Al Carns

Force in Play

Ruled out a leadership bid on July 8; endorsed Burnham

Keir Starmer resigned on June 22, 2026, after Labour lost more than 1,000 council seats in May. Andy Burnham ran unopposed to replace him, winning 379 of 403 Labour MPs' nominations—the highest share in modern party history. On July 20, he met King Charles III and became the UK's seventh prime minister in a decade.

Updated Jul 20

Money Moves

Resigned June 11, 2026

Britain's top uniformed officer told the House of Lords on June 16 that the armed forces will have to 'dial back' operations, training, and exercises if funding does not rise. Chief of the Defence Staff Rich Knighton said day-to-day budgets are losing ground to capital spending. The split was 80/20 twenty years ago; on current projections it reaches 50/50 by 2030.

Updated Jun 22