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Andy Burnham emerges as frontrunner for UK leadership after Keir Starmer resigns

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Following the resignation of Prime Minister Keir Starmer from both his government post and the leadership of the Labour Party, Andy Burnham has emerged as the most likely figure to assume the UK’s leadership.

Burnham, the former Mayor of Greater Manchester, was elected to the House of Commons two weeks ago after winning a by-election in Makerfield by a wide margin.

Long prominent within the Labour Party as a leading rival to Starmer, Burnham has so far faced no declared challengers in the race for the party leadership.

Having expressed regret 20 years later for voting “yes” in the 2003 parliamentary division on the invasion of Iraq, Burnham built his early political career as a mid-ranking government official under Tony Blair’s Labour administration.

Burnham points to a pivotal moment in his political life when he was booed at a match at Liverpool’s famous Anfield stadium while serving as Culture and Sport Secretary in the government of Blair’s successor, Gordon Brown.

Representing the Brown administration at Anfield on the 20th anniversary of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster, in which 97 Liverpool fans lost their lives, the then 39-year-old minister’s attempt to deliver condolences was interrupted by loud, angry shouts from the stands demanding justice for the victims.

Up to that point, successive British governments had rejected demands for a public inquiry into the disaster. Burnham says that from that moment on, he decided to pursue politics “outside of London” and to become “a voice for the voiceless.”

According to a profile in The Guardian, critics have dubbed Burnham “Captain U-turn” for giving the impression of shifting his political views over the decades, while others view him as “a man who listens.”

After graduating from university, Burnham moved to London, where he briefly worked for trade publications such as Tank World and Passenger World Management before securing a role as a researcher in the parliamentary office of Labour MP Tessa Jowell.

Having also advised the Culture Secretary of the time, Chris Smith, Burnham was elected as an MP for his hometown constituency of Leigh in Greater Manchester in 2001.

He initially served as a junior minister in the Blair administration before joining the cabinet under Brown as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He later served as Culture Secretary and subsequently Health Secretary.

In 2010, Burnham ran for the Labour leadership on a platform of “passionate socialism” but finished fourth out of five candidates, losing to Ed Miliband, who campaigned on moving the party further to the left.

Following Miliband’s defeat in the 2015 general election, Burnham ran for the leadership again, adopting a more moderate, “centrist” rhetoric aimed at highlighting a business-friendly stance.

Launching his campaign at the headquarters of professional services firm Ernst & Young, Burnham argued that entrepreneurs should be seen as “every bit as much our heroes as nurses.” He ultimately lost that contest to Jeremy Corbyn.

Burnham accepted a shadow cabinet role under Corbyn, taking on the position of Shadow Home Secretary. He was also one of the few frontbenchers who did not resign from Corbyn’s team in 2016 when the Labour leader was accused by some of failing to campaign actively enough to remain in the EU, a factor critics argued contributed to the Brexit victory.

In 2017, Burnham left Corbyn’s shadow cabinet to run for the newly created position of Mayor of Greater Manchester.

He won the election with more than 60% of the vote and was re-elected by an even larger margin in 2021.

During his tenure in Manchester, he won praise for reforming the region’s transport network by bringing bus services back under public control.

His fierce advocacy for a region that lagged economically behind much of the rest of the country earned him the moniker “King of the North.”

Upon becoming Mayor of Manchester, he pledged to eradicate rough sleeping. In the initial years, progress was made, with the number of rough sleepers nearly halved by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to 2016 levels. However, Burnham was unable to sustain this progress; by November 2025, the number of rough sleepers had returned to 2016 levels.

Should he become Prime Minister, Burnham’s primary challenge will be addressing the UK’s economic decline. According to some assertions, the prospective leader could move to reverse the privatizations that have defined the country for the past 40 years, turning instead to renationalization.

Under a new blueprint dubbed “Manchesterism,” an Andy Burnham administration could seek to reverse 40 years of privatization through a long-term plan to take over failing public utilities, issue debt-for-equity swaps, and establish competitive state-owned enterprises.

