The Know Daily - Wednesday 28 January 2026

_{Read in 4m 32s ∙ Listening to Izzy Escobar ∙}

Here’s a Wednesday win to brighten your morning: according to the American Cancer Society, 70% of Americans now survive at least five years after a cancer diagnosis – up from about half in the 1970s. Progress has been huge, even for some of the toughest cancers, thanks to decades of research and better treatments. And because much of that research is shared globally, breakthroughs made in the U.S. can help patients around the world too.

🗳️ Andy Burnham and Westminster

As one of the UK's more vocal mayors, Andy Burnham in making headlines after a bid to get to Parliament was blocked – something that has wider consequences for national politics.

Tell me more.
The Mayor of Greater Manchester wanted to stand as the Labour candidate in a by-election for Gorton and Denton, a vacant seat in Greater Manchester. Burnham left Parliament a few years ago to focus on being Mayor, but this by-election looked like a chance to make a Westminster comeback. But the party’s National Executive Committee said it was a no-go and decided to block his application. The vote was 8–1, with only the deputy leader backing him. 

Why did his own party block him?
Some people thought it could set him up for bigger roles in Westminster down the line and even pave the way for him to challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer as leader of the party. Labour leaders, though, said it wasn’t personal – they were worried a mayoral by-election to replace him would be expensive and distracting with local elections on the horizon.

Have we seen this before?
Whilst a full-on block is quite rare, the concept of keeping rivals at bay isn’t new in UK politics. The Conversation points to Tony Blair and Gordon Brown’s rivalry within the Labour party back in the noughties, as well as Boris Johnson’s underlying challenge to both Theresa May and David Cameron’s Conservative leaderships as comparison. Burnham’s situation with Starmer is along the same lines.

What’s the Labour party saying?
The decision didn’t sit well with everyone. Around 50 Labour MPs wrote to Starmer saying they disagreed, warning it could give other parties an opening and frustrate local supporters. Also, Burnham has spoken out against No 10, saying they didn’t tell him he would be rejected as the Labour candidate for Gorton and Denton before applying, as a recent briefing suggested. But party leaders argue it’s about stability and practicality, not a dig at Burnham personally.

And what about the voters?
Here’s what a recent YouGov poll revealed:

So what now?
Burnham will remain as Mayor until at least 2028 and will continue as a major figure in Labour, especially up north. This episode shows there’s always a balancing act in the party: do you reward senior figures with a route back to Westminster, or keep local politics stable and avoid expensive elections? 

🤳 A landmark trial in California has begun, with tech executives, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, set to testify in a case examining how social media platforms can be addictive.

• The bigger story: The case is examining whether the way social‑media apps are built – including features like endless scrolling, recommendation algorithms and constant notifications – can create addictive habits that harm wellbeing. TikTok actually settled right before the trial was about to start, so it won’t be going to court, but other big names like Meta and Google are still part of it. Experts say what happens here could end up influencing how social media platforms are built and how much responsibility they have for the wellbeing of young users.

🦕 Scientists have launched a new app that identifies dinosaur footprints using AI technology. Don’t tell Jurassic Park!

👠 Haute stuff is happening over in France as Paris Haute Couture Week gets fully underway, with two designer debuts taking to the runway.

🥾 Madeira has introduced new fees on some of its hiking trails to help tackle overtourism and take care of its natural landscapes.

🚝 HS2 – a high-speed train route connecting the North and Midlands to London – has reached a major milestone as tunnelling work begins.

💸 The cities with the highest cost of living have been revealed, with six of them all found in the same country.

📸 The winning images from Travel Photographer of the Year have been announced – the perfect antidote to January 🩵

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Trivia answer: A) In particular, Lidl’s branches in the Netherlands came out on top for its actions to lower emissions.

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