King of the north searches for the hero inside himself to an Oasis backing track to change politics for the better

It must be exhausting being the king of the north. Just watching Andy Burnham’s four-minute campaign video released this week leaves you in need of a lie down. Andy can’t step outside his front door without people throwing themselves at his feet. Men throw palm leaves across the pavement and openly weep with joy. They can’t imagine a life without him and insist on buying him a pint. Women grab his hand and ask him to be the father of their babies. Shopkeepers beg him to come inside and cut the ribbon to open their new freezer cabinet.

Being the messiah is a very demanding occupation. But I guess someone’s got to do it. It must be annoying though to have to live your life to a soundtrack of Oasis playing in the background. Still, at least the sun is always shining. Which is not how I remember the city. When my daughter was at university there 15 years ago, I never went out without a coat. But maybe Andy is even in control of the weather. Saves him the bother of walking on water.

He made his name as a conman, but now Bob Odenkirk is on the right side of the law in Normal. He answers your questions about Henry Winkler, Bruce Dern and Shakespeare

You recently agreed in an interview that “life is a meaningless farce”. How come? benpendrey
Oh, I don’t know. You need to talk to God about that. I don’t know why he made it so ridiculous, but it is. I’m not done asking questions and trying to figure things out, but I do think we’re going to end up where Douglas Adams did.

Is biting satire more powerful than political hogwash? Twist27
I sure wish it was, but no. I do think political satire is helpful, but it is not as important as we all wished it was. I’m afraid political satire pales in comparison to political hogwash, as we’re witnessing in my country.

Secateurs, pizza ovens and sparkling rose in a tin … whatever your plans for the long weekend, here’s how to make the most of it

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Reasons to be cheerful #271: a warm, sunny bank holiday weekend. Here at the Filter, we need no excuse to kick off our shoes, grab a cold drink (and some SPF) and head outside.

To help you make the most of the long weekend, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite things. Whether it’s tools to spruce up your outdoor space, tipples to sip in the garden, a fake tan to jump-start your summer skin or fashion for warmer weather, summer starts here.

Although it might seem like a minor irritant, the consequences of email incivility can be far-reaching

Received a rude email at work? You’re not alone.

When I was weighing a move from full-time to freelance work, a terse email from a colleague – demanding I redo a task from scratch over a technicality – settled the matter instantly. I quit on the spot. Around the same time, thousands of US government workers received an email requiring them to justify their employment “with approx 5 bullets of what you accomplished this week” – or resign.

Clarissa Brincat is a freelance health and science journalist

Retreating from reality is a brittle way to feel better, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Find people who feel as you do and then face these problems together

• Read more Leading questions

I’m 21, and all my life I’ve been anxious about the future. It’s not getting better. There are a lot of things that worry me – no job prospects even with a degree under my belt; I won’t be able to find a partner who will respect me; I’ll never own a house. And outside these, of course, I’m worried about climate change and global politics.

The advice I have been offered is to “not think about it” or “focus on what I personally can control”. But I have dreams and aspirations; I want to be a writer and an artist and I am working harder than ever to make those things happen, even if AI might make those fields even more competitive. So my question is: How do I balance my dreams and aspirations practically, and take care of myself, without living in a bubble?

The government is in thrall to the sunk-cost fallacy. Scrap the project, and use the money for a renaissance in urban transit

So it is official, as if that makes a difference. After a 15-month review by the new chief executive, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has revealed that HS2 will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains may not start until 2039. Alexander called the original design a “massively over-specced folly” and called the increase in time and costs “obscene”. Indeed it possibly ranks as the wildest white elephant in British history. In comparison, Donald Trump’s White House ballroom is a garden shed, and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa a mere sandcastle.

This week, Alexander, the ninth transport secretary since HS2 was proposed, admitted the project made her angry. As she dusted off her department’s latest defence of its appalling conduct of this fiasco, she tried to feign surprise. She has been in office 18 months. Don’t tell us she did not know.

Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist

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Chancellor says she will raise tax on global oil firms to help meet costs of plans and confirms freeze on fuel duty increases

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Rachel Reeves will cut VAT to 5% on summer attractions such as theme parks and soft play centres during the school holidays as she aims to ease the impact of the war in Iran on cash-strapped households.

The chancellor told MPs on Thursday she would also raise more tax from global oil firms operating in the UK to help meet the costs of her plans.

Documents released by government also show late queen was ‘very keen’ for her son to have prominent role

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Formal security vetting and due diligence appear not to have been carried out before the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as a trade envoy, the government has said, as it emerged that the late queen was “very keen” for her son to take a prominent role in promoting Britain’s interests.

The first batch of documents relating to the appointment of the then prince as trade envoy by Tony Blair in 2001 includes a memo dated 25 February 2000 and addressed to Robin Cook, the then foreign secretary, in which the then chief executive of British Trade International (BTI), David Wright, said Queen Elizabeth II’s “wish” had been for Mountbatten-Windsor to take on the role.

Exclusive: Paul Nowak recognises frustration with Keir Starmer’s government but urges party not to be fatalistic

The UK’s most powerful union leader has said he is angry at the state of Labour and Keir Starmer’s government and warned that significant change is needed to prevent Reform UK from winning power.

In his first intervention as the battle rages over the future of the Labour leadership, the TUC’s general secretary, Paul Nowak, said it was clear there was an “overwhelming sense of frustration” with Starmer in a statement issued by Labour-affiliated trade unions last week that called for the prime minister to step down before the next election.

Exclusive: Scotland Yard had been in talks to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis

A £50m Met police deal with the controversial US tech company Palantir has been blocked by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, with City Hall citing a “clear and serious breach” of procurement rules.

Scotland Yard had been in talks, revealed by the Guardian last month, to use Palantir’s AI technology to automate intelligence analysis in criminal investigations. But Khan intervened on Thursday to stop the flagship contract, which would have been Palantir’s largest yet in British policing.