The Burnham Effect: How the Makerfield By-Election Could Spook Bond Markets
Makerfield has been one of the safest, most unbroken Labour seats in the country, held continuously by the party and its predecessor seat, Ince since 1906. That safety can no longer be taken for granted. The constituency has been transformed into a highly volatile battleground between Labour and an insurgent Reform UK. Two forces are […]
The Leaked Words Haunting Labour’s Grim 2026 Economic Outlook
06/06/2026 by Tony Redondo These 11 words will haunt Labour for years to come. Pat McFadden, one of Starmer’s most loyal lieutenants, privately accused backbench MPs of caring only about “who can we tax in order to pay benefits to others.” The remark emerged during extraordinary exchanges with Peter Mandelson amid Labour’s winter fuel payments […]
Brexit at Ten: Why Labour’s EU Dilemma Could Define the Next Election
30/05/2026 by Tony Redondo June promises to be an interesting month. The Makerfield by-election, which could return Andy Burnham to parliament to challenge to Sir Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership and the premiership is scheduled for Thursday, 18 June. Five days later marks the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, held on 23 June […]
Makerfield By-Election: Andy Burnham, Reform UK, and the ÂŁ2.9TN Debt Reality
23/05/2026 by Tony Redondo Mark your calendars: Thursday, 18 June 2026. This is the date of the Makerfield by-election, likely the most consequential by-election in decades. The poll was triggered by the resignation of Labour MP Josh Simons, clearing the way for Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to contest the seat in a bid to […]
Managing Change in Uncertain Times
16/05/2026 by Julian Brown of Home – Change Specialists Ltd “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness” Charles Dickens. The prevailing assumption in many organisations is that uncertainty requires more process, more technology, and more dashboards. When markets […]
UK Gilt Crisis – Why Rising Bond Yields Signal a Sterling Crash Is Coming
09/05/2026 by Tony Redondo The bond market remains the central nervous system of global finance, significantly larger and often more influential than the stock market, with an estimated value of approximately $150 trillion. The global corporate bond segment alone is projected to reach around $45 trillion in 2026, with the remainder largely comprised of sovereign […]
Is the UK the Highest Wealth Taxing Country in the World? The OECD Data — and the 1976 Warning Labour Should Heed
02/05/2026 by Tony Redondo In 1975, Britain’s tax system stood as one of the most punishing in the developed world. A monument to the belief that wealth creation could be taxed without limit and enterprise penalised without consequence. Under Denis Healey, Labour’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, income tax rates escalated rapidly from a basic rate […]
Why Has the UK Economy Stagnated for 20 Years? The Case Against Career Politicians
25/04/2026 by Tony Redondo If we measure wealth by Real GDP per capita, that is total economic output divided by the population, adjusted for inflation, the UK has seen almost two decades of very low growth and is not much richer today than it was in 2007. An entire generation has grown up never having […]
Beyond Compliance: What Financial Crime Prevention Really Means For You And Your Business
16/04/2026 by Colin Tansley of Enhanced Due Diligence – Intelect Group In my experience financial crime prevention is often spoken about in abstract terms. For your clients, it is concrete: it determines whether their money moves safely, whether they are caught up in investigations, and whether their own reputation stands or falls. Why financial crime […]
Why Are UK Petrol and Diesel Prices So High in 2026? North Sea Policy, the Middle East Crisis, and What Comes Next
11/04/2026 by Tony Redondo Analysis from investment bank Stifel has piled further pressure on the Government to boost North Sea oil and gas production. Their data shows that tapping the UK’s own offshore gas reserves, rather than paying for imported LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas) shipments saved the country around ÂŁ2.5 billion in 2025. The savings […]