The Month That Was......June 2026

June 2026 will always be remembered for the toppling of Keir Rodney Starmer as Prime Minister.

On the one hand……

Keir didn’t dodge Cobra meetings to sort out a divorce or child support commitments, prorogue Parliament, call a stupid and costly referendum, crash the economy, mess up international relations, spend £900 million herding Covid-riddled people into restaurants to eat subsidised smashed avocado or be persistently, bafflingly and mind-blowingly weird.

But on the other hand……

History is likely to record Keir as the worst Prime Minister in modern history. Bafflingly uncharismatic, pernickety, dithery, downbeat, simply appalling at PR, easily panicked into disastrous un-Labour positions and the lover of a U-turn. Keir surrendered to the politics he failed to change.

Baffling until the end, Keir’s resignation speech made sure the transition was as orderly as possible, swore to support whoever succeeded him and then walked back into No 10 with the air of someone who would immediately start cleaning the kitchen cupboards and hoovering out his sourdough crumbs from the bread bin to prepare for the new incumbent.

Britain founded the office of Prime Minister 300 years ago, with some 70 countries admiring it so much they modelled their own heads of Government on it. I’m not sure that would be the case today. 

And what of the new incumbent? Well, it seems like Labour is lining its ducks up for an Andy Burnham coronation this summer. Everyone at Labour seems to be jolly happy with the situation……Keir is gone and they believe they have found a far better option to leave our future in the hands of a man who sorted the buses out in Manchester and who hasn't been an MP for 9 years.

That really is where we’ve reached.

Extraordinary stuff.

The Numbers

It’s official, we’ve had the hottest June day ever in the UK at 37.3C. The 1976 record has fallen. People had 50 years to evolve and adapt……instead we played computer games. I assume Starmer or Brexit can’t be blamed for this?

However, the weather was a side show for the UK’s main event……the Makerfield By-election to shuffle Andrew Murray Burnham into Parliament.

For the record, Burnham received 55% of the vote (24,927) beating the 34% Reform received (15,696). Nigel Farage blamed his party's defeat on a desire among voters to eject Sir Keir Starmer from Downing Street……and for the first time ever, I agree with him.

June 2026 was also the Brexit referendum anniversary……10 years since we broke up with the EU in the most British breakup ever. No shouting, no plates thrown……just a nation quietly muttering,

“It’s not you, it’s… well actually it is you, but also it’s us, and honestly we’re not sure anymore.”

Brexit felt like a pub quiz where half the team didn’t know the rules and the other half didn’t care…..yet someone still shouted the wrong answer with absolute confidence.

Assuming Andy Burnham does move into Number 10, he will become our 7^th PM since the Brexit vote and the 5^th one of them who didn’t vote for it. Yet it is a riddle that still needs a solution.

The latest post-Brexit report this month on the UK economy’s overall share of goods exports fell by 20% between 2019 and 2024, meaning British exporters have lost out on £74 billion of trade, the sharpest decline among the G7 group of large economies. You see, it is Brexit rather than higher energy prices or competition from cheap Chinese exports that has been the main driver of trade weakness.

The other big talking point this month was the ceasefire agreement between US and Iran. Time will tell how fragile this political shake of hands is but the oil markets very much like it. Crude Oil fell to $73 a barrel, quite the fall from the February peak of $120.

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee voted 7–2 to hold the bank rate at 3.75% in the belief that the improving situation in the Middle East might not impact inflation as much as first feared. UK inflation held steady at 2.8%.

The European Central Bank did raise interest rates for the first time in 3 years from 2.0% to 2.25% in an attempt to tame inflation in the eurozone driven up by the US Iran war. 

Head scratching number of the month……

Elon Musk become the world’s first trillionaire ($1,000,000,000,000) with shares in SpaceX initial listing on the New York Stock Exchange. SpaceX raised $75 billion in a record-breaking initial public offering, which values the satellite, rockets and artificial intelligence company at $1.77 trillion.

