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The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Burnham’s vow to end Labour briefing wars will test his grip on the party

Tensions between his aims are already there, including disputes over key appointments such as chancellor Andy Burnham’s vision for cleaning up Westminster politics is a utopian one: ending the dominance of the whipping system, Whitehall power hoarding and the “insidious briefing culture” of the bubble. In his first speech on becoming Labour leader, he warned his party it “won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions”. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Ella Baron on the revolving door of Downing Street – cartoon

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Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Burnham to warn UK must be honest about its challenges as he prepares to become PM

Labour leader will visit king to accept role on Monday and will start making cabinet appointments that afternoon Andy Burnham will warn that Britain must be honest about the challenges it faces as he becomes its sixth prime minister in a decade and prepares to appoint his first cabinet. The Labour leader is set to start making appointments in the afternoon on Monday after going to Buckingham Palace to accept the role of prime minister from the king. Continue reading...

PoliticsDefence
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

As Andy Burnham enters No 10, what of his ‘bezzie mate’ Steve Rotheram?

A longstanding bromance means the Liverpool regional major very much has the ear of the soon-to-be PM When a new prime minister enters Downing Street, observers usually look to those around the cabinet table to see where influence lies. With Andy Burnham, they should look 200 miles north – not to Manchester, but Liverpool. Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool city region, may not have a formal role in government but he has a strong claim to having the closest personal bond to the incoming prim

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

From leftwing voters to unions: can Burnham win back Labour bases lost by Starmer? – visualised

As Andy Burnham enters No 10, Guardian data analysis reveals the fissures with Labour’s traditional supporters, and the traps the new PM will want to avoid Keir Starmer entered 10 Downing St on a wave of optimism after a landslide victory in the 2024 general election. His Labour party had overturned a defeat in 2019 in which the party crashed to its worst result since 1935. Labour won 412 seats, just a few shy of the 418 won by Tony Blair in 1997, a result that gave Labour a leader in office for

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Nigel Farage admits George Cottrell paid for filming and let him use his home

Reform leader says support from fraudster before last election is ‘totally undeclarable in every single way’ Nigel Farage has admitted his close friend the fraudster George Cottrell let him use one of his London homes and paid for social media filming before the last election but insisted it was “totally undeclarable in every single way”. The Reform UK leader spoke in depth for the first time about his support from Cottrell and the £5m gift from the Thailand-based businessman Christopher Harborn

PoliticsReformHousing
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

The Andy Burnham I’ve met over the past 20 years gives me hope for British politics | John Harris

You hear the word ‘empathy’ a lot when people talk about our next prime minister. I can see why My contribution to this summer’s modest avalanche of Andy Burnham stories extends to only two. One is about Glastonbury, and the time that he and his wife, Marie-France, came for a three-day stay at the festival, which included his appearance on the Left Field stage, organised by the songwriter and activist Billy Bragg. I help with the bookings and chair some of the debate sessions: Burnham’s was titl

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

Here be dragons: does moving power to the north work?

Andy Burnham’s recent promise to create a ‘No 10 North’ echoes BBC’s successful Out of London plan When the BBC first announced its intention to move a significant chunk of its operation to Salford in Greater Manchester – the “Out of London” plan, as the then director general Mark Thompson called it in 2004, with a faint “here be dragons” whiff – there were plenty in the organisation who were scornful that it could ever work. Senior staff would never leave the capital. Star talent wouldn’t dream

Politics
The Guardian Politics19 Jul 2026

‘Good growth in every postcode’: Burnham’s economic to-do list in seven charts

From industrial strategy and defence to housing and living costs, we lay out the challenges facing the new PM Andy Burnham becomes prime minister as Britain contends with a series of global economic shocks and years of weak growth in living standards, fuelled by underinvestment and deep regional divisions. Before his arrival in Downing Street, the Labour leader pledged to deliver “good growth in every postcode” by transferring power from Westminster to local communities. But with the public fina

PoliticsEconomyDefenceHousing
The Guardian Politics18 Jul 2026

Burnham to scrap Starmer’s digital ID scheme in ‘reset of priorities’

Incoming PM will reallocate unspecified resources from unpopular plan to helping with cost of living Andy Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer’s plans for digital ID cards in a “reset of priorities” when he enters Downing Street on Monday. The new Labour leader plans to redirect the resources earmarked for the scheme towards tackling the cost of living, his team indicated on Saturday. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomyDefence
The Guardian Politics18 Jul 2026

Andy Burnham’s plan to scrap technology department triggers backlash

MPs and industry experts say potential reorganisation will waste time at critical moment for AI and economic growth Andy Burnham’s plan to scrap the government’s technology department has triggered an angry backlash from MPs, Whitehall officials and tech experts. The incoming prime minister has asked officials to draw up plans to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology as part of a wider Whitehall shake-up. Continue reading...

PoliticsEconomy
The Guardian Politics18 Jul 2026

‘It becomes inevitable’: the toxic mix fuelling deadly political violence around world

After killing of a British former MP, experts say dehumanising rhetoric, declining institutional trust and disinformation fuelling a global problem On 9 July, the body of Ann Widdecombe, an uncompromising, staunchly conservative former UK government minister turned TV personality and spokesperson for the radical-right Reform UK party, was found at her home in south-west England. Two days later, a man was arrested in South Yorkshire. Believed to be previously unknown to the local police force and

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