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Burnham promises a new political and economic model
After Keir Starmer’s resignation, Andy Burnham has become the UK’s seventh prime minister in 10 years. Addressing dozens of supporters in front of 10 Downing Street, he pledged to break with the politics of the past.
Watch: Starmer resigns, Burnham becomes PM... the day in 98 seconds
Andy Burnham has become the UK's prime minister after being appointed by the King at Buckingham Palace.
Andy Burnham: What to Expect from the UK’s New Prime Minister
As Britain’s seventh prime minister in a decade, Andy Burnham enters Downing Street with a “Manchesterism” agenda of devolution and reindustrialization—and a cooler disposition toward Washington than his predecessor.
Why Britain is getting a new prime minister without a general election
Veteran Labour Party politician Andy Burnham has become Britain’s new prime minister He takes over from Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation last month.
Andy Burnham says politicians 'need to be better' in first speech as UK's new prime minister
Burnham spoke for several minutes outside 10 Downing St., where he promised to end street sleeping by homeless people and deliver a “circuit breaker” for a system he says has taken wrong turns since the 1980s.
Don’t believe Andy Burnham’s PR machine
As his empty Gaza apology clearly demonstrates, he will not bring the radical change Labour really needs.
Andy Burnham takes over as UK prime minister, calls for 'new political model'
Andy Burnham enters Downing Street vowing to shift power away from London, but his past criticism of Trump could create early friction with Washington.
Who is Andy Burnham and what are his policies for Britain?
The new U.K. prime minister rose to prominence as mayor of the northern city. NBC News traveled there and spoke to those who know Burnham to get a sense of who he really is and what his policies might be.
Live: Andy Burnham set to take over as Britain's prime minister, vows stable politics
Andy Burnham becomes Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade, promising to "rewire" the nation to focus more clearly on issues people care about.
Britain Politics Burnham
Reporters prepare in Downing Street as Labour Party leader Andy Burnham is set to become the U.K.'s new prime minister on Monday, succeeding Keir Starmer in London, Monday, July 20,
Britain Politics Burnham
The statue of Winston Chruchill is silhouetted against the sky with the backdrop of the Elizabeth Tower, commonly known as Big Ben, as Labour Party leader Andy Burnham is set
Andy Burnham’s in-tray: The challenges facing the new UK PM
Andy Burnham will become Britain's next prime minister on Monday, with huge challenges and opportunities.
Who is Andy Burnham, the U.K.'s new prime minister?
On Monday, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham succeeds Keir Starmer as the United Kingdom's prime minister. Burnham's politics have been shaped by England's north-south class divide.
Andy Burnham will be bolder but stick to Labour manifesto, Lucy Powell says
Burnham will replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister on Monday, following a meeting with King Charles III.
Can Andy Burnham's casual style survive contact with No 10
When Burnham becomes PM, he'll find it harder to wear the wardrobe that's central to his political brand.
England’s incoming PM is getting down to business
Andy Burnham is faced with the difficult task of reigniting the country's economy
Andy Burnham is declared leader of UK's Labour Party, pledges to restore hope
The former mayor of Greater Manchester was the only contender in the center-left party's leadership contest to replace departing Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who was forced out by a rebellion within his party.
Andy Burnham Calls for 'New Politics' in U.K. in First Speech as Labour Leader
"We must recognize that this generation of politicians, myself included, have failed to challenge a political culture and an economic model that simply doesn't work well enough for ordinary people."
Andy Burnham set to become UK prime minister after Keir Starmer resignation
Andy Burnham was officially declared leader of Britain's governing Labour Party on Friday, promising to bring hope to the British people and purpose to the floundering government as he cleared his final hurdle to take office as prime minister next week.
What Andy Burnham’s first speech as Labour leader tells us
The incoming prime minister showed his oratorical skill and that he is prepared to borrow from populism
Watch UK's Burnham Pledges to Be 'Pro-Business' Leader
"I will be a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester," Andy Burnham says in his first speech since formally becoming leader of the Labour Party. He will take over as prime minister from Keir Starmer on Monday.
