The Times - Thunderer column
- 19 hours ago
- 2 min read
This article by Carl Richardson first appeared in The Times on Friday 17th July 2026.
Andy Burnham will be our sixth prime minister since David Cameron left No 10 in 2016. The average tenure since then is less than two years, dangerously close to the average shelf-life of a Premier League manager, which is 20 months.
We do not like this kind of trend in the world of business. We crave stability, a climate in which we can plan and then invest for the medium and long-term.
Yet in the face of acute domestic and geopolitical uncertainty in recent years, businesses have found ways to operate, adapt and grow. Over the past decade the UK economy has grown by nearly 14 per cent in real terms, adjusted for inflation, albeit driven by a boom in the service sector rather than manufactured goods, and with somewhat anaemic growth in recent years.
However, the ability of business to continually adapt in the face of political change should not be pushed too far, and the next prime minister would do well to consider that.
The country will go to the polls in less than three years, whatever Andy Burnham decides about his need for a mandate, and this imperative could drive a series of short-term initiatives and thinking. But from the perspective of business, and for the good of the country, it is to be hoped that longer-term thinking and plans are also considered.
I have a few thoughts of my own:
Appoint the cabinet to their roles for the remainder of this parliament.
Establish a Ministry of the Future focused on emerging trends.
Create a Minister for the Magnificent Seven, as Apple, Amazon, Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia and Tesla are sometimes known.
Introduce a “presumption for growth” to change Treasury orthodoxy.
Introduce fast-track planning for brownfield sites that meet pre-approved criteria — “brownfield first, brownfield fast” — alongside a guarantee that relevant authorities either approve, refuse or request amendments to planning applications within 100 days.
The new prime minister will not be short of ideas or advice. His No 10 North initiative is welcome if it truly devolves power to all the nations and regions outside London (let’s not forget the importance of Birmingham!).
We wish him well in the task ahead and hope that like the best football managers — Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola — his reign is longer than most.
