Mahmood unveils refugee sponsorship route as asylum bill faces Labour test June 27, 2026 Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has unveiled plans for businesses and universities to sponsor refugees to come to Britain, as she seeks to shore up support for a wider asylum overhaul expected to face resistance from parts of Labour. The Home Office said it would introduce new “capped safe and legal” routes from later this year, [...]
Burnham to lay out economic plan, but markets fear Miliband as Chancellor June 23, 2026 With more than three weeks to go before he can formally clinch the keys to 10 Downing Street, leadership challenger Andy Burnham is planning to make a major speech on the economy next week. It’s part of an effort to reassure the bond markets – to which he once said we shouldn’t be “in hock” [...]
City investors raise alarm on Burnham’s Chancellor pick June 18, 2026 Andy Burnham’s bid to return to parliament poses a risk to financial markets, City analysts have warned, as his next pick as Chancellor could heavily sway traders’ views. City analysts have said they will be closely watching out for developments on Friday as results from the Makerfield by-election emerge in the early hours of the [...]
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 [...]
‘Bond market meltdown’: UK borrowing costs highest since 1998 as Starmer fights for survival May 12, 2026 Warnings of a “bond market meltdown” flashed through the City on Tuesday after government borrowing costs soared as pressure mounted on Sir Keir Starmer’s future in Downing Street. For weeks, City investors have been on high alert as fears mounted that a mass rebellion would be triggered after devastating local election results. Traders fear the [...]
Cabinet ministers urge Starmer to set path for succession May 11, 2026 Keir Starmer’s Downing Street operation was plunged into a full-blown crisis on Monday, after three cabinet ministers urged him to set a timeline for his resignation despite the robust defence of his premiership he launched in a make-or-break stump speech earlier in the day. Speculation over the future of his government reached fever pitch into [...]
Ministers working with backbenchers amid immigration overhaul concerns April 5, 2026 Ministers concerned with home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s immigration changes are working with backbenchers concerned about planned immigration crackdowns. Figures within government are trying to help rebel MPs secure more exemptions from reforms being spearheaded by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, according to The Guardian newspaper. The changes are aimed at extending the amount of time migrants [...]
Family visas plummet as Mahmood targets migrant dependants February 26, 2026 The number of family-related visas plummeted over 2025 as the government clamped down on dependants joining migrant workers and students. In fresh data published by the Home Office on Thursday, it was revealed that just 67,000 visas were offered to spouses, children and other dependants of migrants. It represented a sharp 22 per cent drop [...]
Pubs to open late during World Cup – a life raft for hospitality? February 24, 2026 Though the Labour government and the country’s thousands of pub landlords have very rarely seen eye-to-eye in recent months, the World Cup could bring a summer truce to this fiery dispute. Hospitality trade bodies and one of the country’s biggest pub chains have told City AM they welcome the government’s move to allow pubs to [...]
Labour ruling committee block Andy Burnham from by-election race January 25, 2026 Andy Burnham has been blocked from running as the Labour candidate in the forthcoming by-election in the North West. The Manchester Mayor lodged his request for selection in the Gorton and Denton race on Saturday following Andrew Gwynne announcing his intention to step down. Speculation had mounted Burnham would face opposition from Labour’s governing body [...]