London Sports Festival moves from 3×3 basketball success to pickleball at the City of London Corporation’s Guildhall Yard
Streeting attacks Burnham’s pledges as ‘appeal to party at expense of Brits’ June 16, 2026 Former health secretary Wes Streeting levelled a series of thinly-veiled attacks against Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, ahead of a crucial by-election that will likely set a Labour leadership contest in motion. In a speech in Tower Bridge in London, Streeting appeared to criticise Burnham’s political campaign in Makerfield in the weeks leading up to polling [...]
Thames Water on cusp of public ownership after ‘weak’ deal June 16, 2026 Thames Water is on the cusp of being placed in temporary public ownership after the government raised concern with a proposed £10bn rescue by its lenders. It was reported last night that the environment secretary Emma Reynolds had outlined a number of concerns to the industry regulator Ofwat ahead of a final decision on the [...]
Andy Burnham commits to triple lock despite backlash over ‘unsustainable’ policy June 15, 2026 Andy Burnham has committed to keeping the triple lock pension and allowing pensioners to escape paying income taxes despite the policy being opposed by swathes of economists and MPs. Burnham said he would keep the triple lock pension, the mechanism that ensures the taxpayer-funded state pension rises by whichever is highest out of wage growth, [...]
Thames Water, energy grid, rent prices: Burnham drums up public control agenda June 13, 2026 Andy Burnham will press for an agenda of public control over water companies, the national energy grid and government procurement regulation if he becomes Prime Minister. Reports on Saturday indicated that the Manchester mayor, who is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election before a likely bid to become the party’s leader, would push [...]
Burnham rows back on £10bn Waspi women offer June 11, 2026 Andy Burnham has rowed back on an apparent offer to consider a £10.5bn payout for Waspi women, a group of female pensioners who argue that they were not told about a rise in the state pension age. Burnham had told activists that he would “stick by the Waspi women – Women Against State Pension Inequality [...]
Burnham hints at payout for Waspi women claiming billions June 11, 2026 Andy Burnham has suggested he would support more than 3.5m women who are seeking compensation, hinting at a billions of pounds spending commitment if he enters Downing Street. The Makerfield by-election candidate has long been an outspoken supporter for the so-called Waspi women, a cohort born in the 1950s who claim they lost thousands of [...]
What should we make of Makerfield? June 11, 2026 Much analysis of the Makerfield by-election focuses on what it means for Keir Starmer and the Labour party’s national fortunes – but how should we assess it on its own terms? Asks Steve Akehurst It can be stated without much hyperbole that when the people of Makerfield go to the polls next week it will [...]
Reform UK vows to raise VAT threshold to £150,000 June 10, 2026 Reform UK has announced it would raise the VAT threshold for small businesses from £90,000 to £150,000 despite long-running debates over the cost and benefits of reforming the tax. Reform announced on Wednesday it would create a “fair deal for the White Van man” by increasing the VAT registration threshold to £150,000. The party said [...]
An emboldened – or desperate – new government will look to wealth taxes June 10, 2026 Wealth taxes are climbing back up the political agenda as the Labour party begins the process of reinventing itself for a post-Starmer era. Wes Streeting thinks he’s found “a wealth tax that works” by hiking capital gains tax while Andy Burnham is flirting with a land value tax that would naturally hit wealthy areas the [...]
George Osborne: Manchesterism is a real thing but Burnham ‘only part of the story’ June 10, 2026 Former Chancellor George Osborne has said that mayor Andy Burnham should take some credit for Manchester’s high growth, defending Manchesterism as a “real thing”. Speaking to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee, he defended his move to begin devolving fiscal powers to Manchester during the Coalition government years under his “Northern Powerhouse” initiative. He [...]