London

Andy Burnham used his first major leadership-bid speech in Manchester on 29 June to pitch 'No. 10 North', a second prime ministerial base outside the capital, accusing Westminster of failing the rest of the country. As Greater Manchester's mayor, Burnham already runs a functioning regional government, giving the idea a stronger institutional base than past rebalancing pledges managed.

The pitch gained a practical foothold on 30 July when Bev Craig won Greater Manchester's mayoralty, beating Reform's Sian Astley after a second-round transfer count that took her support from 47.1% to 66.3%. For London, the sequence is a live test of whether governing authority can credibly be pitched as movable away from Westminster.

The International Maritime Organization, headquartered on London's Albert Embankment, saw its first global code for crewless cargo vessels enter force on 1 July 2026. Three gaps remain unresolved: liability for a shore-based master when a casualty occurs, whether one master can safely oversee several ships, and what happens to seafarers whose postings move ashore.

Britain's own maritime institutions moved to fill the gap the UN code Left open: Lloyd's Register, based in the capital, published its own assurance framework alongside Norway's classification body. The code's entry into force cements London's position as the city where the rules for the next generation of shipping are written, even as the hardest liability questions stay unsettled.

London's share of UK equity investment fell from 60% to 57% in 2025, the British Business Bank found, as the North West grew 82%, Scotland 74% and the South West 104%; a handful of huge AI and energy deals drove the regional gains rather than a broad shift.

The slippage sits inside a national total still climbing fast: a fresh full-year UK forecast published in late July put the country's 2026 startup fundraising well ahead of 2025, with London retaining the largest individual rounds even as its proportional grip loosens.