Sir James Cleverly: London needs its mojo back September 17, 2026 Council takeovers in Westminster and Wandsworth have offered the Tories a new confidence boost in London. Sir James Cleverly, once close to becoming party leader, speaks to Maurício Alencar about his ambition to lead the Conservatives into the next London mayoral election in 2028. Unprompted, Sir James Cleverly insists it’s “nonsense” that London is a [...]
Andrew Griffith tells Burnham to rule out Budget tax rises September 16, 2026 Shadow chancellor Andrew Griffith will urge Labour to rule out further tax rises on businesses at next month’s Budget, as the Conservatives set out plans to cut the compliance burden facing small firms and the self-employed. In his first major speech since taking the role, Griffith will call on Andy Burnham and chancellor John Healey [...]
Burnham considers giving mayors ‘control over water companies’ September 16, 2026 Prime Minister Andy Burnham plans to create nine regional bodies led by mayors that could bring water companies under public control. Under the proposals, regional leaders would sit on boards alongside public health officials, customers and environmental campaigners. Alongside setting company objectives, it is understood the boards will collect customer feedback through consultation mechanisms modelled [...]
Burnham warns of ‘challenging’ Budget and hits back at ‘socialists with TikTok’ jibe September 16, 2026 Andy Burnham has warned Brits to expect a “challenging” Budget as he hit back at his former adviser for accusing him of being a “socialist with better TikToks”. Burnham’s comments will be interpreted as an indication that tax hikes will likely form part of October’s Budget, as his pledge to give households “breathing space” on [...]
Gambling giant blames job cuts on Burnham high street crackdown September 16, 2026 Ladbrokes owner Entain has hit out at Andy Burnham’s plans to shake up the high street as the gambling giant blamed the Prime Minister for its decision to cut 400 jobs. The group, which also owns Coral, has announced that it will cut about a fifth of the headcount of its global customer care team, [...]
Brewdog founder James Watt slams Burnham over Neets crisis September 16, 2026 Brewdog co-founder James Watt has attacked Andy Burnham for “dangerous narratives” around youth joblessness, criticising the government for hiking the cost of employment. The beer tycoon said the Prime Minister is wrong to “blame the system” and should instead cut the cost of hiring workers and “get out of the way”. The Scottish businessman, who [...]
Haldane warns Burnham on ‘tax-and-spend socialists with better TikTok videos’ September 16, 2026 Former Bank of England chief economist Andy Haldane has warned Prime Minister Andy Burnham that markets believe he is presiding over a “traditional tax and spend socialist government with better Tiktok videos”. Haldane, who advised Burnham before he returned to Westminster earlier this year, said the government’s “Achilles’ heel” was its inability to cut public [...]
Shadow Chancellor: 200,000 jobs have already been lost under Labour September 16, 2026 Labour’s economic policies are damaging the UK economy and driving up unemployment – only Conservatives can restore growth, says Andrew Griffith If the UK economy were a malfunctioning car, the dashboard would be lit up like a Christmas Tree. This morning’s labour market figures are the latest set of accounts for Labour’s economy, and I [...]
We’re walking an economic tightrope and the wind is picking up September 16, 2026 I spent much of my morning yesterday with a group of City chiefs for a candid (though unfortunately, off the record) chat about the health of our economy and the state of our politics. I feared that my stump speech about the perilous state of our public finances, our low growth rate, the ever-expanding state [...]
What does the British government think sanctions on Israel will achieve? September 14, 2026 Would it be highly cynical to suggest that Labour are changing Britain’s policy on Israel in search of domestic political advantage?