This policy paper, titled “The Productive State,” was published just as Burnham arrived in London to take his oath as MP for Makerfield.

The paper’s author, Mathew Lawrence—who is close to Burnham and worked alongside him on plans to bring public services under state control—released the document in coordination with Mainstream, a Labour group acting as a vehicle for Burnham’s leadership ambitions.

Former minister Miatta Fahnbulleh, a policy adviser to Burnham who is widely identified as the architect of his economic policies, described the paper as “an important contribution to the debate on how we solve this problem, deliver the change the public is crying out for, and begin rebuilding our broken economy.”

Lawrence stated that the paper envisions “a state that owns, invests, and provides to make life affordable; a politics that reclaims control over the essentials of a civilized life—clean water, cheap energy, warm homes, reliable transport—built and run by publicly accountable institutions.”

Subtitled “A Framework for Manchesterism,” the paper criticizes the long-standing trend toward the privatization of public services, arguing it lies at the heart of the UK’s growth and productivity crises by stripping away control over essential services and driving up the cost of living.

While neither the paper nor Burnham himself advocates for a wholesale renationalization program, they call for a framework of greater state intervention to protect the public from skyrocketing costs and the burden of bailing out failing private firms.

The Guardian previously reported that Burnham’s allies have discussed managing a 10-year project to bring large portions of England’s water and energy sectors under state control.

This process would likely begin with the struggling utility provider Thames Water.

Ultimately, Burnham’s allies want to bring energy transmission and supply companies, potentially including the electricity grid operator National Grid, under public control.

The paper outlines several pathways to achieving public control over the long term. For instance, if a company like Thames Water falls into financial distress, the government could intervene by implementing a “special administration regime.”

Burnham points to the Greater Manchester bus network as an example, where private operators bid for franchises to deliver services, but fares, timetables, and routes are controlled by local government.

For financially stable utility companies, the paper notes that the law typically requires the government to pay fair market value to acquire them.

To achieve this without a massive upfront cash expenditure, the paper suggests the state could use a “debt-for-equity swap” method, though it notes this would require primary legislation and likely face significant legal challenges.

Alternatively, the state could gradually assume control by establishing its own commercial public enterprises, though this path would potentially require large-scale borrowing.

While Burnham has stated a desire to prevent “excessive profiteering” in the sector, he has yet to detail exactly what a similar model would look like in practice for water and energy companies.

The Starmer government had already planned tighter regulation of the water sector through new legislation this autumn.

The paper has won praise from several prominent Labour figures, including Fahnbulleh and Stewart Wood, a Labour peer and former economic adviser to Ed Miliband.

Wood described the paper as “a valuable contribution to rethinking the social democratic case for a more active state that helps generate wealth and improve the quality of life across the country.”

Among the key commitments Burnham made during his Makerfield campaign was to stick to Labour’s pledge from the last election not to raise the main rates of income tax, VAT, and National Insurance.

During his campaign, he also indicated a desire to “look closely” at the possibility of raising the starting threshold for income tax, which is currently £12,570.

Burnham argues that housing policy has slipped too far down the priority list of successive governments. However, several of his signature policies—such as prioritizing development on brownfield land and restricting Right to Buy—have already been implemented by the current government.

According to the BBC, one of the biggest departures in Burnham’s advocated approach is to allocate the entirety of the 10-year, £39 billion affordable housing budget to social rent homes—the cheapest and most heavily subsidized form of publicly funded housing.

Like the Conservative administration under Rishi Sunak, Labour has reduced immigration levels by tightening visa requirements.

During his campaign in Makerfield, Burnham said that net migration “needs to come down further,” though he did not set a specific target.

On foreign policy, Burnham has expressed a desire to see the UK rejoin the EU within his lifetime, though he added that he has no wish to “re-run the 2016 referendum right now.”

His stance on relations with the EU will soon be tested. Among the legacies he would inherit from Starmer are a series of ongoing negotiations, particularly regarding youth visas, food regulations, and plans to link the UK back to the EU’s carbon pricing system.

