Your morning briefing: What you should know for Monday, July 6

£1.57bn grants and loans to help struggling arts and heritage sectors

The Government has announced a £1.57 billion support package to protect the future of Britain’s museums, galleries and theatres.

Independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues are also eligible for the emergency grants and loans under a scheme officials said would help keep struggling institutions afloat while their doors were closed.

The move has been welcomed by Arts Council England, the Royal Opera House, the Society of London Theatre & UK Theatre, and the Music Venue Trust.

Guidance for a phased return of the performing arts sectors is expected to be published by the Government shortly.

Illegal raves shut down in north London

Police shut down illegal raves in north London last night.

Hackney Police said they had put dispersal orders in place in three postcodes after unlicensed music events in Millfields Parks, Hackney Downs park and Cecilia Road.

Video footage showed dozens of people in Millfields Park drinking and dancing while wearing flashing headphones.

Maxwell to argue to be freed on bail

US prosecutors have asked a New York judge to schedule another court appearance for Ghislaine Maxwell later this week.

The British socialite has been accused by many women of helping procure underage sex partners for Jeffrey Epstein and was arrested last week in New Hampshire.

Prosecutors said in a letter that Maxwell’s lawyer would like a bail hearing on Friday after written arguments are submitted by both sides.

Maxwell was arrested last week and has previously repeatedly denied wrongdoing.

Ofsted moves to reassure parents about school returns

Ofsted will begin visiting schools and colleges as they reopen in September in a bid to reassure parents about their child’s return to education.

The education watchdog said the visits aim to establish how schools in England are getting back up to speed after being closed to most pupils for up to six months.

However one union believes school leaders were concerned these could become a distraction as they handle the issues caused by the coronavirus outbreak.

Shooting in north London

A man in his 50s has been shot in the stomach in north London, police said.

London Ambulance Service treated a man with a suspected gunshot wound in Enfield at 7.15pm yesterday.

The man was taken to hospital and is not believed to be in a life-threatening condition, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson said.

Sir Elton's joy at new coins to celebrate career

Sir Elton John has described a new coin celebrating his legacy as a fabulous honour.

The Royal Mint will be selling coins engraved with Sir Elton’s distinctive glasses and a straw boater hat to commemorate his music career, which spans more than half a century.

Designs will be available for purchase in gold, silver, and highly collectable editions ranging from £13 for the Rocket Man coin, to a chart-topping £64,950 for heavier gold designs.

A one-off version will be auctioned to raise money for the Elton John Charitable Trust.

On this day…

1535: Sir Thomas More, English statesman and Lord Chancellor, was executed on Tower Hill for refusing to accept Henry VIII as head of the Church of England.

1685: The Battle of Sedgemoor in Somerset – the last on English soil – took place with victory for James II’s Royalist forces over the rebels under the Duke of Monmouth.

1919: The British airship R34 became the first to cross the Atlantic, from Edinburgh to New York in 108 hours.

1971: Jazz legend Louis Armstrong died of a heart attack. He once said: “Musicians don’t retire, they stop when there’s no more music in them.”

1988: 167 men died in an explosion on the Piper Alpha oil rig in the North Sea.