Andy Burnham sparks Labour anger with appearance alongside Greens
Andy Burnham’s decision to appear at a progressive rally alongside prominent Green and Liberal Democrat figures has sparked anger among some Labour MPs, who have accused him of undermining their local election message.The Greater Manchester mayor, who is seen as one of the most likely challengers to Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership, will be speaking at the Change:Now event this month organised by the leftwing group Compass.Compass’s founder, Neal Lawson, has long campaigned for a cross-party progressive alliance but is also a prominent supporter of Burnham.Two other Labour MPs, Clive Lewis, who has offered to give up his seat for Burnham, and Miatta Fahnbulleh, the communities minister, are also due to speak at the event.Other speakers include Caroline Lucas, the former Green party leader; James Meadway, the head of the Green-aligned thinktank Verdant; Vince Cable, the former Liberal Democrat cabinet minister; and the Lib Dem MP Roz Savage.
The event is designed to show how progressives can work across party barriers, something Burnham has long advocated.But its timing, weeks after local elections that are pitting Labour against the Greens in many places, has infuriated many of his colleagues.Luke Akehurst, the MP for North Durham and a supporter of Starmer, said fellow Labour members should not be speaking at an event with Green politicians and campaigners given the recent antisemitism controversies their party had faced.Two Green candidates in London were recently arrested for alleged antisemitic social media posts, while the party is investigating others over what they have posted online.“Anyone in the Labour party who has been advancing the concept of a progressive alliance involving the Greens should surely be reconsidering this at the moment given the revelations about the extent of antisemitism amongst their council candidates,” Akehurst said.
Another Labour MP said: “Activists and candidates around the country are fighting for Labour seats on councils; now is not the time to talk about coalitions.It was bad enough when Andy said he’d work with [Jeremy] Corbyn (and Your party); now he wants to work with another party riddled with antisemitism? It’s unconscionable.”Burnham did not comment.An ally said: “It’s ridiculous to suggest Andy is supporting other parties.He is advancing progressive ideas to help the Labour party.
Do people not want anyone sharing ideas or having a debate about where progressives should go?”Fahnbulleh and Lewis have been contacted for comment,The event, which takes place on 30 May in east London, will gather thinktanks, politicians and academics for “a day of debate, disagreement and deliberation between progressives of all parties”,Burnham has championed many of Compass’s ideas in recent years, including introducing proportional representation and encouraging more cross-party collaboration,Some on the left believe this is the most rational response to the splintering of the leftwing vote, with the Greens having doubled their poll rating since the beginning of last year,Others, however, believe Labour should be willing to fight the Green threat head-on, challenging the party over issues including the economy, national security and antisemitism.
They point out that as the Greens have grown in support, they have attracted many from the Corbynite wing of the Labour party, from which Starmer wrested control to become leader.Attention is likely to focus on Burnham in the days after this week’s elections as one of three likely challengers to Starmer, with the former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, as the others.Unlike the other two, Burnham would first need to win a Westminster seat, something he was denied the chance to do earlier this year when Labour’s ruling national executive committee said he could not stand in Gorton and Denton.
Trainline says Middle East tensions hitting European rail bookings
Trainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based international ticketing aganet said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”.Airlines have reported later bookings, with considerable consumer uncertainty around summer travel plans. The US-Israel war on Iran, closure of the strait of Hormuz and subsequent blockades have raised doubts about global jet fuel supply, with carriers already beginning to cancel thousands of flights.Shares in the company dropped sharply on its earnings guidance, with the Middle East tensions adding to Trainline’s prior warnings of headwinds, including UK ticketing policy
Airlines among companies using fuel surcharges to cover surge in costs, UK survey shows
Airlines and other companies are increasingly using fuel surcharges to cover soaring costs, a survey has found, in a further sign of Iran war-linked inflation hitting the economy.A poll of companies in the services sector, which includes airlines, found rising fuel prices had contributed to businesses raising prices at the fastest pace in more than three years in April.Nearly six in 10 firms surveyed by S&P Global said average costs rose last month, mostly driven by fuel and higher wages, but also in part by metals and plastics getting more expensive.IAG, the conglomerate that owns British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, said last month it would make “some pricing adjustments to reflect these higher fuel costs”, although it stopped short of labelling the move as a surcharge.Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic has added a charge of £360 to business class tickets, falling to £50 for economy
JD Wetherspoon issues third profit warning this year as costs climb
The boss of JD Wetherspoon has said the pub chain could miss profit expectations because of rising costs, in the latest sign the UK hospitality industry is buckling under the pressure of higher energy, food, labour and tax bills.The company’s chair, Tim Martin, told investors on Wednesday: “As many hospitality operators, including Wetherspoon, have reported, there have been substantial increases in costs.”It is the third profit warning this year from the company, which operates about 800 pubs across the UK and Ireland. Investors had already been expecting a drop in pre-tax profit to £73m, compared with £81m last year.Pubs, restaurants and hotels have said rising costs are making it harder to make a profit
UK regulator launches review of ‘aggressive’ claims management firms amid compensation concerns
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‘Our competitors are everyone’: Joybuy leads ‘China’s Amazon’ into the UK
“We’re here to shake up the UK e-commerce market,” says Matthew Nobbs, the UK boss of Joybuy which is spearheading a European charge by China’s version of Amazon.“I see our competitors as everyone,” he adds, reflecting the scale of ambition of the online retailer that sells home appliances, groceries, makeup and more.Joybuy is owned by China’s JD.com, the giant online and high street retail group which is taking on its US rival Amazon in Britain in a clash that is expected to lead to “collateral damage” for UK retailers caught up in the tussle for shoppers.JD
Global finance watchdog warns over private credit industry fuelling AI boom
The private credit industry’s role in fuelling the AI boom could backfire, with a sharp correction leading to “sizeable” losses, the Financial Stability Board has warned.A new report on private credit by the global watchdog, which monitors financial authorities including central banks in 24 countries, found that the healthcare, services, and tech sectors have become the biggest borrowers of private credit.That includes AI companies, which have increasingly turned to private lenders to fund datacentres and other infrastructure. The AI industry accounted for more than a third of private credit deals in 2025, up from 17% over the previous five years. “This focus on specific sectors may leave private credit funds exposed to idiosyncratic risks … [and] increase exposure to region or industry-specific shocks,” the report said
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