Defence spending, which led to the resignation of Starmer’s Defence Secretary John Healey in early June, will be another key issue. While Burnham has stated he would “find more cash” than Starmer for defence spending, it remains unclear how he would achieve this.

Another significant challenge will be how Burnham manages relations with US President Donald Trump.

While Burnham has noted that the UK must seek “a good relationship” with the US, he has also stated that he would not shy away from saying “we don’t agree with them.”

At present, the selection of the new Chancellor of the Exchequer appears to be taking on particular importance. Two prominent names in contention are Wes Streeting and Ed Miliband.

Both Streeting and Burnham favor raising taxes on wealth rather than income. However, senior allies of Burnham expect Streeting—who has abandoned his own leadership ambitions—to be appointed to another senior cabinet post, amid rumors that he could become Foreign Secretary.

The Economist, emphasizing the need to tackle rising health and social care costs, adopt a pragmatic approach to the net-zero target, and cut red tape, has declared its preference: Wes Streeting.

Arguing that appointing Streeting would be “a sign of willingness to embrace growth,” the magazine is nevertheless not optimistic:

“The problem is that these policies run counter to Mr Burnham’s instincts, which are more aligned with those of Ed Miliband, another candidate for chancellor, who holds more statist views. Harnessing AI will require creative destruction; inefficient firms must be allowed to go bust, and workers must be able to move to jobs better suited to AI. Burnham seems instinctively opposed to the deregulation needed to achieve this. His allies, meanwhile, are demanding worker protections that are stronger even than those introduced by Sir Keir.”

Arguing that “such misconceptions” are visible elsewhere, The Economist contends that Burnham favors an “expensive state house-building programme” and wishes to reindustrialize the economy, which it describes as “a romantic notion that ignores the fact that Britain’s comparative advantage lies in services.”

Burnham, on the other hand, has not yet made a decision regarding the Treasury. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also remains in contention.

Senior members of Burnham’s team remain divided over whether to appoint Miliband to the post.

According to The Times, allies of Miliband, the Energy Secretary, argue that he is the only candidate with both the experience and the radical approach needed to transform Britain’s stagnant economy.

However, his critics, including some ministers, argue that he does not offer sufficient support to business and risks damaging market confidence.

They also point to his opposition to new oil and gas drilling licenses in the North Sea, an option Burnham has indicated he remains open to.

On the other hand, his appointment of James Purnell, a veteran of the former Tony Blair government, as his chief adviser is seen as a promising sign by The Economist and the Financial Times.

Flint Global, the advisory firm headed by Purnell, counts BP, Amazon, Jaguar Land Rover, and Uber among its clients.

Burnham is also expected to appoint Lord O’Neill, a former Goldman Sachs banker and Treasury minister, and Andy Haldane, the former chief economist of the Bank of England, to senior economic roles in his administration.

The most concise assessment of “Burnhamomics” comes from Jennifer Williams, who has closely followed Burnham for many years as the Financial Times Northern England correspondent:

“It is hard to escape the fact that when Burnham arrived in Greater Manchester, he took over a project that was already underway; he successfully sold this to loyal Labour supporters as a rejection of neoliberalism and trickle-down economics. Yet, it was never that.”

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Greek billionaire’s shipping empire stalls EU’s 21st Russian sanctions package over LNG transit ban

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16/07/2026

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The European Union’s proposed 21st sanctions package against Russia has stalled due to objections from Greece over planned restrictions on liquefied natural gas (LNG) transport, diplomatic sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times.

According to the report, Athens opposed a provision in the sanctions draft that would ban the transshipment of Russian LNG to third countries.

Sources indicated that the diplomatic intervention by Greece is aimed at protecting Dynagas, a shipping company owned by Greek shipowner George Prokopiou. During a meeting on Wednesday, the Greek Permanent Representative to the EU told counterparts that the proposed sanctions would ruin the company.