Burnham Says He’ll Be a Pro-Business PM in London Speech
Andy Burnham said he’ll be a pro-business prime minister, in his first speech since formally winning an uncontested race to lead the governing Labour Party.
UK Politics Live Updates: Andy Burnham to Replace Starmer as Labour Party Leader
Mr. Burnham is expected to promise in a speech more public control of essential services, a shift of power toward local governments and a push for economic growth.
How Andy Burnham, ‘King of the North,’ Conquered U.K. Politics
A plain-spoken politician from a modest background in northwest England, Mr. Burnham is set to be named Labour leader — and prime minister apparent — on Friday.
Andy Burnham to become Labour leader and will promise to 'fix things politics has neglected'
The Makerfield MP is due to speak later when he is appointed at a special party conference in central London. He will then become prime minister on Monday.
Change voting system before next election, Davey urges Burnham
The Lib Dem leader urges incoming PM Andy Burnham to "be brave" to fulfil his promise to change politics.
Nominations open in the contest to be U.K. leader, with Andy Burnham likely the only candidate
Burnham is highly likely to be announced as the new Labour leader July 17, and to become prime minister after a meeting with King Charles III on July 20.
JD Vance says British politics 'broken' ahead of expected UK Prime Minister transition
Lawmaker Andy Burnham is widely expected to succeed Starmer after emerging as the sole candidate to replace the outgoing leader.
They say Andy Burnham is ‘good at politics’ – but the proof will only come in time
The PM-in-waiting brings the promise of likability and a mission voters can believe in. He’ll need all that and more to survive, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams
Will Andy Burnham’s economic vision make us all better off?
Andy Burnham has made his first major speech since returning to Westminster. He set out his vision for a No10 in the North, for more council house building and repeated his claim that Westminster was “broken”.
Andy Burnham’s meteoric rise tells us much about how politics and power are changing
The former may of Greater Manchester’s rise raises questions about the changing dynamics of political parties and leadership in an accelerated political climate.
The weekend of Andy Burnham’s life - Live Updates
If England wins the World Cup, one pollster says the new prime minister should call a snap election.
Andy Burnham distanced himself from UK Prime Minister Starmer, but may be stuck with his policies
Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester who was sworn into Parliament hours after Starmer announced his resignation on Monday, will be constrained by the platform the center-left Labour Party was elected on that decisively ended 14 years of Conservative rule in 2024.
Andy Burnham distanced himself from UK Prime Minister Starmer, but may be stuck with his policies
Andy Burnham has set himself apart from the man he expects to replace as British prime minister
Who will be the next chancellor?
Whether Andy Burnham picks Miliband, Streeting or someone else, they will face a ‘bulging in-tray’
Trump describes Burnham as 'the mayor of a town' and 'extremely liberal'
Donald Trump gives his first public reaction to the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming prime minister.
What will the Trump administration’s relationship with Andy Burnham look like?
The popular Labour Party politician could butt heads with the U.S. president
What Has Andy Burnham, Britain's Likely Next Prime Minister, Said About Trump?
If Burnham’s planned leadership bid remains unchallenged, he could replace Starmer in a matter of weeks and it will likely fall on him to heal the rift between Washington and Westminster.
Andy Burnham to get briefings on taking over as prime minister
Sir Keir Starmer is offering "access talks" with the civil service to Labour leadership candidates.
Andy Burnham prepares for a UK Labour leadership contest that may be a coronation
Andy Burnham is preparing for a Labour Party leadership contest that could make him Britain's prime minister within weeks.
What do we know about Andy Burnham's politics?
This is not the first time Burnham has tried to become Labour leader, so what else do we know?
Starmer says he'll resign as UK prime minister, roiling British politics yet again
Starmer says he will remain caretaker prime minister until his Labour Party chooses a new leader — with expectations growing that it will be former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Was ‘dreary’ Keir Starmer destined to fail?
