Burnham launches bid to stand as Labour MP in by-election January 24, 2026 Andy Burnham has confirmed he will run to stand as a candidate for Labour in the Gorton and Denton by-election after Andrew Gwynne resigned as an MP. The Manchester Mayor’s application to stand as a candidate now gives senior Labour figures a fresh headache given his openness around his leadership ambitions. He has already received [...]
Rayner to back Burnham’s Westminster bid January 24, 2026 Labour MPs will gather amid speculation that Andy Burnham could seek to stand for a Westminster by-election and challenge the Prime Minister’s authority, with former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner expected to support the Manchester Mayor’s potential bid to become an MP. The conference of Labour’s north-west England MPs will see former deputy prime minister [...]
Starmer: I’ll still be prime minister going into 2027 January 4, 2026 Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has insisted he will still leading the country this time next year, dismissing concerns about his leadership, despite growing rumours about challenges within the party. The Labour leader said that frequent leadership changes were not in the national interest, taking note of the “chopping and changing” of prime minister under [...]
Budget: ‘Tax on holidays’ slammed by Butlin’s boss November 26, 2025 The chief executive of Butlin’s has slammed Rachel Reeves for introducing a ‘tax on holidays’ in her Budget today. Jon Hendry Pickup has argued that “hospitality businesses like Butlin’s remain caught in the crossfire of the Chancellor’s tax and spend ideology”. The chief executive was reacting to the ‘tourism tax’ which has been welcomed by [...]
Reeves opens door for mayors to impose ‘damaging’ tourist tax November 25, 2025 Mayors in England are set to be given new powers to levy a tourist tax on visitors to fund local projects under a new policy. Reeves will give mayors the ability to impose a “modest” charge on visitors staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses and holiday lets through the English Devolution and Community [...]
Andy Burnham makes £1bn challenge to Starmer and Reeves before the Budget November 20, 2025 Andy Burnham has revealed a £1bn growth plan for Manchester in a move which could be seen as a direct challenge to both Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves less than a week before the Budget. The Mayor of Greater Manchester has touted the proposals as a way to “pioneer a new [...]
Labour say manifesto stands ‘today’ as Reeves ducks VAT hike September 29, 2025 The Chancellor would not rule out fresh rises to VAT ahead of her speech to Labour Party Conference later today, when pressed on the issue by LBC’s Nick Ferrari this morning. Asked whether Brits could face increases to the retail levy, Reeves said: “You’ll know we made those commitments in our manifesto, and those commitments [...]
Could Andy Burnham actually unseat Keir Starmer? September 29, 2025 Andy Burnham has made a bold threat to Keir Starmer, but could he actually unseat the Prime Minister? Eliot Wilson takes a look.
Keir Starmer ‘has until May’ as polling sends warning shot September 15, 2025 Keir Starmer has been told he has until next May’s local elections to turn fortunes around as polling has sent the prime minister an ominous warning about his future. The Prime Minister is facing intense pressure from Labour MPs after new questions were raised about his appointment and judgment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to [...]
Angela Rayner: People in tax-dodge houses shouldn’t throw stones September 3, 2025 Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner will be lucky to survive this latest tax-dodging property scandal, writes James Ford If you are a government minister there are always a number of key warnings that your frontbench career is on the brink. The first stage of your fall from grace is when your fellow ministers end up [...]