Data from the maritime database Equasis shows that Dynagas operates a fleet of 27 gas carriers. This fleet includes “Arc7” ice-class tankers, which are custom-built to operate safely in the freezing waters of the Arctic region where Russia’s Yamal LNG plant is located.

Prokopiou, a prominent businessman, owns the shipping companies Dynacom, Dynagas Holding, and Sea Traders. He also holds a 43% stake in the publicly traded Dynagas LNG Partners. According to Forbes, Prokopiou and his family have an estimated net worth of $4.7 billion.

European diplomats speaking to the Financial Times emphasized that other member states have sacrificed their own commercial interests for the sake of enforcing sanctions against Russia.

The new sanctions draft proposed by the EU also includes a provision to lower the price cap under which companies can purchase and transport Russian oil without facing the risk of secondary sanctions.

To buy time for negotiations, EU permanent representatives were forced to pass an emergency resolution extending the existing price cap of $44.1 per barrel for another week. The Financial Times noted that without this temporary extension, oil prices could have risen sharply due to ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.

Kaja Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, expressed regret over the failure to reach a consensus on the sanctions package.

“Of course, member states have different reasons for objecting. Our goal is to reach an agreement. If an agreement cannot be reached, we will start working on Plan B,” Kallas said.

In a previous statement on July 13, Kallas had acknowledged that anti-Russian sanctions were causing harm to the European economy.

According to a report by Politico, talks have been postponed to July 22 after member states failed to reach an agreement on the new sanctions package for three consecutive days. The publication identified Greece and Austria as the primary countries blocking the measures.

Vienna is reportedly conditioning its approval on a compensation clause regarding the Austria-based Raiffeisen Bank. Austria is demanding the inclusion of a mechanism in the sanctions package to compensate the bank for €2.44 billion in losses resulting from precautionary measures taken against its subsidiary in Russia.

Meanwhile, Greece raised concerns regarding previously agreed EU restrictions on the Russian LNG trade dating from October 2025. Sources speaking to Politico indicated that these objections from Athens remain unresolved.

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Gibraltar and Spain to dismantle land border as UK signs post-Brexit treaty

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15/07/2026

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The decade of uncertainty following the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union is set to end on Wednesday as the 118-year-old physical border between Gibraltar and Spain is dismantled.

Although the British Mediterranean territory voted by 95.9% to remain in the EU during the 2016 referendum, it was forced to leave the bloc as a consequence of the UK’s wider decision.

Following the departure, passport controls became more stringent and the transit of commercial goods grew increasingly complex for the thousands of people who cross the border daily, including 15,000 Spanish citizens who work in the territory.

In an effort to resolve these complications, administrations in Brussels, London, Gibraltar, and Madrid have spent ten years negotiating the removal of physical checks at the Spanish border.

Two-tier checks to be implemented at the airport

Under the terms of the agreement, Gibraltar will remain fully under British sovereignty and territory, but the land border will effectively become nothing more than a line on a map.

The technical details of the implementation mirror the procedures used for the Eurostar train line operating beneath the English Channel. Similar to the system at London’s St Pancras station, passengers arriving at Gibraltar Airport will clear both Gibraltar and EU passport controls in succession.

Passengers who receive clearance from both authorities will be permitted to travel freely within Gibraltar and the Schengen zone.

Through this mechanism, physical checks at the land border between Gibraltar and Spain will be completely eliminated.

Gibraltar will also align with specific aspects of the EU single market and customs regulations to facilitate the flow of goods, the supply of which had become difficult following Brexit.

While the Gibraltar administration emphasizes that it is not legally part of the Schengen zone and will retain the authority to determine its own visa policy, the arrangement will in practice offer a level of convenience similar to the Schengen regime, as there will be no passport control upon entering Spain.

Agreement to be formalized in Brussels

The UK Minister for Europe, Stephen Doughty, and the European Commission Executive Vice-President, Maroš Šefčovič, are formally signing the agreement in Brussels on Tuesday.