Rolls eyes at Rachel Reeves number of the month……

Labour’s mansion tax is expected to cost the Treasury significantly before a penny is raised. Treasury officials estimate that stamp duty and inheritance tax receipts will slump by £230 million in the three years up to its introduction as property values near the thresholds for the new tax plummet. Then add in the process of identifying and valuing homes liable for the tax is set to cost a further £120 million. And if all goes to form, Rachel Reeves will be long gone before a penny in mansion tax is received.

World Cup Numbers of the month……

The 23^rd edition of the Fifa tournament is certainly the biggest with a record 48 countries competing for the cup. 104 matches will be played across 39 days.

Royal numbers of the month……

King Charles became the first monarch to reveal their tax bill, disclosing figures that show he paid £12.9 million in tax for 2024-2025. The level of tax paid by the King places him among the top 100 UK taxpayers.

Favourite number of the month……

2……netball tournaments played in (for clarity, that was my daughter playing, not me).

Trump of the Month

Sometimes The Trump gives us the gift of a huge landmark statement or hard to believe actions that only he could fathom being logical. Other times, it is the subtle lunacy that we take for granted each month that doesn’t attract the headlines but confirms his art at a world class level.    

Take his statement after the ceasefire with Iran. "I've settled eight wars, actually nine, and now it looks like we could have 10."  Yet nobody actually knows any of the wars he’s stopped other than the one with Iran, which he started.

Speaking of Iran, The Trump admitted why he backed down to agree a ceasefire. "If I keep bombing them, the ships remain blocked. That costs $500-600 million per day. And in 4 weeks we won't have any reserves of oil left. We wouldn't have any oil. Do you want to see chaos?"

So in the end, The Trump went right up to the edge of the cliff to discover that the global economy doesn't like wars that block oil and maritime trade. Wow……what a revelation!

The Trump hit out at critics of the deal he struck with Iran as “either jealous, bad people or stupid.” The US Iran peace deal creates a $300 billion reconstruction fund……yet The Trump has stated that the US won’t contribute anything towards it. So where will his madness create it from?

The Trump then confirmed Keir Starmer’s resignation……the day before his lectern announcement. A cheap, tacky move, lacking all class just because he could.

The Trump then told us……"Qatar is the closest to Iran, physically. With other countries, I noticed they had to travel about 45 minutes to get there. With Qatar, you could walk right across the border."

For the geographical record, there is no land border between Iran and Qatar. They're separated by the Persian Gulf. I mean I'm not a stickler for high standards of geography in world leaders but I think knowing the basics in an area where you are putting millions of lives at risk should kind of be a requirement? Just a thought.

US inflation rose to a 3 year high of 4.2% in June, more than double the country’s target rate. When questioned on it, The Trump declared “I love the inflation.”

Really? The rising cost of living is a political liability for The Trump which is likely to see him lose control of Congress in the midterm elections in November. The Trump won the 2024 Presidential Election in large part because of his promise to lower inflation but he has seen his approval rating fall as inflation has risen. And he loves that? Clearly his understanding of inflation differs from everyone else’s.

Subtle buffoonery that you just can’t find anywhere else. The consistency is almost admirable.

The June 2026 Trump of The Month is deservedly awarded to…… Donald John Trump.

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10

And Finally……

“Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” 

Mark Twain

The Month That Was……May 2026

Who knows who will be Prime Minister by the time you read this but, as I write, the chances of it being Keir Starmer seem to be lessening by the minute. Even if Starmer limps on through this, it seems likely that his days are numbered. We appear dangerously near an accidental leadership contest.

New Prime Minister fever is reaching fever pitch. At some point soon it seems like the UK will (very wearily) welcome Prime Minister number seven in 10 years. SEVEN!

In under 2 years the electorate has fast-forwarded through the full range of feelings you can have for a politician: admiration, hope, disappointment, disdain, rage and ending irretrievably in scorn. By some polling metrics, Starmer is the most unpopular PM ever. The results of local elections tell the same story.

If you lead a country, voters must know who you are. Temperament is a much-underrated factor in leadership but voters like happy warriors……politicians who relish the battle without whingeing. Contrast this with Starmer, who simply looks like a man who hates his job.

