Andy Burnham’s technical education reforms are doomed to fail July 29, 2026 Reforming technical education is a laudable ambition but we have been here before. There are three questions Andy Burnham must answer before anyone takes him seriously, says Lord Agnew There is laudable ambition in the Prime Minister’s announcement of technical routes in education from 14, parity with the academic path and employers brought properly into [...]
Meet the new energy minister who believes lower growth is “good news” July 29, 2026 Before becoming an MP, Katie White, the new energy minister advocated for GPs to treat “climate grief” and councils to pay for “guided mindfulness works”, reveals Arthur Reynolds Last week, I brought news of our new Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh’s crusade against cars. Since then, things have gotten worse. Andy Burnham has made a former [...]
If Andy Burnham really wants to help NEETs he should rule out tax rises July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham’s announcements on technical education are welcome, but they will be meaningless if young people have no jobs to move into. The Budget will be the real test of how he plans to grow the economy, says Georgiana Bristol Andy Burnham has descended from the North with an array of new pledges and spending [...]
The debate: should voting be compulsory? July 29, 2026 Andy Burnham is said to be considering voting reform. Two writers go head to head on whether Britain should introduce Australian-style compulsory voting YES: Everyone’s vote should count, not just those who turn up British politics has a turnout problem. Just three in five registered voters went to the polls in the 2024 general election. [...]
Zohran Mamdani’s socialist superstore stunt won’t help poor New Yorkers July 29, 2026 Zohran Mamdani’s plan to open five state=owned shops with subsidised groceries will make little to no difference to the lives of New Yorkers, so why are you reading about it? Ask Kristian Niemietz New York City has a population of over 8.5m people, or close to 20m if we include the wider metropolitan area, and [...]
James Reed: My advice for Andy Burnham on his big promotion July 29, 2026 James Reed, whose worked in recruitment for over three decades, shares his three tips for Andy Burnham on starting his big new job Having worked in recruitment for over 30 years, I am often asked for my advice on starting a big new job. They don’t come much bigger – or more scrutinised – than [...]
John Healey returns to a City that has outgrown his mid-2000s rulebook July 29, 2026 As Chancellor John Healey returns to the Treasury, he must recognise that the City’s competitive landscape has fundamentally shifted from the exchange-focused concerns of the mid-2000s toward a modern model where investment banks increasingly rely on shared, industrialised infrastructure, says Joe Channer As John Healey arrives at the Treasury – this time, to everyone’s surprise, [...]
Britain has the lowest level of millionaires since the financial crisis – and that’s no accident July 28, 2026 The number of millionaires in Britain has sunk to its lowest level since the 2008 financial crisis. Rich residents aren’t just fleeing because of policy choices like high levels of tax and the removal of non-dom status, but also a cultural hostility to wealth, says James Lawson It is no secret that the wealthy and [...]
Will Britain follow Japan’s great growth gamble? July 28, 2026 Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has unveiled an expansionary economic blueprint aiming to break Japan’s long-standing cycle of stagnation through state-led investment, creating a precarious balancing act for the Bank of Japan as it attempts to maintain market confidence and monetary stability, says Helen Thomas A newly installed leader promises to break with the economic [...]
Expanding London airports will help growth take off July 28, 2026 Extra runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton are not just lucrative transport infrastructure projects that will create construction jobs and supply chain benefits in the short-term. They are key to getting overseas visitors into the UK to spend money, says Alex Challoner The summer holidays are upon us. Chances are, at some time in the [...]