Key Reads<\/p>\n
Sarah Burns – 2 hours ago<\/p>\n
Labour needs its \u2018best players on the pitch and Andy Burnham is one of them\u2019, says Streeting<\/p>\n
Former health secretary Wes Streeting said Labour needs \u201cour best players on the pitch\u201d and \u201cAndy Burnham is one of them\u201d.<\/p>\n
In a post on X, he wrote: \u201cWe need our best players on the pitch. There is no doubt that Andy Burnham is one of them.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Makerfield by-election will be tough.<\/p>\n
\u201cVotes will need to be earned. Andy is the best chance of winning and that should override factional advantage or propping up one person.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Britain's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/57RGJZZ52M3ZC677C7HUTVGMYQ.jpg\")
Britain’s former secretary of state for health and social Care Wes Streeting. Photograph: Neil Hall <\/p>\n
Sarah Burns – 3 hours ago<\/p>\n
British government bonds, stocks and sterling fall <\/p>\n
British government bonds, stocks and sterling fell on Friday, \u200cas domestic political uncertainty clashed with global worries about an inflationary shock, leaving UK assets in the mire.<\/p>\n
Sterling fell to a five-week \u200blow and is down almost two per cent against the dollar this week, set for its biggest weekly drop since November 2024.<\/p>\n
British prime minister Keir Starmer is in a battle to hold on to power after his health minister Wes Streeting resigned from government, \u200bwhile others positioned themselves to challenge his leadership, following disastrous local election results last week.<\/p>\n
Markets are concerned that a new leader \u2060may be willing to loosen fiscal policy more, with British government borrowing costs up sharply again and \u200cUK \u200cbank \u200bstocks selling off on Friday.<\/p>\n
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has been offered a path for a possible leadership challenge after another Labour lawmaker said he \u2060would resign his parliamentary seat. If \u200bBurnham were to win the seat, he could then \u200bchallenge for the party leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarket\u2019s fear is that Burnham would be more left leaning, and we could see \u200cfurther increase in deficits,\u201d said Jefferies economist Mohit \u200bKumar.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur base case is one of a managed exit for Starmer and Burnham likely becoming the \u2060next PM,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The domestic political \u2060drama has coincided with \u200banother rise in energy prices on Friday and growing evidence that the economic damage from the Iran war is hurting.<\/p>\n
US inflation data this week has shown consumers and factories are starting to see big increases in price pressures as a result of the war, which has pushed up the price of crude by over 50 per cent.<\/p>\n
The pound has tended to suffer against the dollar when tensions between Washington and Tehran flare or oil prices rise, given Britain\u2019s dependence \u200con energy imports and the \u2060economy\u2019s sensitivity to higher fuel costs.<\/p>\n
Sarah Burns – 4 hours ago<\/p>\n
Housing secretary urges Labour colleagues to put \u2018country first, party second\u2019<\/p>\n
Housing secretary Steve Reed has been on the media round this morning urging Labour colleagues to put the \u201ccountry first, party second\u201d, even as he admits Keir Starmer is \u201cunpopular\u201d. <\/p>\n
When asked by Sky News whether replacing an unpopular prime minister is something the party should consider, he said: \u201cEach of the last four prime ministers, in turn, has been the most unpopular prime minister we\u2019ve ever had.\u201d <\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWhat we need to do is all of us come together behind the prime minister and focus on how we can deliver the change the British public want to see faster.\u201d <\/p>\n
A leadership challenge seems all but inevitable, with greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham potentially throwing his hat in the ring, but Reed rather bluntly stated \u201cthere is no leadership challenge\u201d and hit out at the \u201cinternal-facing nonsense\u201d plaguing the party. <\/p>\n
He told the BBC: \u201cIf people wanted to gather the nominations then it\u2019s open for them to do that \u2013 they would need to find enough Labour MPs that wanted to endorse them but nobody has done that. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a very difficult week but we need to take a breath now, take this weekend to reflect on what\u2019s going on, and come back next week and focus on the country we were elected to serve.\u201d <\/p>\n
Commenting on reports suggesting Starmer was considering his position last night, Reed told Times Radio \u201cthat isn\u2019t true\u201d. <\/p>\n
Labour MP Josh Simons announced yesterday that he would stand down from his constituency in Makerfield to make way for Burnham to stand as a candidate in a byelection.<\/p>\n
Simons said he believed Burnham could \u201cdrive the change our country is crying out for\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have lost the trust of those our party was built to serve. It is my unwavering belief that nothing short of urgent, radical, courageous reform will make a difference,\u201d he told BBC Radio Manchester this morning. <\/p>\n
![\"Britain's](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/UZQ346QWA4C2KMLF2AFRJOWWBI.jpg\")
Britain’s housing, communities and local government secretary Steve Reed. Photograph: Jonathan Brady\/PA Wire <\/p>\n
Sarah Burns – 5 hours ago<\/p>\n
Suave communicator and sharp dresser: who is Andy Burnham? <\/p>\n
Mark Paul, our London correspondent, profiled Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham in 2024. This is an extract from his article:<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might expect the mayor of a metropolitan area of 2.8 million people, one of the fastest-growing economic regions in the UK, to wear a jacket and trousers on the job. Burnham dresses well, but this is Manchester \u2013 he must reflect its vibe. Today he wears a fitted black blazer over a jet black T-shirt. His skinny black trousers alight on to black suede shoes. He has a bee \u2013 Manchester\u2019s civic emblem \u2013 tattooed on his right bicep.<\/p>\n
He is cool, collected and in control of his patter. He also knows his audience and, despite a carefully affected insouciance, is clearly well prepared. Burnham says he can\u2019t fathom the Dublin riots of last November with their racially tinged edge: \u201cI know Dublin, and that\u2019s not Dublin and its people.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Newly](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/POADMJW5O6EDKOUTB5RUASXQRY.jpg\")
Newly appointed health secretary James Murray arrives in Downing Street on Friday. Photograph: Peter Nicholls\/Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"British](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/YGW54RHSQVUU6TISK7RUMRSVNA.jpg\")
British prime minister Keir Starmer and Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau\/AFP via Getty Images <\/p>\n