No politician has ever disappointed me more. But if Starmer goes and the new Labour leader loses in 2028 (as they surely will), that will make eight PMs since 2015. If nothing feels solid and if every manifesto promise is provisional, then people pop up as PM who you never imagined in the role. Who can you trust? How can you plan?

The irony is that our Prime Ministers are being deposed because of problems……the economy, welfare, housing, et al……which stems from our high turnover of Prime Ministers! Changing leaders has become the disease of which it purports to be the cure.

Politics is reduced to theatre. People detach from all sense of nation and disconnect from democracy. The cost of this forever-drama runs deep.

Keir’s response to all of this? To steady the ship by announcing that former Labour royalty, Gordon Brown and Harriet Harman, are to take advisory roles to the Prime Minister. Deck chairs being rearranged on the Titanic springs to mind.

Billy Connolly once joked that there is no situation so bad that it cannot be made worse by country music. The political equivalent is sending Starmer out to give an interview or speech. Keir Starmer is hapless, delusional and losing his dignity.

One thing is clear……Starmer’s future is no longer in his own hands.

UK politics has become all too good at entertainment but very bad at truth telling. At some point, those around the Prime Minister (current or new addition) need to put the gun down and start to fix things in what little time they have left. It will make for a less exciting story, but it’s the only one with the chance of a decent ending.

Extraordinary stuff.

The Numbers

May was dominated by the local elections in England, which cover more than 5,000 seats across 136 local authorities and 6 mayoral races.

The current political storm at Westminster was caused by Labour’s poor showing…….only 1,068 councillors elected (a reduction of 1,498) and only 28 labour councils controlled (a reduction of 40). Unsurprising that Labour has an internal party crisis as a consequence.

There are 403 Labour MPs in the UK House of Commons……the highest of any political party since 2001. Crossing the 400‑seat mark is extremely rare in UK politics and has occurred only 3 times since 1945. Even peak Thatcher only achieved 397 in 1987.

Which makes it truly remarkable that the number one candidate to takeover leadership of the Labour party isn’t even a current MP. What does that say about the 403?

Just as remarkable is that we now have a fourth significant political party……Reform gained 1,452 councillors and 14 councils. Ignore Nigel Paul Farage at your peril.  

A few years ago, the UK was spending £60 billion a year on public debt interest. It’s now £110 billion and rising. As the UK political situation appears unstable to the outside world, the cost of the debt goes up as the UK is seen as a riskier borrower. Or to put that another way……there is a ‘moron premium’ to pay on the bond market by the Government.

The cost of a 10-year gilt increased to 5.18%, the highest level since 2008. The cost on a 30-year bond, increased to 5.86% the highest level ever recorded.

For context, this is above Liz Truss levels. For further context, every 1% rise costs about £16 billion to the public coffers. This isn’t due to a defect of Starmer’s personality or a lack of ambition……it is an unintended consequence of ineffective politics leading to a fiscal reality (the moron premium).

Bond markets are wretched things, you see. Before the recent Labour local election shock and the Iran energy shock, bond markets had been spooked by Labour’s second budget. Before that it was Trump’s tariffs. Before that it was Labour’s first budget. And then we go all the way back to the granddaddy of recent fiscal wrecks……the Liz Truss experiment.

And here we are now. The bond market refuses to appreciate that because Andy Burnham fixed the buses in Manchester, that qualifies him as definitely being able to handle a bit of hullabaloo in Hormuz.

Another measure of the risks of the UK is the strength of the pound. Sterling dropped to a 5-week low against the dollar, at $1.33. With the dollar used as the default currency on most imports purchased, goods and services will now cost the UK more. Brilliant.

UK inflation eased by more than expected to 2.8%, led by a reduction in the household energy price cap. This suggests the impact of the Iran war has not yet hit UK households as much as feared. But as the Bank of England warned, inflation is in the post.

I had the displeasure of ordering a tall (i.e. smallest size) black coffee at Starbucks this month……£4.05. But don’t worry, inflation numbers are down apparently (rolls eyes in disgust).

