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 Morning Wire 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, [...]
Burnham warns Labour of ‘final chance’ after Makerfield win June 19, 2026 Andy Burnham has warned Labour MPs they have a “final chance to change” after sweeping to victory in the Makerfield by-election and setting the stage for a leadership challenge against the Prime Minister. Allies of Burnham called on the Prime Minister to hand over power after he bucked a national slide in Labour’s popularity to [...]
Prem Rugby needs to switch up its calendar to stop final being banished to fringes June 19, 2026 Ollie Phillips argues that on this super weekend for sport in the capital, Prem Rugby could do more to be noticed. London is on its very best form this weekend: some of the world’s most exciting male tennis players will contest the HSBC Championships semi-finals and final at The Queen’s Club in Baron’s Court; England [...]
Ministers open door to phased Heathrow third runway plan June 18, 2026 Heathrow’s third runway expansion may be built over several phases in a bid to hit the government’s ambitious timeline, opening the door to a proposal tabled by rival bidder Heathrow West. In planning documents published by the Department for Transport on Thursday, the government said that a phased construction of the mega-project may be necessary [...]
Concern as gambling black market set for £40m Royal Ascot boost June 18, 2026 Illicit Royal Ascot betting could boost the gambling black market industry by £40m as punters get drawn in by unregulated operators. The horse racing spectacle is underway in Berkshire with 300,000 fans expected across five days of Royal Ascot racing. But many punters across the racing diaspora are turning to black market betting, with regulations [...]
High streets score big after England World Cup win June 18, 2026 British retailers are celebrating England’s opening World Cup victory after football fever boosted high street footfall. High street retailers scored an 8.6 per cent increase in footfall, with overall footfall across all UK retail destinations up 4.2 per cent, new data from property tech firm MRI Software has revealed High streets became busier during the [...]
TfL dispel concerns over Queen’s tennis final tube havoc June 18, 2026 Piccadilly Line closures that fans fear could cause chaos at the HSBC Championships finals at Queen’s Club this weekend have been dispelled by Transport for London. TfL has decided to close one of the capital’s main underground arteries as part of a series of weekend closures across west London that, at times, have seen no [...]
AllianzGI chief executive warns of AI ‘socialism’ as investors lean on chatbots June 18, 2026 The chief executive of one of Europe’s largest asset managers has urged investors to avoid being over-reliant on general online chatbots to manage their portfolios, as it increases the risk of losses. Speaking at AllianzGI’s media day in Frankfurt, Tobias Pross, chief executive of AllianzGI, warned that relying on public online models, such as Claude, [...]
Mayor Khan makes case for London to host Joshua vs Fury boxing bout June 18, 2026 The Mayor of London has said he will work to support any bid to see Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury fight in the capital. The two heavyweights are on a collision course in the ring in what would be a Battle of Britain bout. And despite the pair both losing their undefeated records in recent [...]