Energy operator ‘flying blind’ as net zero push threatens hiked bills and blackouts July 25, 2026 The UK’s net zero push risks leaving the country with higher electricity bills and more susceptible to blackouts, according to a leaked report commissioned by the national grid system. The report, produced by energy consultancy firm Cornwall Insight for the National Energy System Operator (Neso) and shared with The Times by a whistleblower, revealed that [...]
Healey: Squeezed businesses also need ‘breathing space’ July 23, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has said he is “just as concerned” by costs facing businesses as those facing households, adding that bosses also required “breathing space” to manage burdens from energy, labour and supply chains. Echoing Andy Burnham’s pledge to provide “breathing space” on the cost of living, Healey said he would aim to ease cost [...]
‘Businesses are not cash machines’ – Badenoch calls on Burnham to rule out tax rises July 23, 2026 Kemi Badenoch has called on Andy Burnham to rule out tax rises as the new Prime Minister has made a series of small unfunded promises. The Tory leader said Burnham seemed “like a nice guy” and had a “sense of humour” yet she ridiculed the Prime Minister’s early flurry of policies. In her speech overlooking [...]
The Rest Is… for the Treasury: Gary Lineker backs wealth tax for rich July 23, 2026 Gary Lineker has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to introduce a wealth tax on himself and other millionaires. The former England football player, synonymous with crisps, is one of over 100 millionaires to sign an open letter to No 10 calling for a 2 per cent tax hike on people with assets worth at least [...]
Nearly 1m people to pay higher tax ‘by stealth’ July 22, 2026 Nearly one million people are being dragged into higher tax bands as the government’s “stealth” freezes take effect, according to new analysis. Data crunched by the Taxpayers’ Alliance has shown that fiscal drag – where freezes on tax bands mean workers are forced to pay more into HMRC as wages grow – will impact 1m [...]
Lucy Rigby back as City minister July 22, 2026 Lucy Rigby has been demoted to City minister after a stint as the chief secretary to the Treasury. Rigby, who previously served in the role under Keir Starmer, was moved from her cabinet role by Burnham and will now return to the dual brief of economic secretary to the Treasury and City minister. The former [...]
Can the City make friends with Healey? July 22, 2026 For the second time in history, the Labour party has recruited a former defence secretary by the name of Healey to become chancellor. The first, Denis Healey, ended up going cap-in-hand to the IMF for a bailout in 1976 after the UK endured rocketing inflation, soaring borrowing and surging unemployment. So the bar has been [...]
Healey challenges Cabinet to find cuts July 21, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has challenged Cabinet ministers to find savings in budgets hours after Andy Burnham was criticised for making an “unfunded” tax cut. In the first meeting between Cabinet ministers under Burnham’s government, Healey urged ministers to “look harder” at spending priorities across departments. Burnham also urged ministers to consider “how we are going [...]
Brazen Burnham should call an election and put his ten year plan to the voters July 21, 2026 Plenty of people were staring at their phones outside the Calais terminal of the Eurotunnel on Monday afternoon, but I sensed I was the only one watching Andy Burnham’s Downing Street address. We left for France under one Prime Minister and came back under another. That’s just how it is these days. My first reaction [...]
What should sport expect from Andy Burnham and Lisa Nandy? July 21, 2026 There’s an Evertonian in Downing Street, a Toffee looking to unstick what he calls “40 years of neoliberalism”. But in doing so Andy Burnham has left his constituent buddy and long-term ally Lisa Nandy at DCMS, with the “digital” brief dropped in 2023 returning to 100 Parliament Street. Some in Westminster believe Nandy, a Wigan [...]