Outgoing PM never recovered from rocky first impression, but likely successor Andy Burnham will need more than charisma to stave off populist challengers
Keir Starmer says he will resign as prime minister; Andy Burnham expected to be next U.K. leader
Monday’s announcement may clear the path to power for Andy Burnham, who had planned to bring a challenge against Starmer. The next prime minister will be the seventh in just 10 years.
Top government figures expect Starmer to announce resignation plans
The prime minister has been considering his political future after Andy Burnham's big by-election victory last week.
Starmer is on the precipice as pressure builds for the U.K. leader to resign
Rival Andy Burnham's decisive win in a special election to the House of Commons puts him in position to challenge the prime minister.
Pressure mounts on Starmer to quit after Burnham’s by-election win
UK minister says Starmer considering 'political realities' after rival Andy Burnham secured decisive by-election win.
UK minister says PM Starmer is considering 'political realities' amid leadership pressure
The threat to Starmer's position increased sharply on Friday when former Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham won a seat in parliament.
Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg: Starmer faces pressure as business secretary to be quizzed
Labour MPs and cabinet ministers have been urging the PM to set out a timetable for his resignation following Andy Burnham's big win in Makerfield.
Burnham's Britain: six days in the place that just changed our politics
Andy Burnham is closing in on Downing Street after a big win in the Makerfield byelection. John Harris and John Domokos take a deep dive into a place where people's lives back up Burnham's insistence that we're living in an economy and society that need radical change – but they also find an infectious spirit of optimism
Labour's Andy Burnham wins a special election, setting up a showdown with Starmer to lead Britain
Labour's Andy Burnham, the current mayor of Greater Manchester, has won a special election for a seat in Parliament that puts him in a position to challenge embattled Prime Minister Keir Starmer for leadership of the country.
U.K. Election Results Live Updates: Burnham Wins Makerfield By-Election, Clearing Path to Challenge Starmer
Andy Burnham, the Labour Party’s most popular politician, earned a decisive victory for a parliamentary seat in northern England. The win energizes his bid to become prime minister.
Burnham's emphatic win leaves Starmer and Labour MPs with big decision
The PM will see the stonking scale of Andy Burnham's victory - will it shift his outlook, his defiance, so frequently recently expressed?
Can This Man Govern Britain? (Can Anyone?)
Andy Burnham is using an American playbook to become prime minister. It could be the center-left's last chance.
Britain Politics
Andy Burnham gives a thumbs up to supporters during a campaign visit to Ashton-in-Makerfield before the forthcoming by-election, in Manchester, England, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. CORRECTION: corrects family name to
The Guardian view on the Aberdeen South byelection: the politics of energy take centre stage
Editorial: While Westminster’s attention is focused on Andy Burnham and Makerfield, another pivotal byelection is taking place in Scotland’s north-east
Tony Blair’s ‘dramatic’ intervention: helpful or harmful?
Both Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham have accused Blair of failing to focus on inequality
Burnham’s Manchester Vibes Quickly Hit Westminster Realities
This week revealed both the promise and peril for Britain’s prime minister-in-waiting, Andy Burnham.
Britain Politics
View at flats decorated with the St George's Cross flag in Ashton-in-Makerfield where Andy Burnham will stand as Labour's candidate for the by-election in Makerfield, England, Friday, May 22, 2026.(AP
APTOPIX Britain Politics
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, starts a morning run in Manchester, England, Monday, May 18, 2026 whilst Britain's government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as
Britain Politics
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, drives his car in Manchester, England, Monday, May 18, 2026 whilst Britain's government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as the
Britain Politics
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, drives his car in Manchester, England, Monday, May 18, 2026 whilst Britain's government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as the
Britain Politics
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, starts a morning run in Manchester, England, Monday, May 18, 2026 whilst Britain's government is in turmoil, and some see Andy Burnham as
It’s Been a Wild Week in British Politics. What Happens Next?