The process has been a cross-party effort in the UK, with former Foreign Secretary David Cameron also working extensively during his term to finalize the accord.

The agreement reached the signature stage in the spring of 2024, but the decision of then-British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to call a snap general election, followed by the subsequent change of government, delayed the process by a year.

While Eurosceptics within the British Conservative Party argue that the agreement compromises Gibraltar’s sovereignty, the Gibraltar government supports the implementation of the plan.

Speaking to the Telegraph newspaper ahead of the removal of the border controls, Gibraltar’s Chief Minister, Fabian Picardo, strongly criticized Brexit.

“Brexit was the greatest self-inflicted wound the United Kingdom has delivered to itself since the Second World War,” Picardo said. “Brexit was sold to the British public on false promises. The United Kingdom should seriously re-evaluate its relationship with the European Union, including returning to membership or establishing a much closer partnership.”

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Mutual accusations of blackmail and assault overshadow AfD state election congress in Germany

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14/07/2026

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The Alternative for Germany (AfD) state congress in North Rhine-Westphalia ended in chaos on Sunday.

During the selection of the 22nd position on the candidate list for next year’s state elections, delegates aligned with the far-right Bundestag member Matthias Helferich proposed more than 100 candidates. This move was reportedly designed to block the vote in the town of Marl, halting progress on the list to force negotiations for subsequent positions.

Earlier in the candidate selection process, supporters of State Co-Chairman and lead candidate Martin Vincentz, who represents the moderate wing of the party, had prevailed. The defeat of Zacharias Schalley—a figure close to Helferich—by a candidate from the Vincentz camp triggered significant discontent within the radical wing of the party. Representing approximately 40% of the delegates, Helferich’s supporters reportedly demanded strong representation in the next state parliamentary group.

During the congress, Helferich claimed that Bundestag member Knuth Meyer-Soltau, a member of the Vincentz camp, physically assaulted him. Speaking to the newspaper WELT on Sunday, the 37-year-old Helferich described the incident:

“Meyer-Soltau was passing by the row where I was sitting. He was arguing with another member. When he turned back, while I was sitting in my chair, he shouldered me and shouted, ‘Shut up, you idiot!'”

Helferich added: “I do not know if he wanted to knock me out of my chair. However, because he insulted me in anger, I cannot rule out the possibility that this was a deliberate attack.”

An email exchange sent to the federal executive board and state management revealed that Helferich filed a criminal complaint on Monday.

“Meyer-Soltau hit my chair and my body, either intentionally or through negligence”

In the complaint filed by Helferich, he stated: “Meyer-Soltau hit my chair and my upper body hard, either intentionally or through negligence; I was only able to avoid falling by holding onto the edge of the table.” The complaint also named two witnesses.

In his letter to the party leadership, Helferich wrote: “Since numerous similar incidents of electoral law significance occurred at the state election congress, I believe the duty to maintain party order falls to the Federal Executive Board.”

Meyer-Soltau, a 61-year-old lawyer like Helferich, denied the allegations. Speaking to WELT on Sunday, the lawmaker said: “I reject the accusation being made.”

Meyer-Soltau suggested that Helferich viewed him as a powerful opponent because he had previously acted as the negotiator for the state executive board in the party’s expulsion proceedings against Helferich before the Federal Arbitration Court. The party court recently rejected the expulsion request.

“It is clear that this situation has not had a positive impact on our relationship,” Meyer-Soltau said. “Mr. Helferich, having suffered a heavy defeat at the nomination meeting, is clearly seeking satisfaction through other means. I will hand the matter over to my lawyer and take legal action.”

A letter sent to Helferich by Meyer-Soltau’s lawyer, which was leaked to the press, stated: “My client has never insulted you or physically assaulted you.” The letter demanded that Helferich cease repeating the claim and sign a cease-and-desist declaration carrying a contractual penalty.

