Thames Water creditors expect Burnham talks despite legal contigency plans July 18, 2026 The creditors bidding to rescue Thames Water remain confident they will be able to present a revised takeover proposal to Andy Burnham’s government, despite preparing for the possibility ministers reject the deal, a source told Morning Wire. People close to the London & Valley Water (L&VW) consortium said they expected to engage with the new [...]
Octopus tells Burnham to ‘cut bills’ with £189 energy plan July 18, 2026 Octopus Energy has urged incoming prime minister Andy Burnham to overhaul Britain’s electricity market, saying the changes could cut the average household bill by up to £189 a year. The supplier said reforming wholesale electricity pricing would save households around £114 a year, and also called for energy levies to be moved from electricity bills [...]
Burnham: I’ll be a pro-business Prime Minister July 17, 2026 Andy Burnham has vowed to be a pro-business Prime Minister who will reindustrialise Britain and support the country’s small businesses. Speaking after he was crowned Labour leader on Friday, the former Manchester mayor railed against “four decades of neoliberalism” which he said had seen political power concentrated in Westminster while “economic power was privatised”. In [...]
Burnham to approve North Sea oil and gas drilling in policy blitz July 17, 2026 Incoming prime minister Andy Burnham is set to announce new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea within days of taking office as part of a policy blitz, according to reports. Burnham’s team has asked the civil service to draw up plans to approve drilling projects at the Jackdaw gas field and Rosebank [...]
Thames Water in the dark as Burnham mulls embattled utility’s future July 17, 2026 Thames Water and the group of creditors vying to buy it have had no engagement with Andy Burnham’s team as the incoming prime minister weighs whether to take full public control of the struggling utility, Morning Wire understands. Burnham said earlier this year that Thames Water should be nationalised and has repeatedly called for greater [...]
Mahmood called for banker bonus tax to fix youth unemployment July 17, 2026 Shabana Mahmood has previously called for a tax on banker bonuses to fix youth unemployment in a move that will renew fears the sector could be targeted for a cash grab. The front-runner to be Andy Burnham’s Chancellor was a staunch supporter of a bill set out by Labour in opposition that sought to levy [...]
City sizes up mystery Mahmood July 17, 2026 Executives and business groups have begun sizing up Shabana Mahmood and her past policy positions as they search for ways to engage the woman tipped to become Andy Burnham’s Chancellor next week. The emergence of Mahmood, who hails from the right of the party and cracked down on immigration in her role as home secretary, [...]
Burnham set for crunch decision on JP Morgan’s £10bn tower July 16, 2026 Andy Burnham’s government will face a crunch decision on the future of JP Morgan’s flagship tower in Canary Wharf as it weighs whether to uphold a major tax break for the project despite opposition from industry groups. The next Chancellor will serve as the final arbiter on the framework of a business rates exemption for [...]
Crest Nicholson shares slump as lender talks drag on July 16, 2026 Crest Nicholson shares dropped after the housebuilder posted a £35m loss and told investors it is still locked in talks with its lenders. The London-listed firm had delayed the publication of its results in the hopes of seeking emergency permission from its creditors to loosen the terms of its debt, but said on Thursday that [...]
We should all get behind this wealth tax July 16, 2026 A wealth tax is once again rising up the agenda as Andy Burnham prepares to enter Downing Street. The tax is remarkably popular. YouGov polling last year found 75 per cent of Brits would be in favour of the introduction of a wealth tax, with only 13 per cent opposed. There are three clear reasons [...]