Tuesday, 23 June - I'll take you down

June 23, 2026

Good morning, it’s Tuesday, 23 June. In your Squiz Today…

  • UK PM Sir Keir Starmer resigns

  • The US claims Iran has agreed to nuclear inspections

  • And Vegemite Kids is not everyone’s cuppa tea… 🍞

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🙋🏻‍♀️ This newsletter was written by Anna Pykett, Larissa Huntington, Alice Dempster and Sophie Felice

Squiz the Weather

Squiz Sayings

"Finding no picnic baskets, unattended snacks or other bear necessities, our furry visitor eventually moved along."

Said Colorado Police after releasing footage of a hungry bear pirouetting over a fence into a car park, on the hunt for food. Officers carried out a brief “pawspection” but said the furry fella strolled off after finding no treats. We can relate; snacks are life...

A changing of the guard in the UK

The Squiz

After months of pressure, the British Labour leader stepped down last night, saying he has "heard the answer" of his party. He said becoming PM was the “proudest moment” of his life, and he will give his successor his full support. It means the UK is about to get its seventh leader in a decade, with nominations for the top job opening on 9 July, so a new leader can be in place before British parliament returns after the Summer break in September. A few political journos in London might be cancelling their holidays…

How did we get here?

Starmer led Labour into government less than 2 years ago, delivering a massive majority - but it wasn’t long before things started going wrong... He inherited a tough to-do list, which included mopping up the public’s lack of trust in politicians (caused by the revolving door of Conservative PMs), dealing with the aftermath of COVID and Brexit, a few international crises, and the rise of Nigel Farage’s right-wing party Reform UK. Think that’s a lot? Add in some dismal local election results last month, a controversial appointment and a rocky relationship with US President Donald Trump… Starmer’s colleagues were worried they’d lose their jobs at the next General Election because he became so unpopular… And so here we are. 

That sounds exhausting… What happens next? 

Now Labour MPs will choose their next leader. The big question is - are we about to see a coronation or a contest… The front-runner to replace Starmer is the former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who won a by-election in England’s north last week - he’s travelled to London overnight and has been sworn in as an MP. He has already announced his plans to become the next PM. There was speculation that he might face competition from former UK Health Secretary Wes Streeting, but he ruled himself out last night. Analysts say if there are no other challengers, Burnham could become PM within the next month. For now, expect Starmer to take a long exhale, make a cup of tea, and dance like no one’s watching…

Worksite safety, redefined by Claude

Aussies are transforming safety for mining and construction workers using AI. Presien, a physical AI company built for heavy industry, used Claude to develop an agentic platform that analyses worksites around the clock - surfacing risks before they become issues, cutting critical safety events by over 70% in 3 months. Learn more here.

Squiz the Rest

More US talks with Iran…

US Vice President JD Vance says his team has made “great progress” in negotiations with Iran to reach a deal to permanently end the war in the Middle East. He claims the Strait of Hormuz is open, and that Iran has agreed to allow nuclear inspectors back into the country, which he described as “the first step in permanently ending a nuclear weapons program in Iran”. Tehran has always insisted it wasn’t trying to develop a nuclear bomb - and overnight it has denied making any new commitments. In addition, Iran says the US and Lebanon have agreed on a “deconfliction mechanism” in Lebanon - to ensure the fighting there stops. Vance and Iranian officials have now left Switzerland, but discussions between them will continue…

Poultry farms locked down in the west

The highly contagious H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in a giant petrel near Esperance on the state’s southern coast. It’s the second wild bird in the area confirmed to have the virus after a brown skua tested positive on Saturday. Nearly 60 cases of sick birds have been reported to a state hotline over the weekend, and 9 samples have been taken for testing. In light of the confirmed cases, poultry company Ingham’s has locked down its Western Oz farms and processing facilities. They’re mostly north of Perth, around 700km from the infected birds, but the company says it's mitigating against risks. Premier Roger Cook said his state was working with other governments on the next steps, saying: “We are hoping for the best, preparing for the worst”.