Nobody has yet challenged Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the leadership, but his leading rival, Andy Burnham, finally has a route to Downing Street.
British Politics Is About to Get Even Messier
The looming contest between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and left-wing mayor Andy Burnham is spooking markets worried about Britain’s finances.
Gilts Slump as Investors Brace for Burnham Challenge to Starmer
Gilts tumbled after Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham secured a pathway to potentially challenge Keir Starmer for the UK prime minister’s job, threatening a fresh bout of political instability that investors fear could result in more expansive fiscal policy.
Chartbook 449: Voldemort on Threadneedle street. The Bank of England and the "haunted house" of English politics.
Imagine the scene: In some Harry Potter version of 21st-century London, a group of deathless UK Treasury officials gathered from across the last century huddle over warm pints and glasses of Chardonnay. Around the table there are officials from the 1920s, the 1930s, the 1970s, 2022 and today. Inevitably, in May 2026, the subject of conversation is the disintegration of the current Labour government. Despite its huge majority in parliament, it has been reduced to tatters by catastrophic local election result. These exposed the fact that rather than having a government with a clear popular majority, the UK is like most other modern societies divided into 5 segments each of which commands between 26 and 16 percent of the vote. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the leadership at Nos 10 and 11 Downing Street - where the Prime Minister and the Chancellor (Treasury Secretary) work - seem paralyzed. They are caught between mounting discontent over unfairness and the cost of living, and tough fiscal strictures that push them into making unpopular spending decisions. In the London pub, the Treasury officials from across the ages, can barely hide their satisfaction at the latest display of democratic politics caught in the vice-grip of financial logic. “Remember the mur d’argent and the banker’s ramp?” “Just like yesterday!” There are smirks around the table. Then the representative of 2026 pipes up: “One thing you have to say about the current lot (referring to the latest hapless Labour government), you don’t have to teach them about the bond market!” There is a murmur of ascent from the Treasury Mandarins. The trauma of the fiscal crisis of September-October 2022 sits deep. Back then, in the final stages of Tory decay, a ‘mini budget’ that challenged fiscal orthodoxy led to a brief but fierce panic in one of the oldest government bond markets in the world (aka gilt market). Now all you have to do is to mention the “bond market” to hush debate. [ Paul Mason@paulmasonnews In the name of public service, and as ex-economics editor of BBC Newsnight, I offer to do a zoom call, tonight, with any Labour MP who wants to understand why bond markets do not "fall into line" with governments. 1/ 3:57 PM · May 12, 2026 · 466K Views 224 Replies · 674 Reposts · 3.93K Likes ](https://x.com/paulmasonnews/status/2054229532404519082?s=20) “And the funny thing is”, the young man in the huddle continues, “they don’t even want to talk about … ”. There is a sudden hush. Significant looks are exchanged around the table. About? One of the senior figures puts down his glass with a decisive “clink”. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has entered their thoughts. Meanwhile, a few miles away in a grubby pub in Bloomsbury, two conspirators from the camp of Critical Macrofinance huddle over cans of low-alcohol IPA. They look at each other and blurt out loud: “The Bank!” “Everyone in the bloody Labour party is talking about the bond market. But why aren’t they even mentioning … the Bank of England!?” “Why is no one talking about Voldemort?” In Paul Mason’s blogpost, after much chest-thumping about basic fiscal logic, the basic point about the Bank of England is buried in the fine print at #3 in his list of suggestions as to what a radical Labour government might actually be able to do! [ Conflict & Democracy Down with the bond market! Down with gravity! It may seem unfair to focus on Labour MP Paula Barker for her off-the-cuff assertion that the bond market would have to “fall in line” with Andy Burnham, should he replace Keir Starmer as prime minister. But Burnham himself told the New Statesman that Labour had to “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets… Read more 2 days ago · 100 likes · 3 comments · Paul Mason ](https://htsf.substack.com/p/down-with-the-bond-market-down-with?