A Labour Prime Minister has just resigned barely two years after a general election triumph.

The US is lavishly celebrating a landmark anniversary of winning independence from the UK back in 1776. 

And Britons are sweltering amid what feels like an unprecedented heatwave, with the mercury soaring through the high 30s - and people seek out whatever desperate measures they can to cool themselves down. 

If that sounds familiar, as the sun beats down today, it was also 50 years ago in 1976. 

And with the Met Office anticipating record-breaking heatwave highs that could push past 40C, people across the nation are both struggling and finding ways to cope with the conditions - just as did those of previous generations, similarly while differently.

For Sir Keir Starmer, who stepped down on Monday this week, see Harold Wilson who announced his resignation as PM in April 1976.

His successor James Callaghan would have storm clouds descending on his government - including the infamous 'Winter of Discontent' over 1978-1979 that led to his subsequent election defeat to Margaret Thatcher.

Yet the early months in office proved apt enough, weather-wise at least, for the politician nicknamed for his general upbeat demeanour as 'Sunny Jim'.

Bathers basked on beaches in seaside resorts such as Brighton - or took impetuous dips in fountains including those in London's Trafalgar Square.

Yet there remained safety perils as well, as well as transport disruption reminiscent of chaos endured by millions of commuters this week with services slowed or cancelled.

Among the most grievous effects back in were long-running and devastating droughts across the country, as reservoirs dried up beneath the scorching sun. 

Photos from half a century ago show the contrasts and connections between now and then. 

There were 15 successive days in the summer of 1976 in which temperatures hit 89.6F (32C) somewhere in Britain.

The heady weather led to widespread droughts, mass standpipe use, hosepipe bans and a rise in 999 callouts to domestic disturbances.

Londoners took to cooling off in public fountains, including of course the centrepiece one in Trafalgar Square.  

And a doctor went as far as advising people to drink beer and eat crisps to counteract the salt lost through sweat - with plenty appearing happy to oblige.

Brewers told of the 'phenomenal demand' during the 10 weeks of blazing heat. 

Britons have similarly been packing pubs and beer gardens in recent weeks, helped by the heatwave coinciding with England and Scotland in action at the World Cup. 

The British Beer and Pub Association forecast an extra 4million pints would have been poured as England took on Ghana last night, worth an estimated £20million to the industry - with similar boosts hoped for ahead.

As well as those dipping in at Trafalgar Square, Hyde Park's Serpentine pond or leaning back on deckchairs in the same London green space, many people have flocked to the coast - both in 1976 and 2026.

Brighton's stony beach, overlooked by the Palace Pier, has been typically swarming with sunseekers - with many tipping their feet in the sea.

Despite overnight thunderstorms earlier this week, conditions have been far sunnier than rainy during the day.

And just like in 1976, as pictured with people outside London's Buckingham Palace as Grenadier Guards paraded by in thick and stuffy outfits, umbrellas or parasols have been put up to help protect from the sun.

The summer of 1976 was caused in part by very hot air that had originated in the Mediterranean - and the drought was worsened by the fact that there had been a lack of rainfall the previous summer, meaning reservoirs and rivers were already low. 

The highest temperature recorded that summer was on July 3, when the mercury hit 96.6F (35.9C) in Cheltenham. 

The town saw temperatures rise above 89.6F (32C) for seven consecutive days.  

At that year's Wimbledon tennis championships, umpires were allowed to remove their jackets for the first time in living memory - while 400 people had to be treated for heat exhaustion in a single day.

Aligning with the national need to save water, the Queen ordered an end to the use of sprinklers in Palace grounds - while in much of the UK water was rationed between 6pm and 7am.

Residents were encouraged to alert authorities if neighbours used water unnecessarily and baths were only allowed with no more than 5in of water in the tub.

Major roads were littered with broken-down cars which had overheated.

Other highway concerns, from one police force at least, included fears that bikini-clad women were proving a 'major distraction' for motorists, one police force warned. 

Press reports also told of students having sex in fields, leaving farmers fretting about them doing damage. 

Yet analysts also warned the 1976 summer conditions could lead to a falling birth rate as couples avoided having sex in the heat.

Behavioural psychologist Dr Robert Sharpe said: 'It's undeniable that such increases in temperature tend to decrease sexual activity.'

And births fell by more than 15,000 to 569,259 the following year - the lowest recorded figure in the 20th century. 

Whether this summer's sizzling climate will have a similar effect remains to be seen - but there has certainly been familiar disruption on roads and rails, while there have also been school closures and water alerts.

A rare red extreme heat warning covering London, parts of the Midlands, and south-east Wales came into force on Wednesday morning for only the second time.

The Met Office has since extended it by three hours until 11.59pm on Thursday and to other southern areas across Dorset, Hampshire and Sussex. 

An amber extreme heat warning has also been issued for Friday, which covers eastern and central England.

The organisation has predicted temperatures could reach 40C this week and said the conditions posed a risk to life not just for vulnerable people but across the population.

Now forecasters have said they expect the 50-year June temperature record of 35.6C to get 'absolutely smashed'. 

Some parts of Britain experienced overnight temperatures of above 20C.

Great Northern passengers had to walk on the tracks on Tuesday afternoon when a train lost power 'in the middle of nowhere', while other rail firms have imposed 20mph speed limits - causing slower journeys - due to the weather's impact on tracks.

More than 1,000 schools are closing or reducing opening hours, rail operators have slashed timetables, Eurostar services have been cancelled and passengers are being urged to avoid travelling altogether as temperatures soar.

Meanwhile, air conditioning units have also sold out at B&Q and Argos as Britons raced to buy the cooling equipment to help battle against the heatwave. 

While plenty of heatwave knock-on effects between now and the summer of 1976 have their resonances, the world has of course changed in other ways.

Currently top of the UK singles chart is all-conquering Taylor Swift's I Knew It I Knew You - whereas 50 years ago today it was novelty hit The Combine Harvester by the Wurzels.