Burnham is wrong. Devolution will only grow Whitehall August 10, 2026 Despite promises to streamline, the Civil Service has only grown and grown. Burnham's devolution will make it worse, says Arthur Reynolds.
‘Good growth in every postcode’ is a woeful catchphrase August 10, 2026 Burnham and co's bid to 'back British' and generate 'good growth' everywhere is a bid to fool voters with their own money, writes Eliot Wilson.
Burnham facing calls to cut employment red tape as job seekers grow for 41 months August 10, 2026 The government is facing calls to strip red tape around employment after the pool of people looking for jobs in the UK grew for a 41st consecutive month. The number of people on the hunt for work has now grown for nearly three and a half years while the number of available jobs has declined [...]
Burnham to unveil new cost of living measures on UK tour August 9, 2026 Prime minister Andy Burnham will start a national tour on Monday to hear Brits’ concerns about the cost of living and unveil a series of measures to provide financial support. Burnham plans to use the national tour to tell voters about his 10-year plan for the UK, while also announcing his new policies to “give [...]
No 10 backs ‘vertical drinking’ in Soho pubs August 7, 2026 Downing Street has waded into the debate over so-called “vertical drinking” and called on Westminster City Council to “work with” the industry to maintain the culture of pints outside London pubs. “Busy pubs full of people talking to each other is not a public nuisance, it is British life and it is thousands of jobs,” [...]
Britain’s problem isn’t too much Thatcherism, but too little August 7, 2026 Margaret Thatcher remains a bogeyman for Andy Burnham and the British left despite having left Downing Street 35 years ago, but their critiques are wide of the mark, says Emma Revell Everyone has someone or something they blame when things get tough. Astrology girlies use the position of Mercury to absolve themselves of any responsibility [...]
Citi chief’s cowed Trump comments reveal corporate America’s tightrope August 6, 2026 Citi has become a favourite of President Trump during his second term. Chief executive Dame Jane Fraser’s comments in London yesterday may show why, writes Charlie Conchie I sat across the table from Citi’s boss Dame Jane Fraser yesterday as she delivered a blistering warning to Andy Burnham and the new Labour government. For an [...]
UK debt ‘hits £3 trillion’ milestone August 6, 2026 The size of the UK’s national debt has now risen above £3 trillion, analysis has suggested, reflecting the burden facing taxpayers across the country. A tracker by a rightwing campaign group and think tank has suggested that national debt had reached the long-awaited milestone after an explosion in spending since 2020. The Taxpayers’ Alliance based [...]
‘Social value’ procurement rules are an absurd waste of time and money August 6, 2026 Procurement is not a sexy topic, but stay with me here. The public sector spends around £400bn a year buying goods and services from the private sector. You can imagine the scale: NHS equipment and Ministry of Defence gear, police cars and IT infrastructure, immigration processing centres, security guards, construction projects and fax machines. It’s [...]
Give London power to level up the rest of the country August 6, 2026 If Andy Burnham is to make a success of his devolution agenda he must give London more powers and money to invest in the main drivers of the whole country’s international competitiveness, says Patrick Diamond The new prime minister, Andy Burnham, has put devolution and economic growth at the heart of his government’s narrative. London [...]