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web) Back in Bloomsbury they shake their heads and ask: “Didn’t we learn anything from the Eurozone crisis?” Meanwhile, as if summoned to the conversation by some higher force, the “pink pages” announce: “The days of ultra-cheap government borrowing have come to an end” and Martin “Whizzard” Wolf publishes the graph of the season Look at the UK in 2026, perilously positioned on the upper edge of the pack. No wonder no one in London needs any lessons about the “bond market”. But, look again. Imagine how they feel in Rome. What is London’s nightmare in 2026? The nightmare is that you end up like Italy in the early 2010s during the Eurozone crisis. Once comfortably situated in the middle of the pack, watching with horror as your ten-year yields explode to 7 percent and “spreads” become a national nightmare. One of the largest economies in Europe, a founding member of the euro, stigmatized. But the message of the Italian experience is ambiguous. After all, the stigma didn’t last. In 2026, Italy borrows at rates lower not only than the UK but the US. The US, which, as everyone knows, enjoys the “exorbitant privilege” of being the issuer of reserve, safe asets. What kind of magic is this? How did Italy, in the space of fifteen years, go from being good, to bad and back again? Which brings us back to our dissident friends in their Bloombury boozer and their memories of the Eurozone crisis. Italy never was Britain - with its ongoing fiscal deficits. Without interest payments, on primary balance, from 2000 to 2020 Italy ran a tight fiscal ship. Even in 2008 it barely went into deficit and when it was being put on the rack in the early 20210s its primary surplus matched that of austere Germany. So, what happened? How did it end up stigmatized? Of course Italian politics didn’t help. Berlusconi was at the helm and he had legal issues. But amongst friends in the Bloomsbury pub, Berlusconi is a sideshow, the name we whisper to each other is “Trichet”. From 2004 to 2011 the ECB was headed by Jean-Claude Trichet, ex of the French Treasury, more German than the Germans. After 2009 as the news of the Greek fiscal disaster broke, the European bond markets wento into panic mode and Trichet began a brutal game of cat and mouse. Between 2009 and 2011, Trichet intervened in the bond market to help, only when he thought he had compliance with austerity. When he thought they were uncooperative, he withdrew. In the summer of 2011, he even made direct suggestions to his Italian counterparts in Rome, as to how Italy should be governed. It was this cat and mouse game that drove the bond markets crazy and exposed Italy to a violent squeeze. When Mario Draghi took over the ECB at the end of 2011 and declared “whatever it takes”, the pressure on Italy, gradually eased. It is that starring role that has made Draghi into the towering figure in European politics that he remains today. So now you see why voices in London hush when it comes to the Bank of England. “The bond market” isn’t an irresistible objective force like the weather or an avalanche. It can appear like that. But that depends on the way it is being handled, or not handled by the central bank. Which is why the silence about the Bank of England in London right now is so significant. If you think this all sounds a bit fishy, coming from a left-liberal Keynesian like myself, well, let me introduce you to Robin Brooks, who, to put it mildly, plays on a different quidditch team to me. Here, from the position of a fiscal hawk is Robin’s celebratory account of the Bank of England’s role since 2022; In October 2022, at the height of the bond market blow-up in the UK, something incredible happened. Governor Andrew Bailey told British pension funds the Bank of England would end its support program for the country’s fragile gilt market, drawing a line under how much help the central bank was willing to give to exposed pension funds and - implicitly - the government. By the end of that week, Kwasi Kwarteng - the finance minister - had resigned. Prime Minister Liz Truss would soon follow. This episode is so incredible because it contrasts with what happened in the Euro zone earlier that year. Bond markets in Spain and Italy were under pressure amid high inflation and rising interest rates. In the middle of this, Mario Draghi - Italy’s Prime Minister - resigned, compounding pressure on bond markets of high-debt countries on the Euro periphery. Unlike the Bank of England, the ECB caved. It bought Italian and Spanish government bonds in an effort to cap yields and introduced a new tool that signaled to markets it might do such caps more frequently going forward. Faced with pressure on bond markets, the ECB capitulated to political pressure