Thames Water is Burnham’s first big test: will he do what’s right or what’s popular? Opinion Thames Water will run out of money in a matter of months, but the government rejected a plan to save it. Now, Burnham’s talk of renationalisation is already scaring off investors and reducing the tax revenues available to fun public services, says Natascha Engel Now that Keir Starmer has announced his departure, the question is [...]
John Healey’s principles will cost UK defence companies Opinion Defence secretary John Healey supposedly quit for British industry, but he has inadvertently handed the main win to its competitors.
Small businesses can help solve defence procurement Opinion A neutral vendor model for defence procurement will solve issues of scale, reduce bureaucracy and reduce the risks of engagement for all sides, says Rob Levene John Healey and Al Carns may have quit, but the final answer to the question that triggered their exits as defence secretary and armed forces minister has been left [...]
War bonds to lift defence spending ruled out June 17, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out issuing defence bonds to fund an uplift in spending as a spokesperson said it was “just another form of borrowing”. In his absence at Prime Minister’s Questions, Starmer’s deputy David Lammy appeared to open the door to defence bonds being created to fund a rise in spending. The Liberal [...]
John Healey has delivered a fatal blow to Starmer’s premiership June 15, 2026 The defence minister’s resignation reveals the complete collapse of Keir Starmer’s authority, says Eliot Wilson The resignation of the Defence Secretary, John Healey, last week, with his Armed Forces Minister Al Carns a few hours behind him, was a very serious blow for Sir Keir Starmer. Let us be clear about the significance of this: [...]
I was defence secretary, here’s how we fund our armed forces June 15, 2026 There is a way to attract more capital investment – whether it is the better utilisation of MoD assets, or attracting capital from pension funds to invest in other priorities like NHS hospitals to meet the knock-on impacts of getting to 3.5 per cent of GDP on defence, says Lord Hutton It’s easy to be [...]
Government departments will look at cutting budgets to fund defence, minister says June 14, 2026 Government departments are looking at cutting their budgets further in order to help fund defence, a cabinet minister has said. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy insisted the country’s national security remains minister’s “highest priority” adding departments are looking to shift their budgets to fund defence. She said to Sky News: “There’s a clear picture emerging from [...]
Starmer clings on as defence spending plan in disarray after resignations June 12, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership has been dealt another major blow as defence ministers quit the government over a lack of funding for security. It was confirmed on Friday that the Defence Investment Plan had still not yet been completed after months of wrangling and delays. But on Thursday, John Healey resigned as defence secretary in [...]
As it happened: FTSE 100 rises as easing Iran tensions offset GDP blow; SpaceX set for blast off June 12, 2026 Welcome back to the City AM liveblog. Global equity investors are bracing for Musk’s record-breaking market debut SpaceX is set to begin trading on Nasdaq today after Elon Musk’s rocket, satellite and AI empire pulled off the largest IPO in market history. The company raised $75bn after pricing shares at $135, giving it a $1.77 [...]
Oil prices rise as Trump warns of ‘very hard’ strikes against Iran June 11, 2026 President Trump has escalated his threats against the Iranian regime, announcing on social media that the US will hit Iran “very hard” tonight if a peace deal cannot be reached. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US President suggested that American forces could take Kharg Island, a crucial oil export artery for [...]