Mummy's head for sale, patty company triumphs and UK heatwave warning
Plus: Man, 23, 'cured' of sickle cell disease
Hi everyone,
Greetings from overseas!
We’re sending this week’s round-up from outside of Britain, where we’ve traded the newsroom for a few days of rest after an incredibly busy first half of 2026. There won’t be a newsletter next week while we’re away, but we’ll be back in your inbox the following week.
It’s been an extraordinary few days, hasn’t it?
Back home, Europe has been sweltering through a heatwave with highs of over 35 degrees and it’s not a good thing, to be honest. This isn’t a case of benign sunshine, nicer days and an excuse to get your legs out 😭. The world is literally burning because of the climate crisis, meaning people in hundreds of cities are experiencing their worst-ever heat stress.
That wasn’t the only thing making headlines this week, though. Monday began with a political bombshell as Sir Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister of the UK, prompting mixed reactions across the country.
Within Black communities, some welcomed the news, others worry about what comes next, while many remain unconvinced that any change at Westminster will materially improve their lives.
Monday also marked Windrush Day, a national celebration of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush and the lasting contributions of Caribbean communities to Britain. Some argued there is little to celebrate while members of the Windrush Generation continue to wait for justice and fair compensation.
We understand that frustration - but we also believe commemoration and campaigning are not mutually exclusive.
For many Black Britons, particularly those of Caribbean heritage, it is entirely possible to honour the courage and sacrifice of a generation while continuing to demand accountability for the injustices they and their descendants endured.
As ever, we’ve rounded up the biggest stories shaping Black Britain this week, alongside a few moments of Black joy.
Enjoy the read and we’ll see you again in a fortnight.
Keep scrolling
Outrage as mummified human head listed for auction in Belfast
A mummified human head has been listed for sale at a Belfast auction house, prompting calls for the Government to outlaw the trade in human remains. Labour MP Bell Ribeiro-Addy described the listing as "macabre" and urged the auction house to remove it.
Buy Back Brixton campaign submits bid to bring historic market into community ownership
Campaigners say they have submitted a "competitive bid" to buy Brixton Village and Market Row after raising more than £550,000 and rallying widespread public support. They hope to bring the historic markets into community ownership amid interest from international investors.
Marianne Kilonzi: Boyfriend of Citibank executive extradited to UK over London killing
The boyfriend of Citibank executive Marianne Kilonzi has been extradited to the UK after a 16-month international manhunt. The 43-year-old was found beaten to death at her home in Woolwich in January 2025.
Black Joy Bulletin
Flake Bake, a Black-owned Jamaican patty company, named one of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses
'Life two': Young man functionally cured of sickle cell disease after gene therapy
Black British Initiative launches ‘Unlock Britain’ campaign at House of Commons to boost Black-owned businesses by £20bn
Twins marry twins in joyous Nigerian joint wedding
West Midlands GP set to bring gynaecology-themed obstacle course to London
What else we’re reading
Elderly Caribbean community centre trustee, aged 79, slept inside building to stop council eviction
Steve Lewis: Black Reform UK councillor quits party weeks after election victory
'More than a meal': The mission behind Brixton’s Big Caribbean Lunch
‘Bold, truth-telling’: learning from the rich histories of pan-African journalism
Jason Pitter KC: Meet the Black barrister behind one of Britain's most extraordinary murder prosecutions
Leading campaigner urges minister to make Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting mandatory
Windrush ship anchor to be raised for national Black British memorial
Clive Davis dies aged 94: A towering but controversial figure in Black music
Caribbean leaders unveil new reparations manifesto, led by Barbados PM Mia Mottley
Parents jailed after preventable death of seriously ill son in Birmingham
Professor Christopher Balogun-Lynch, pioneering surgeon who developed life-saving maternity technique in the UK, dies aged 81
Professor Christopher Balogun-Lynch, the pioneering surgeon whose life-saving maternity technique went on to help women around the world, has died aged 81.
Developed at Milton Keynes Hospital in 1997, the B-Lynch Brace Suture transformed the treatment of severe postpartum haemorrhage, helping save lives while preserving fertility. He was one of the founding consultants at the hospital, where he helped build the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology for over 20 years.
Professor Balogun-Lynch later returned to Sierra Leone to teach and mentor the next generation of doctors.
Paying tribute, his son Josh said: “His legacy lives on in the doctors he mentored, the women whose lives he helped save, the family he loved, and the countless people worldwide who continue to benefit from his work.”
His is a remarkable legacy of innovation, compassion and service.
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