from high-debt countries like Italy and Spain. The Bank of England stood its ground and toppled the Truss government. This kind of thing has long-lasting consequences. It means markets price a higher probability of yield caps in the Euro zone, which keeps Italian and Spanish yields artificially low, while markets feel free to push up UK yields without fear of central bank intervention. As I flagged in yesterday’s post, this means you really can’t compare UK yields to those of other high-debt countries. The UK looks worse, but only because its central bank isn’t interfering with markets. There’s more to this than just that 2022 episode. The Bank of England has also been much more aggressive in its quantitative tightening (QT) than other central banks. If one motivation for quantitative easing (QE) is to lower bond yields - especially longer-dated ones - then it stands to reason QT pushes yields up. The left chart above shows a four-quarter moving average of UK government debt issuance (black line) in percent of GDP and which sectors absorb this issuance, including the Bank of England (blue bars). The right chart above compares the Bank of England’s accumulation or run-off of government bonds (blue line) with that of other central banks, where this blue line is the same as the blue bars in the left chart. The Bank of England was quicker and more aggressive than other central banks in downsizing its bond holdings, so UK yields will have risen more than elsewhere also for this reason, not just because of Governor Andrew Bailey’s remarks in October 2022. Back in October 2025, after a conversation in New York with friends in British politics, my sense of dysphoria was such that I raised the issue of the Bank of England openly in the FT Since 2008, the UK has slid into a deep economic and political predicament. Growth has stagnated to a degree far worse even than in the 1970s. The Tory leadership’s wager on the Brexit referendum spectacularly backfired, leaving the UK isolated from Europe and at the mercy of its special relationship with the US, many of whose political class regard the UK as a basket case. After years of austerity, the Labour party lurched to the left and then back to the centre. The Tory party has been eclipsed by the populist nationalism of Reform. Any British government should be worrying first and foremost about how to restart growth. Instead, Keir Starmer is beset by shades of the gilt market panic triggered by the Liz Truss government in 2022. The debt level is higher than in recent years, but there is no cause for panic. UK debt is at far from critical levels and of long duration. Whether you want to “take back control” or launch progressive economic policy, a democracy dogged by fear of bond market vigilantes is unhealthy. In a country that is a monetary sovereign, this climate points to one thing: a disconnect between the government and the central bank. Since 1997, the independence of the Bank of England has become a sacred cow. But independence is what you make of it. And in the wake of the gilt market crisis of September 2022, relations between the Bank of England and the UK government need a reset. In normal times, there is no doubt that an inflation-targeting independent central bank can serve a country well. But since 2008, the UK and other advanced economies have not had the luxury of such simple problems. To their credit, central bankers around the world have not stood on orthodoxy. After 2008, the US Federal Reserve rescued the global banking system and, through quantitative easing, it stabilised the Treasury market in the face of huge deficits. In Europe, things were trickier. Both the Bank of England under Mervyn King and Jean-Claude Trichet’s European Central Bank played cat and mouse with national governments. This was a high stakes wager that between 2010 and 2012 escalated bond market tension and triggered a disastrous turn to austerity. Shaken by the impact of those shocks, their successors, Mark Carney and Mario Draghi adopted a more protective stance (assuming you were not the government of Greece). Recall that Draghi’s legendary slogan, “Whatever it takes”, was uttered to face down the City of London’s bond vigilantes. In 2015, Draghi launched QE — financial repression by another name. In 2016, Carney used the authority of the Bank of England to stabilise markets following the vote for Brexit, an exemplary demonstration of how central banks can underpin democratic choice, even when those choices are wrong headed. All these were independent central bankers steeped in the best practice of the 1990s, who recognised that historic crises demanded radical action. It was the price surge of 2021-2023 that poisoned the atmosphere. Though