Elsewhere……US jobs data beat expectations for the second month in a row with 115,000 jobs created as businesses kept hiring despite the economic fallout from the war in Iran. The increase was stronger than expected……almost double what economists had forecast.  

Surprising number of the month……

£27……the average spend on “just popping into Tesco for milk”.

Geeky number of the month……

7,314……the number of words in the Apple iCloud terms of service agreement. For context, the US Constitution is 7,591 words.

“Tell me you’re getting old without telling me you’re getting old” numbers of the month……

The Chelsea Flower Show had 145,000 visitors, 390 horticultural exhibits filling the 20‑acre site. 30 gardens, 79 growers / nurseries created 83 floral exhibits and 40 new plants launched (one inspired by David Beckham).

Favourite number of the month……

13……exams in 8 days for the academic one.

Trump of the Month

It appears the warm weather has sent more than a few a little doolally.

Bridget Phillipson MP decided that the best way to promote education was to take the most famous educationally inspired individual she could think of and use her to promote all things teaching in a series of videos. Enter Gemma Collins from The Only Way Is Essex, I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity Big Brother, Celebs Go Dating and Dancing on Ice to hit the right tone for the masses.

Just what was the Secretary of State for Education thinking in taking such an uninspiring individual who struggles to construct sentences without slang, inuendo and abbreviations? I mean, she didn’t include subtitles for those not down with the kids! Read the room Bridget. Trump Lunacy Rating: 6/10

Robert Jenrick MP is always close to an episode of The Trump most months. Having jumped from a Tory blue to Reform after a failed Tory Leadership campaign, it has come to light that he accepted an impermissible donation of almost £40,000 from a convicted American fraudster. Nothing quite says “are you mental” quite like accepting money from a fraudster. But accept he did and it is now at the centre of a police investigation. Trump Lunacy Rating: 5/10

But this is chicken feed in comparison to Nigel Farage who is facing a parliamentary investigation over £5 million he was given by a Reform UK donor shortly before he returned to politics to stand as an MP. Farage has insisted that the money, from the cryptocurrency billionaire Christopher Harborne, was a “personal” donation and did not need to be declared. This is in addition to the breaching of parliamentary rules for failing to register 17 payments worth more than £100,000 within the 28 days required earlier this year.

According to Farage it is all a misunderstanding as the money is to pay for his security and “ensure I can be safe for the rest of my life”.

Not managing your financial affairs legally and believing you are so important as to fear for your life……now, where have I seen this before? Trump Lunacy Rating: 7/10

Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, had to be rescued by the AA after her car hit a pothole in Oxfordshire. She was driving back to her Swindon South constituency from a Labour fundraiser when her car hit a pothole and had to be towed off the road. She highlighted she had made it her “absolute priority to secure decent investment in our roads” when she took the ministerial role in 2024. So how’s that working out then? Trump Lunacy Rating: 4/10

Peter Murrell, the former SNP Chief Executive used charge cards, bank transfers and fake invoices to embezzle more than £400,000 from his party funds. Murrell’s marriage to Nicola Sturgeon broke down after his arrest. He used the funds to illicitly purchase goods including jewellery, cosmetics, two cars and a motorhome (parked on his mother’s drive for 2 years).

A shocking story made all the more remarkable by Nicola Sturgeon who said she “had no knowledge of Murrell's crimes or covering up wrongdoing”. Really? Sturgeon said that while she would have visited Murrell's mother's house while the motorhome was parked outside, she has no "conscious memory" of having seen it. Really……because the motorhome was as big as the house that it was parked outside of.

And just to add a little more disgust to the story……the investigation cost the taxpayer £2 million (and counting) to uncover the £400,000 of wrongdoing. Trump Lunacy Rating: 9/10

In any other month, Murrell would be a certainty for the award. But this month’s Trump of the Month could only be given to……Keir Rodney Starmer.

To take such a large majority at the General Election and turn it into major distrust within 2 years is truly extraordinary. To then believe you are the best person for the role after such a catastrophe at local elections is lunacy beyond all comprehension.  

We deserve better. 

Trump Lunacy Rating: 10 / 10

And Finally……

““The times they are a‑changin’.” 

Bob Dylan (1964)