Burnham must walk a tightrope on his ascent to Downing Street June 19, 2026 After Andy Burnham cleared the path for a run at the Labour leadership with an emphatic win in the Makerfield by-election. Maurício Alencar sketches out what an Andy Burnham government could look like – and the balancing act he faces on the way there Despite romping home to victory in the Makerfield by-election on Friday, [...]
Starmer insists he will challenge Burnham in a leadership contest June 19, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not stand down as Prime Minister and intends to fight any contest for the Labour leadership, in a challenge to Andy Burnham after his win in the Makerfield by-election. Speaking on Friday morning, Starmer congratulated the former Manchester mayor after he won an emphatic victory over Reform UK [...]
As it happened: Pound dips and stocks slip as Andy Burnham victory triggers political uncertainty June 19, 2026 Good morning from the City AM liveblog team. Andy Burnham has secured his place in the House of Commons after a decisive by-election win in Makerfield overnight, with 54.8 per cent of the vote, well ahead of Reform’s 34.5 per cent. Top of Burnham’s to-do list is triggering a leadership challenge inside the Labour party, [...]
Universal reveals £133m investment in Bedford theme park June 18, 2026 US Media giant Comcast has revealed that it has already invested more than £130m in its upcoming Universal theme park in Bedford which was recently announced by the government. The 540 acre Universal United Kingdom Resort is due to open in 2031 and is tipped to have rides themed to Jurassic World, James Bond and [...]
Beware a desperate Prime Minister in search of a legacy June 18, 2026 From Theresa May to Rishi Sunak and now Keir Starmer’s, Prime Ministers have long sought to ban things just before leaving Downing Street, says Tom Harwood Is it too soon to write the Prime Minister’s obituary? As Keir Starmer returns from his latest bout of wining and dining with world leaders in Évian-les-Bains by Lake [...]
Andy Burnham will crumble like a biscuit he can’t even name June 18, 2026 Andy Burnham’s record and character will not withstand the national scrutiny that will come with a bid to become Prime Minister, says Alys Denby Once, when asked which was his favourite biscuit, Andy Burnham replied “beer and chips and gravy”. If the Mayor of Manchester wins the Makerfield by-election today and graduates from local celebrity [...]
Politics and football have more in common than you think June 18, 2026 If politics is showbiz for ugly people, it might also be seen as sport for the unathletic. It often carries the same partisanship, the obsession with obscure statistics, and the familiar pattern of renewed hope, only to be dampened by reality, says John Oxley By the time you read things, two things will have happened [...]
KOL: How Santiago Lastra reimagined Mexican food with British ingredients June 17, 2026 London’s Mexican food scene is going from strength to strength, and it doesn’t get any better than Michelin-starred KOL, writes Carys Sharkey Sacks filled to the brim with scarlet mounds of chillies sit in Ocean Spray cranberry juice boxes in the oppressive midday sun of Oaxaca City. Up top, bags of pre-packed chillies hang like [...]
HSBC targets $100m in savings with Google Cloud AI tie-up June 17, 2026 Europe’s biggest lender HSBC has sealed a a tech tie-up with Google where it aims to use AI to scout priority projects that could bank the firm $100m in “efficiency gains”. The FTSE 100 giant is planning to roll out Google Cloud across its operations in a deal that the bank says will allow 200 [...]
Starmer: I would make Andy Burnham a Cabinet minister June 17, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer has said he would offer Andy Burnham a “big role in government” if he is elected as an MP in the Makerfield by-election this week. The Prime Minister indicated that the current Manchester mayor would be given a Cabinet role as he said he had “spoken to him many times in recent [...]