Thames Water, energy grid, rent prices: Burnham drums up public control agenda Politics Andy Burnham will press for an agenda of public control over water companies, the national energy grid and government procurement regulation if he becomes Prime Minister. Reports on Saturday indicated that the Manchester mayor, who is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election before a likely bid to become the party’s leader, would push [...]
Trump ban on AI access to foreign users forces Anthropic to suspend models Tech President Trump has banned non-American nationals from accessing Anthropic’s newest AI model, forcing the company to suspend the model for all users. Anthropic, which is the maker of Claude, said the US government cited national security for its banning order before it pulled Fable 5 and Mythos 5 from use. The decision has raised concern [...]
‘Unsustainable’ – Iceland boss and Labour peer calls for end of triple lock pension Economics Lord Walker, the influential Iceland boss who was made a Labour peer, has called for the triple lock pension to be scrapped as the mechanism was “profoundly unfair”. In a debate on welfare reform in the House of Lords, Walker added to a growing number of economists and political figures calling for the state pension [...]
Oil prices rise as Trump warns of ‘very hard’ strikes against Iran June 11, 2026 President Trump has escalated his threats against the Iranian regime, announcing on social media that the US will hit Iran “very hard” tonight if a peace deal cannot be reached. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US President suggested that American forces could take Kharg Island, a crucial oil export artery for [...]
Burnham rows back on £10bn Waspi women offer June 11, 2026 Andy Burnham has rowed back on an apparent offer to consider a £10.5bn payout for Waspi women, a group of female pensioners who argue that they were not told about a rise in the state pension age. Burnham had told activists that he would “stick by the Waspi women – Women Against State Pension Inequality [...]
Truth bomb: Defence secretary John Healey resigns over funding battles June 11, 2026 John Healey has resigned as defence secretary after months of tension with Sir Keir Starmer over funding for an uplift in spending on the armed forces. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Healey said the government’s draft for the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) “falls well short of what is required for defence and the [...]
Burnham hints at payout for Waspi women claiming billions June 11, 2026 Andy Burnham has suggested he would support more than 3.5m women who are seeking compensation, hinting at a billions of pounds spending commitment if he enters Downing Street. The Makerfield by-election candidate has long been an outspoken supporter for the so-called Waspi women, a cohort born in the 1950s who claim they lost thousands of [...]
One in three defence firms ‘can’t find graduates to hire’ June 11, 2026 Nearly one in three defence firms can’t find graduates to hire despite a youth unemployment crisis, a new report has found, as universities have been urged to work more closely with businesses. Research by the University of Manchester and CBI Economics has suggested that skills shortages among young people has made it more difficult for [...]
Reform UK vows to raise VAT threshold to £150,000 June 10, 2026 Reform UK has announced it would raise the VAT threshold for small businesses from £90,000 to £150,000 despite long-running debates over the cost and benefits of reforming the tax. Reform announced on Wednesday it would create a “fair deal for the White Van man” by increasing the VAT registration threshold to £150,000. The party said [...]
Starmer dodges questions on funding for defence spending June 10, 2026 Sir Keir Starmer dodged several questions over funding for an uplift in defence spending as he appeared to suggest that the full defence investment plan will take weeks to be published. Starmer refused to confirm the publication date for a 10-year blueprint on defence spending as he stuck to a commitment that it would be [...]