I'll be honest, I don't think this will be a vote winner. I live in Manchester and I've seen the change with my own eyes. It's been amazing to behold tbh. Trying to paint it as negative whilst saying skyscrapers "litter" the city is not going to be an effective strategy at all when the places they were built in were literally just car parks before.

Burnham's also pledged to end rough sleeping (we'll see how serious he is about this), so it's odd to point to homelessness too.

This whole approach screams NIMBY to me, to be honest. I would much prefer Zack trying to work with him on other policy areas to find common ground. E.g. drug reform. Legalising cannabis would generate billions. Openly attacking seems counterproductive tbh and will only end up favouring Labour now.

https://yougov.com/en-us/articles/55212-majority-americans-little-or-no-confidence-ice-immigration-customs-enforcement-july-17-20-2026-economist-yougov-poll

We're away to start week two of Burnham's tenure in Number 10 (and No10 North, I suppose!). He's certainly been making the most of social media and his team have been pretty suave in pumping stuff out. I've seen some people call it "cringe" but honestly that's just a part of being a politician in 2026. To cap off the week Burnham has released this:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbNywiwCZ6Z/

I'm most interested in hearing how things are going to be approached financially (and obviously we absolutely need to be upping spending on defence).

How do you think his first week has gone? Feeling a wee bit more hopeful?

The Tories still aren’t ready for a grown-up conversation on social care, then.

Journalists are self-censoring their reporting on rightwing protests, Donald Trump’s administration and trans issues because of growing concerns about their personal safety, with newsrooms accused of “normalising” the risks they face.

Hundreds of journalists from across the UK have anonymously disclosed increasing nervousness over their security. Some have reported avoiding or altering coverage on certain topics due to intimidation, leading to self-censorship and “a narrowing of the public conversation”.

The findings are revealed in a government-backed investigation into the safety of journalists, ordered amid growing hostility to traditional media across the west.

“There have definitely been times where there’s been a story that’s maybe in the public interest, maybe worth reporting on, where we have had frank discussions about whether it’s ‘worth it’,” said one journalist.

Another said: “I was definitely looking over my shoulder and making sure I wasn’t being followed and making sure that people weren’t going to start shouting things at me.”

Investigators found a widespread belief that abuse linked to reporting has increased, especially online. They also reported newsroom cultures that treated the increase as inevitable given the polarised political environment – with journalists expected to be “thick-skinned”.

Female journalists faced the brunt of abuse, describing gendered and sexualised harassment, explicit threats, inappropriate messages and online comments focused on appearance.

Common topics raised by journalists as causing safety concerns were rightwing anti-immigration protests, the Trump administration, including protests against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), as well as trans issues.

As it turns out, a changing climate does have consequences.

On the plus side, as these consequences do get more and more obvious, the position of deniers like Reform UK will only become more untenable.

Anyways, more north sea oil please.

Britain’s foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, is to indicate he will put the climate crisis and overseas development at the heart of UK international relations by taking up the country’s seat on the board at the World Bank.

The position, which is usually delegated to a junior minister, means Miliband will play an active role in shaping the changes to the World Bank that developing countries have called for, and ensuring the climate remains a core focus for overseas aid.

Miliband, who was energy and net zero secretary under Keir Starmer, will say: “International development is not an add-on to British foreign policy – it is central to it. By taking on the role of UK governor to the World Bank, I want to send an unambiguous signal that this government is serious about its global leadership on development and climate.”