John Rentoul

In four days, Andy Burnham has announced £340m to end rough sleeping , £850m to take VAT off electricity bills , £450m to cap bus fares and £100m to cut business rates for pubs and clubs.

Permitting US planes to use RAF airbases to strike Iran flies in the face of British public opinion, as well as the foreign secretary’s long-held caution over military intervention, says John Rentoul – but it neatly highlights the bind that the new prime minister is in with the US president

He has made a good start, diverting attention from another round of difficult choices coming in the Budget, and possibly even opening a route to winning the next election, writes John Rentoul

One sentence stood out in Andy Burnham's first week as prime minister. “The only thing I care about is getting this government re-elected.” Not

The new PM’s rise in the polls – putting his party ahead of Nigel Farage’s Reform – will last if he can avoid unforced errors such as cutting winter fuel payments. It also suggests the next election may once again become a Labour-versus-Conservatives contest, says John Rentoul

The Green Party leader hoped to lead a political revolution on the left – but his handling of repeated controversies raises serious questions about whether he has the judgement needed for power, says John Rentoul

The plane has stalled, smoke is pouring out of the engine, the ground is coming up fast, and the pilot seems unequal to the task of pulling out of the tail

Not so long ago, it seemed certain that Nigel Farage’s party would capture the city-region mayoralty – but the new prime minister’s popularity carries all before it, writes John Rentoul

John Rentoul Andy Burnham has got away with it. He pulled a fast one, took a risk and came up smiling.

We send too many people to prison anyway, so the new prime minister’s emergency review is another chance to start to fix that problem, writes John Rentoul