the shock came mainly from the supply side, central banks ended up in the dock. Nowhere more so than in the UK. The Bank of England reacted with aggressive normalisation. Faced with a cost of living crisis, the governor called for workers to accept real wage cuts. In early 2022, as gas prices were at record levels and Russia’s army was poised to invade Ukraine, the Bank adopted a stringent programme of quantitative tightening, elevating interest rates. When the Truss government got itself in trouble, the Bank took almost a week to come to the rescue. Rather than enacting a charade of normality, it is time to recognise that in 2025 the UK faces a period of historic transition. To meet this challenge, what is needed is a new concordat with the Bank. This should not ignore inflationary pressures or the long-run trajectory of debt, but should affirm the priority of reviving investment-led growth. One could follow Donald Trump in demanding interest rate cuts. The Bank could shadow the ECB in its commitment to capping Eurozone yields. But the top priority should be to lay the ghost of September 2022. The Bank’s slowing of QT last month was a concession. An immediate and complete end would send the right signal. Such a concordat will not by itself restore sanity to politics, solve the housing problem or rebuild the NHS. But it would help to lift the fear of bond market crisis, which is paralysing the effort by democratic politicians to answer the fundamental questions facing the nation. Now, that call for a new concordat between government and Bank of Englands seems more urgent than ever. The problem is that in October 2025, Starmer still had some authority. Today the government is in tatters. And when you are the “under the harrow” - to echo a phrase of Montagu Norman’s from the 1920s - it is the worst possible time to consider institutional change. To make general arguments at a time of crisis can only seem like special pleading rather than a general argument for long-term change. The same, unfortunately, is also true for the other basic institutional reform that Britain urgently needs i.e. the abolition of the out-dated first past the post electoral system and its replacement by a moderated form of proportional representation. And thirdly - whilst we are saying the quiet parts out loud - Britain needs to reopen the question of EU membership. What the local election results of 2026 show is that this remains a key issue. And what they also show is that there is a clear majority that would favor a return. Until these basic features of Britain’s political economy are addressed the country will carry on its politics as though in a haunted house, governed by governments that lack actual majorities, conjuring up false constraints whilst ignoring the real ones. This one is for DG and MI. I love writing the newsletter. If you enjoy it too and fancy buying me a coffee once a month, you know what to do. Click below! Subscribe
Britain Politics Starmer
FILE - This photo combination shows, from left, Wes Streeting in Liverpool, Sept. 30, 2025, Angela Rayner in Shoreditch, London, June 5, 2025, Andy Burnham in Liverpool, Sept. 29, 2025,
Burnham Says His Bond Market Remarks Were ‘Twisted for Political Reasons’
Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester and potential leadership challenger to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, said his comments last year that Britain was “in hock” to the bond markets had been “twisted for political reasons,” and blamed successive Westminster governments for failing to boost growth.
Labour party chair says Zack Polanski ‘cowardly’ for not fighting Gorton by-election
The party is trying to shift conversation after the NEC blocked Andy Burnham from fighting the seat
Starmer speaks to Burnham after by-election row
Sir Keir rejects claims that Andy Burnham was told in advance he would not be accepted as a by-election candidate.
Burnham blocked: Has Starmer messed up?
Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey discuss the fallout from the NEC’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection. Plus, Pippa previews her trip to China with Keir Starmer
Gilt Yields Rise, Sterling Falls as Political Uncertainty Resurfaces in U.K.
A local district election could usher in the return of Andy Burnham, reports suggested, providing a route back to parliament for the current mayor of Greater Manchester, seen as a figurehead for those on the left of the ruling Labour Party.
Taco Thursday: Trump climbs down on Greenland tariffs
John Harris is joined by Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey to discuss Donald Trump’s climbdown on Greenland. Plus, could Andy Burnham take Andrew Gwynne’s seat?