Burnham's First Day: How He Dismantled Starmer's Failed Cabinet
On his first day as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham appointed a cabinet designed to signal one thing above all: that his government will be fundamentally different from Keir Starmer's. Out are Rachel Reeves, David Lammy, and Steve Reed, the architects of policies that angered Labour voters.
The Cabinet
David Lammy
Steve Reed
Ed Miliband (Foreign Sec)
Wes Streeting (Defence)
Lucy Powell (Education)
Policy Breakdown
The Hidden Truth Behind the Leasehold Crisis: What You Need To Know
8 months after being elected on a promise to end the feudal leasehold system, the Labour government is quietly delaying reforms and weakening commitments.
No party has fixed Britain's housing crisis in 30 years, or looks ready to now
Three decades of missed targets, developer-friendly policy, and political cowardice. Britain's housing crisis is not a natural disaster. It is a choice.
Where the parties stand
Latest polling · April 2026
YouGov for The Times · 12–13 April 2026
Next General Election
Latest by 28 August 2029
Starmer can call it earlier.
Most Read
-
Why Reform UK's Kirklees Council victory exposed its fatal flaw
Local Government · 14 min
-
Britain's political class divide has found a new address: Reform
The Long View · 20 min
-
First Past the Post: how it works and why it's controversial
Explainers · 7 min
-
The 30-year housing failure no party will fix
Long View · 20 min
Westminster
The Biggest British Devolution in 40 Years: What's Changing Now
How the government plans to transfer power from Westminster to mayors
Burnham's "Rewiring the State" devolution plan transfers massive power from Westminster to regional mayors. Starting April 2027, mayors take control of education, funding, and public services. The biggest governance reform Britain has attempted in decades.
The Three Pillars
The Long View
Britain's political class divide has found a new address: Reform
The voters who once made Labour's majority now form Reform UK's core. On 7 May, Reform gained 1,453 council seats. Labour lost 1,496. This is the thirty-year story behind those numbers.
Scotland's Election Results 2026 – Why Independence Never Dies
The SNP has governed Scotland for eighteen years. It has been rocked by scandal, lost Westminster seats, and changed leader. Yet on 7 May it won 58 seats. Why independence remains the permanent Scottish question.
Explainers
First Past the Post: how it works and why it's controversial
Labour won 63% of the seats with 34% of the vote in 2024. Three voting systems ran simultaneously on 7 May. Here is what the contrast reveals about electoral reform.
The lost generation warning that the government can no longer ignore
Today the government-commissioned Milburn Review published its interim findings on youth unemployment. 957,000 young people are NEET. Without urgent intervention, that figure could rise to 1.25 million.
Local Government
What Happens When a Council Loses Its Planning Powers? 9 Just Found Out
On 15 June 2026, nine local authorities were designated under Section 62A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, removing their power to decide major planning applications with immediate effect. A tenth council, Torbay, faces a separate intervention over a 10,980-home local plan shortfall. Full analysis of what it means, who's affected, and what comes next.