Brits back Blair’s growth calls – yet are squeamish over welfare cuts June 1, 2026 Most Britons back Tony Blair’s demands to prioritise cheaper energy over net zero and support the private sector to boost growth, yet are squeamish over slashing disability payments and reforming the triple lock pension, polling has shown. Following up on Tony Blair’s rallying call for potential Labour leadership contenders to focus on growth, City AM/Freshwater [...]
Labour sheds union member support to Reform, poll shows June 1, 2026 Trade union members are split between supporting Labour and Reform UK, a poll has found, reflecting the breakdown of Britain’s traditional voting patterns. A poll by JL Partners has suggested that support for the two parties from union members is tied at 28 per cent, with Labour dropping 20 percentage points in support since the [...]
Milburn NEET review: Anger crackles from the page but will Labour act? June 1, 2026 Alan Milburn's review into Britain's economically inactive youth (or NEETs) makes for extraordinary reading, but will the government act?
NATO military chief presses UK to accelerate defence pledges May 31, 2026 Nato’s military chief has urged Britain and other allies to speed up the delivery of their defence pledges. Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Nato’s military committee chair, said he is “frustrated” by the UK and its allies’ commitments to spend on defence which he said do not stand if there is no equipment to show for [...]
Burnham would end asylum hotel contracts if he was PM, allies say May 30, 2026 Andy Burnham would end the multibillion-pound asylum accommodation contracts if he became prime minister, according to allies of the Labour leadership hopeful. Since March, the Home Office has had the opportunity to trigger a break clause in the ten-year contracts it signed with three private companies which are responsible for sourcing accommodation. The clause allows [...]
Burnham hits back at Blair with more state control for ‘good growth’ May 29, 2026 Andy Burnham has called for stronger state intervention in the economy to deliver what he calls “good growth,” lashing back at Tony Blair’s blueprint for Labour’s future direction. The Greater Manchester mayor conceded areas of agreement with the three-time election winner — notably on the importance of economic growth— but accused Blair of a “gaping [...]
Treasury still has £5bn to spend on Covid-19 – taking total bill to £385bn May 28, 2026 The Treasury has said it still needs to spend £5bn more on Covid-19 measures more than four years after the last lockdown restriction was lifted, taking the total estimated costs to taxpayers to £385bn. In a cost tracker update on Thursday, the government said it had already spent £380bn on Covid-19 support since the pandemic [...]
As it happened: Stocks plummet on latest Iran war tensions; Neets crisis a ‘human tragedy’ May 28, 2026 Good morning and welcome back to the City AM liveblog. The US and Iran are back to exchanging fire in a major blow to hopes of peace in the Middle East. Tehran struck an American airbase overnight in its retaliation for the US striking a military site that it said “posed a threat to US forces [...]
Tony Blair is the only sensible voice left in Labour May 28, 2026 After reading Tony Blair’s essay on the state of Britain (and the state of the Labour party) I was struck by the realisation that large parts of it sounded as if they’d come straight out of one of my own columns. Regular readers will know that I’ve often used this slot to point out the contradiction [...]
Starmer’s social media ban puts emotions above data May 28, 2026 By parading grieving parents through Downing Street, Number 10 risks presenting a false picture of the dangers of social media.