursday spoke out against Infantino's sell-off plan, including FA chair and FIFA vice president Debbie Hewitt and FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. Following UEFA's boycott decision, an FA spokesperson said: "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our European colleagues and fully support the collective view. We oppose FIFA's plans. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football and always will." The Scottish FA said it "agrees unequivocally with concerns raised by all members over the manner in which these proposals have been issued, and the deadline set, without a full consultation process or consideration to good governance". The Premier League - which is a founding member of the European Leagues - backed UEFA's stance, saying it "fully supports this statement". Meanwhile, Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said of UEFA's boycott: "This is a principled decision that we strongly support. Football belongs to the fans, not billionaire investors. Enough is enough. It's time to take a stand to protect our game." What are FIFA's World Cup plans? A major row first broke out on Tuesday between football's governing bodies over FIFA's plans to seek private investment in the World Cup, with UEFA reacting angrily and European nations ready to discuss a boycott. FIFA announced that it was seeking to launch FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE), which would bring together the sale of FIFA's commercial rights - including broadcasting, sponsorship, ticketing and licensing - with the operational delivery of its tournaments. Under the proposal, FIFA would raise up to $4.2bn (£3.1bn) from external investors through the sale of minority, non-controlling stakes in FFE, which it says would be valued at around $20bn (£15bn). The governing body says its plans - which need approval from member associations - could deliver more than $10bn in "football development funding" over the next four years. But UEFA, European football's governing body, released a furious statement that said the proposals "crossed a line". There was further opposition to the proposal from Prime Minister Andy Burnham who said "football belongs to fans" on X while the FA, who were left completely unaware, expressed a "deep concern" over plans. 'The World Cup is not for sale' - UEFA's statement in full "The World Cup cannot be treated as an investment product. It is one of football's greatest sporting legacies. It has been built over generations by players, national teams and supporters across every continent. No part of it should ever be surrendered to private investors. The World Cup is not for sale. "It is both irresponsible and indefensible that a proposal of such significance for football was conceived in secret and brought to the brink of approval without any meaningful consultation with those entrusted with stewarding the game. This is not merely a profound failure of leadership, but an abdication of FIFA's duty as the custodian of world football. "National associations around the world are now presented with an ultimatum: accept the irreversible capture of football's greatest competitions or bear the consequences. This is not a "democratic decision", but governance by intimidation - an act of coercion unworthy of an institution entrusted with the stewardship of the global game. "But our opposition goes far beyond process. "The moment external investors acquire ownership interests in FIFA competitions, football changes forever. Commercial return becomes a permanent obligation. Investor expectations become a daily pressure. From that moment onwards, every decision on the international calendar, every decision on competition formats and every decision shaping the future of football is no longer driven by what best serves the game, but by what best serves shareholders. "This model has no place in world football. Football's future cannot be dictated by the expectations of those whose first duty is to maximise financial return. Nor can the interests of national associations, leagues, clubs, players and supporters become subordinate to investor returns. Football cannot mortgage its future for financial gain. "Europe's position is clear. We will never lend this model our legitimacy. No one has the moral authority to sell what they merely hold in trust for the next generation. "As a result of today's discussion, no UEFA national teams will participate in any FIFA competition for so long as these proposals remain alive, unless this proposal has been abandoned in its entirety and binding assurances have been given that FIFA will never again open its governance or competitions to private ownership. "Nobody should be in any doubt: UEFA and its national associations will oppose these plans with absolute determination. "There are moments when institutions are judged not by what they are prepared to accept, but by what they refuse to compromise. This is one of those moments. "Some things are simply too important to sell. The FIFA World Cup belongs to football. It always will. And so long as Europe has a voice, it will never be for sale." What happens to Infantino if plans collapse? Sky Sports News' Kaveh Solhekol: "It's shocking how nothing is shocking any more. I should be surprised but I'm not surprised at all. I've just come back from the World Cup. According to FIFA, it was the most successful World Cup ever. They made more money than they know what to do with. Fans were paying outrageous prices for tickets. "Gianni Infantino and those close to him have looked at this and said, 'this is the future'. One way to make sure you have more tournaments like the one you've just had is to set up a subsidiary of FIFA that will look after FIFA's tournaments and to invite private investors to invest in that company. "In the short term, there's going to be a big pot of money potentially available for the 211 member associations of FIFA. "The big question is, are they going to accept what Infantino is proposing? What happens to Infantino if these plans collapse? Are we seeing a tipping point on the horizon where a lot of people in football are saying they don't like the way Infantino has been running football? "I think there is such a groundswell of opposition to these plans that if I had to put money on it, I think they won't succeed. It reminds me of what happened to the European Super League where plans came out, there was outrage and pretty quickly the plans didn't come to fruition. "Infantino knows everyone has got a price. FIFA have written to all 211 member associations and have said you have until September 19 to accept this plan. If you do, there is going to be a pot of £7.5bn for us to share. If you don't, that pot will drop from £7.5bn to £2bn. "How many of these member associations are going to turn down that money?"