Investors ‘may be less than impressed’ by John Healey’s £9bn borrowing plans August 5, 2026 Investors may be “less than impressed” by John Healey’s plans to increase borrowing by £9bn a year to take stakes in assets such as infrastructure, analysts have warned. On Tuesday evening, it was reported that the new Chancellor and Treasury ministers were working on a proposal to deploy billions in the direction of infrastructure, housing [...]
Citi boss fires warning at government over banking tax August 5, 2026 The boss of Citigroup has warned the government that “money votes with its feet” and there are “very viable” alternatives to London should Andy Burnham decide to hit the banking sector with higher taxes. Dame Jane Fraser, a Scot credited with turning around the third largest bank in the US, said she was “concerned” at [...]
Net zero and DEI targets cut from procurement rules as firms pressed to raise pay and hire NEETs August 5, 2026 Net zero, modern slavery and equality rules are set to be stripped from procurement rules as Andy Burnham’s premiership looks to force firms to prioritise job creation. Several major tenders for government contracts feature a list of “conditions of participation” that require firms to report on net zero, diversity, ESG –environmental, social, and governance for [...]
Where are Andy Burnham’s economic advisers? August 5, 2026 Andy Burnham’s allies boasted that highly-regarded economists had been lured as advisers. Mauricio Alencar and Ali Lyon report on the non-appointments of some of Britain’s best economists – and what the Prime Minister and Chancellor’s new teams look like. In the end, all it took was a few rumours. In the weeks leading up to [...]
Big bank bosses on alert as tax noise gets louder under Burnham August 5, 2026 Banks have delivered booming profits for the first half of the year. In this week’s column Samuel Norman takes a look at how the calls for a tax rise on the sector will get louder under the new Prime Minister. “The saxophones are getting louder” is the internet’s new saying to depict growing anxiety. If you [...]
UK founders cast doubt on Burnham’s pro-business push August 4, 2026 The majority of Britain’s top scale-up founders believe business conditions will not improve under Andy Burnham as just one in 20 entrepreneurs feel the new PM backs the private sector. New research by Helm, a membership group of over 400 scale-up founders, suggested that a substantial number of its members were pessimistic about Burnham’s premiership. [...]
Iran war could ‘halt growth’ across UK economy August 3, 2026 The Iran war could “halt growth” in the UK economy as the success of Andy Burnham and John Healey’s economic management largely hinges on President Trump’s decision-making, a City firm has warned. Big Four consultancy EY has said that the UK economy could perform better than first expected this year as its growth forecast was [...]
Healey revives ‘price-gouging’ threat as cost of living options narrow August 2, 2026 Chancellor John Healey has revived threats against retailers over profiteering as his cost of living options have narrowed due to problems facing the country’s public finances. Healey warned supermarkets that they would not be able to take Britons “for a ride” as the Treasury would closely monitor “any suggestion” that shoppers were suffering from large [...]
Burnham accused of imposing ‘top–down’ devolution July 30, 2026 Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda has been slammed over its “top down” approach after the Prime Minister unveiled new plans to share income tax revenue with local leaders. Burnham, himself a former Manchester mayor, said regional leaders in England will begin receiving a “greater share of locally generated revenues” next spring as part of his push [...]
Burnham’s plea to City chiefs: let a young person shadow you at work July 30, 2026 Andy Burnham has called on City bosses to let young people shadow them at work as part of a push to tackle the problem of youth unemployment. Speaking to the Jimmy’s Jobs of the Future podcast, the prime minister said that there needs to be more work experience and apprenticeships for young people who don’t [...]