The day Britain burned

The Independent's Morning Headlines email [View online]( July 20, 2022 [Morning Headlines]( 1 / [Major incidents declared in parts of England as country swelters in record 40.3C heat]( Britain smashed its all-time temperature record on Tuesday as intense heat fuelled dozens of serious fires and brought chaos to transport and schools across England and Wales. The mercury hit 40.3C in Coningsby, Lincolnshire – one of 34 locations across England in which the previous 2019 record was broken. Fire services declared major incidents in London, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire after exceptional heat left much of the country tinder-dry, piling pressure on already-stretched services.   2 / [Liz Truss takes step closer to claiming Tory crown as rivals lose momentum]( Poll suggests MPs’ favourite Rishi Sunak would lose members’ vote against both other candidates 3 / [Man who Home Office mistook for murderer twin now denied permanent EU settlement]( ‘It’s incompetence. It’s sad. This is how hard it is to be an immigrant in England,’ says Hussen Mohamed 4 / [UK ticket holder wins £195m record Euromillions jackpot, says Camelot]( Lucky ticket-holder scoops biggest National Lottery win of all time 5 / [UK inflation rises to 40-year high of 9.4% as cost of living crisis spirals]( Increase ‘driven by rising fuel and food prices’, ONS chief economist says     The Big Question How do British wages compare to inflation? British workers have suffered the largest drop in regular pay since records began, with wages falling by nearly 3 per cent. Earnings excluding bonuses fell by 2.8 per cent between March and May this year when [inflation]( is taken into account, [Office for National Statistics]( (ONS) data shows. This was the biggest drop since records began two decades ago as the UK grapples with soaring inflation and a [cost of living crisis](. [For the full story click here >](   Watch/ [UK heatwave: Huge fire on Dartford Heath rages near motorway](   NUMBER OF THE DAY 40.3C – [Temperature records]( were broken three times in one day in the UK on Tuesday, after temperatures [hit 40.3C at Coningsby](, surpassing two other records set just hours earlier.   QUOTE OF THE DAY “I want to pay tribute to my friend Kemi Badenoch who electrified the leadership contest with her fresh thinking and bold policies.” – Penny Mordaunt [heaps praise on eliminated rival Kemi Badenoch](, as Tory leadership race is whittled down to three candidates.       Other stories you might like   [England face first real test of Euro 2022 against Spain as knockouts begin](   [Chancellor promises post-Brexit ‘big bang’ for City in move to ditch EU finance laws](   [Pregnancy loss certificates rolled out for parents under government’s first Women’s Health Strategy](       Articles available exclusively to subscribers Victoria Richards, The Independent - [Becoming a ghost: A memoir on motherhood](   Other newsletters you might like [The Race Report] The Race Report Fortnightly, 7am (UK time) Written by Nadine White [Sign up]( [Inside Politics] Inside Politics Weekdays, 8am (UK time) Written by Matt Mathers [Sign up](   If you can spare a minute we’d love your [feedback]( on our newsletters. [The Independent]( Join the conversation or follow us [Facebook]( [Twitter]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent's Morning Headlines newsletter, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.