Additionally, Meyer-Soltau’s lawyer filed a criminal complaint with the Dortmund Prosecutor’s Office for defamation. The petition submitted to the prosecutor’s office stated: “The accusation of physical assault is highly defamatory, calculated to permanently damage my client’s public reputation, and socially discredit him.”

Allegations of blackmail made against delegates at the congress

Allegations of threats against delegates also emerged at the state congress in Marl. Helferich ran against Klaus Esser, a close associate of Vincentz, for the 13th position on the candidate list. Esser, who needed just one vote to be elected in the first round, only secured a majority in the second round of voting.

Following the announcement of the results, a delegate took the stage to claim that before the second round, a state executive board member from the Vincentz camp went to the rows of the Wuppertal district association and threatened that a state lawmaker from Wuppertal would be expelled from the parliamentary group if the necessary votes for Esser were not delivered. The delegate announced that a complaint would be filed regarding the matter.

A spokesperson for AfD Co-Leader Alice Weidel told the media outlet “The Pioneer”: “Weidel does not approve of this situation. Such things must not happen.”

Other allegations of threats were voiced through the hall microphones during the congress. One delegate claimed that a candidate had been threatened by a district councilor and a district chairman.

“He was told that if he did not withdraw his candidacy, he would have no future in this party. There are numerous witnesses who can confirm this,” the delegate asserted.

Another delegate reported that a young woman was pressured by a district chairman who asked whether she would “lend herself to this game and submit to blackmail,” warning her that the situation would have “consequences for her in the district association.”

Marco Vogt, the Deputy Chairman of the Düsseldorf AfD and an ally of Helferich, said during his candidacy speech that young members who participated in the list disruptions had been threatened by their employers present in the hall.

Another candidate, a municipal councilor from Würselen, stated that a district administrator from the Aachen region had issued an implicit threat, telling him he would make many enemies in his own association if he did not withdraw his candidacy.

Candidate Leon Biallawons directly targeted lawmaker Knuth Meyer-Soltau, saying: “I tell you clearly, dear Knuth, I will not allow myself to be threatened by you. Because, dear Knuth, it is not you but the grassroots who will decide who succeeds in this party, and the grassroots will assert their will in the long term.”

Meyer-Soltau declined to comment on these allegations, stating: “I do not wish to comment on such baseless claims.”

Other tactics were used to slow down the proceedings at Sunday’s congress. One delegate requested a 30-minute recess because “there is an ice cream truck outside,” though this request was rejected. The convention manager, Julian Flak, was heard calling out to a delegate: “Take that garden furniture outside immediately!”

A message shared on Saturday in a chat group close to Vincentz stated that the “self-proclaimed patriotic group” had threatened to completely block the congress. It was alleged that the core group led by Helferich planned to deliberately disrupt the flow of the congress to force their opponents to the negotiating table.

Weidel accused of undermining efforts in chat group

On Sunday, in the same chat group, it was written that the sabotage action was being coordinated by Federal Deputy Chairman Sven Tritschler and Helferich. The message claimed that Tritschler had discussed the move with “his boss Alice Merkel”—a reference to AfD leader Alice Weidel. “This is a clear operation of attrition. We will not bow to an Alice Merkel,” the message read.

By Monday night, the ballot for the 22nd list position contained the names of 81 candidates. Some individuals who announced their candidacies withdrew before speaking. The results are expected to be announced next weekend.

The North Rhine-Westphalia AfD association has allocated a total of four weekends for candidate selection meetings. With the party projected by public opinion polls to win between 30 and 40 seats in the state parliament, competition for the top spots on the list remains intense.

An article titled “AfD-NRW Grassroots Resist Cartel Partyization,” published Monday on a Telegram channel close to Helferich, described the events as a “heroic act” and an “impressive reaction of an alert, idealistic grassroots.” The mass candidacy process was characterized as a “combination of Carl Schmitt’s partisan theory with a democratic liberation move unprecedented in AfD history.”

The article argued that if lead candidate Vincentz wants to translate polling success into a strong election result, he must unify the party by granting Helferich’s supporters viable, electable positions on the list.

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