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Andy Burnham — page 8

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Hospitality industry urges Andy Burnham to lay out VAT cut plans

More than 800 businesses ask PM to make good on pledge, or risk more closures and job losses Hundreds of UK hospitality businesses, backed by celebrity chefs including Angela Hartnett and Heston Blumenthal, have asked Andy Burnham to lay out plans to lower VAT for the sector, urging him to make good on his previous pledge. More than 800 businesses have written an open letter to the prime minister as part of the #VATsTheProblem campaign, to warn that without a “fairer tax burden for hospitality”, there will be more closures and job losses, and fewer opportunities for young people. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Julia Kollewe13 Sept

Andy Burnham to host entrepreneurs and local mayors at No 10 on Monday

Prime minister vows to ‘reindustrialise Britain’ through new partnership with business The prime minister is to host business leaders, entrepreneurs and local mayors at Downing Street on Monday to pitch his government as a “partner for growth” that can offer a stable platform for investment and jobs in the UK. Ahead of the event, Andy Burnham said the country had “everything it needs to succeed”, including talented people and world-class universities, but requires “a culture shift in how Britain does business” if it is to unlock its full potential. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Julia Kollewe13 Sept

Donald Trump doubles down on support for united Ireland

US president says ‘many people agree’ with his view on unification, brushing off Andy Burnham’s opposition to referendum Donald Trump has reiterated his support for Irish unification and brushed off Andy Burnham’s opposition to a referendum. “Everybody says that. Then things happen,” the US president said on Sunday of the British prime minister’s response. “It seems to me that one of the naturals of all time is to put them together,” Trump said of the unification of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland . Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Rory Carroll Ireland correspondent13 Sept

The Guardian view on the government’s corporate reforms: entrenching neoliberalism, not ending it | Editorial

A recent consultation on corporate reporting prizes the interests of shareholders over society. It’s a step in the wrong direction The question of what corporations are for is deeply political. In a 1970 article for the New York Times, Milton Friedman argued that the “social responsibility of business is to increase its profits”. The idea that CEOs should worry about providing good jobs was “pure and unadulterated socialism”, he wrote. Friedman and his fellow neoliberals saw companies as vehicles for enforcing their politics. Their ideas endured: UK bosses are now paid 130 times more than average workers. Despite Andy Burnham’s pledge to end neoliberalism, a 12-week consultation recently launched by his government risks entrenching it. The consultation was first announced as part of the Starmer government’s crusade against “red tape”. The average annual report for some businesses now runs to 98,000 words, and no doubt there are areas that could be simplified. But the consultation proposes removing vital information and presumes that company reports primarily serve shareholders, rather than other stakeholders. Both are steps in the wrong direction. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Editorial13 Sept

First ministers at Celtic summit to affirm right to seek independence from the UK

Call for ‘constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’ likely to challenge Burnham’s devolution agenda The first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are meeting to affirm their nations’ right to seek independence from the UK, as part of a summit that is likely to challenge Andy Burnham’s devolution agenda. Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth, Scottish National party leader John Swinney and Sinn Féin vice president Michelle O’Neill are expected to sign a memorandum of understanding at a landmark conference in Cardiff on Monday, calling on Westminster “to prepare, plan and facilitate constitutional change in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland”. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Bethan McKernan and Patrick Greenfield13 Sept

Why English devolution is fraught with difficulty | Letters

Readers respond to an editorial that argued for more accountability from local authorities in return for greater power Your editorial on Andy Burnham’s devolution plans rightly argues that greater local power must be accompanied by greater scrutiny ( The Guardian view on Burnham’s devolution plans: power must be accompanied by scrutiny, 6 September ). I work as a bid manager in the third sector, applying for publicly procured contracts to deliver employment and support services. From that perspective, the increasing devolution of funding has real potential: decisions can be made closer to communities and, importantly, local organisations should have greater opportunities to deliver services. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Guardian Staff13 Sept

Burnham must understand Wales is ‘not a region in England’, says first minister

Rhun ap Iorwerth, the first non-Labour Senedd leader, questions Westminster’s willingness to relinquish powers Andy Burnham has to be serious about devolution and understand that Wales is a nation and “not a region in England”, according to the country’s first minister. Rhun ap Iorwerth, who is the first non-Labour leader of the Senedd since devolution, told the Guardian that while he was encouraged by initial discussions with the new UK prime minister, he was wary about Burnham being captured by a consensus Westminster view against relinquishing further powers. Continue reading...

The GuardianThe Guardian•Peter Walker Senior political correspondent13 Sept