*If you want to know more about the H5N1 strain of bird flu, this Squiz Shortcut will help…

Canada puts Oz on the radar

Australia has sold a powerful long distance radar to Canada in our most valuable defence export ever, worth $2.5 billion. It's our first international sale of world-leading Over the Horizon Radar, and Canada plans to use it to monitor the Arctic. We’ve been using our own system for 40 years - it’s the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN) - which allows us to see what’s coming up to 3,000km away to our north. Reports say Canada’s looking to diversify its defence imports, and they’re eyeing our ghost bat drones too… As for whether we’ll shop our wares around further, Defence Minister Richard Marles says we’d only share the radar love with our closest friends. That said, he added the government’s looking to be “more ambitious” in terms of finding more opportunities for our defence exports. 

Going for Gold at the Logies

The nominees for the 2026 Logie Awards have been announced - this is the ceremony that Robert Irwin is hosting.... Both he and former host Sam Pang are nominated for the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, along with Ally Langdon, Julia Morris, Lisa Millar, Poh Ling Yeow and Todd Woodbridge. Morris has been nominated for the past 4 years without a win, and this is Tipping Point Australia host Woodbridge’s first year being nominated. The 2026 Logies include a new category - The Bruce McAvaney Award for Most Popular Sports Presenter - and it’s only appropriate that the great man himself has been nominated. You’d think the award being named after you would make him a shoo-in… The Logies will be on Sunday, 16 August, streaming on 7Plus. You can see the full list of 2026 nominees here.

‘Vegemite lite’ is not everyone’s cuppa tea

Vegemite Kids launched this week - it’s apparently lighter, less salty and smoother - but the new brekky staple is splitting opinions… Reports say the toned-down version is also aimed at first-timers and fussy adults who want a less intense flavour. But it’s not putting a rose in every cheek - some parents have labelled it “un-Australian”, with one mum saying: “How are we supposed to raise resilient kids if they’re raised on weak Vegemite?” In other Vegemite-related news, over in Socceroos HQ, the yeasty spread is being used as a measure of how tasty the chef’s meals are… The less Vegemite eaten, the better he's doing. If Vini Capovilla, who’s prepared the squad’s food for more than a decade, is doing a good job, the guys are less prone to making Vegemite toast as a filler. Although it is the dinner of champions… 

Apropos of Nothing

Swimmers took the plunge at dawn in Hobart for Dark Mofo’s annual nude solstice swim yesterday. Some might say it’s brave to disrobe alongside hundreds of strangers - but with temps in Hobart at 3.2C, we reckon getting into the water is the brave part…

Onto warmer topics… Close to 8,000 beanies (worth $400,000) were sold over 3 days at the 30th and final Alice Springs Beanie Festival over the weekend. A festival favourite was a beanie of two black red-tailed cockatoos. Wonder if it would keep the magpies away…?

And across the world, Norway’s World Cup fans have taken over New York City in a spectacle of Norwegian flags and viking rowing chants. The team’s playing Senegal later this morning. Canberra Raiders fans, you have a new benchmark…

Squiz the Day

10.00am (AEST) - The Queensland State Government is set to deliver its 2026/2027 Budget - Brisbane

12.00pm (AEST) - Then it’s NSW Treasurer Daniel Mookhey’s turn to hand down the NSW State Budget - Sydney 

5.00pm (AEST) - The opening of Anzac Hall at the Australian War Memorial. Ben Roberts-Smith will be in attendance after having his bail conditions varied - Canberra 

The Aussies who were quarantined after being on the Hantavirus cruise are due to be released - Perth 

The National General Assembly of Local Government (NGA) will meet for its annual convention (until 26 June) - Canberra 

Primary election in New York

🏀 NBA draft (until 24 June)

Palm Springs International ShortFest begins (until 29 June)

International Women in Engineering Day

Olympic Day, commemorating the formal establishment of the International Olympic Committee in 1894 

Birthdays for actors  Frances McDormand (1957) and Joel Edgerton (1974), 

Anniversary of:

  • the first contraceptive pill is made available for purchase in the US (1960)

  • the UK's Brexit referendum (2016) 🇬🇧

  • Ash Barty winning the Birmingham title, becoming women’s world #1 (2019) 🎾