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 [...]
Burnham turns to ex-OBR and Bank of England chiefs on economic policy June 19, 2026 Andy Burnham has turned to a crop of heavyweight economic advisers, including a former Bank of England economist and the ex-head of the Office for Budget Responsibility, in a bid to bolster his economic credentials ahead of a potential Labour leadership challenge, it has been reported. The new MP for Makerfield has sought advice from [...]
The Bank of England is keeping Britain in the waiting room June 19, 2026 The MPC’s decision to holding the Bank rate for the fourth meeting is downstream of a government, and a country, that’s run out of ideas, says Emmanuel Igwe What sound does a country make when it has run out of ideas? Rather than cacophonous noise or a muted groan, I would say that sound is [...]
Retail sales jump as third-warmest May on record sends Brits to the high street June 19, 2026 UK retail sales climbed in May, as consumers flocked back to the high street amid the heatwave and showed sustained demand for new electronic products. Retail sales volumes are estimated to have increased by 1.2 per cent in May, following a 1 per cent fall in April as fears over the Iran war caused Brits [...]
UK government borrowing overshoots expectations on day Burnham elected June 19, 2026 UK government borrowing jumped higher than expected than expected in May, official data has shown, with Andy Burnham’s win in Makerfield now setting up a potential shift in public finance forecasts. The Office for National Statistics said the government’s net borrowing was £23.2bn in May, above economists’ £19bn prediction. Further government borrowing came as debt [...]
As it happened: Pound dips and stocks slip as Andy Burnham victory triggers political uncertainty June 19, 2026 Good morning from the City PM 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, [...]
Bank of England to ‘tolerate slow return’ to inflation target as interest rates held June 18, 2026 The Bank of England has said it will tolerate a delay in getting inflation back to its two per cent target as it held interest rates at 3.75 per cent in a split Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decision. Bank officials said they were closely monitoring the outcome of a peace deal being struck between the [...]
Job vacancies fall again in unemployment risk June 18, 2026 Job vacancies available across the UK dropped again, official data revealed, posing a further risk for Britons out of work. The Office for National Statistics said the number of job vacancies fell by 19,000 between March and May. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.9 per cent per cent compared to five per cent in data [...]
As it happened: Stocks sink after Fed and Bank of England opt for hawkish hold; Oil price tumbles June 18, 2026 Welcome back to the City PM liveblog. Interest rates were left unchanged at 3.75 per cent in Bank of England’s monetary policy committee meeting today as rate-setters wait to find out whether the Iran war peace deal holds up. The Bank’s decision followed Thursday’s inflation data, which stayed below undershot expectations after coming at 2.8 [...]
