The Lancashire business view: 'Here we go again'

As we move into the summer of 2026, Lancashire businesses may be forgiven for thinking ‘here we go again’.

With the resignation of a sitting Prime Minister – forced out by his MPs - and yet another tenant in Downing Street, little wonder there is a sense of déjà vu in the air.

When Labour came to power, we were promised an end to the chaos that saw the front entrance to Number 10 become a revolving door for a procession of Conservative PMs.

Now, just two years into his premiership, Sir Keir Starmer is gone, with the so-called ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham given the keys to Downing Street.

We often comment about the need for stability in order for our businesses to thrive. Business leaders would be forgiven for asking quite reasonably, when will we see it?

The political buzzword for quite some time now has been ‘change’ which, the pundits tell us, the country is crying out for. We’d suggest that when it comes to change, it is needed, not in a continuing merry-go-round of leaders, but in the way that government interacts with business.

Certainly, a lot of things are out of our rulers’ control, whatever their political colour. The war in Ukraine and the Iran conflict are just two examples.

However, recent policies that have put added pressure on already struggling businesses have not helped. And there certainly seems a growing disconnect between the business community and government when it comes to issues like job creation, raising productivity and investing in the future.

On that point, the uncertainty that now surrounds the Defence Investment Plan, and its potential impact on thousands of Lancashire workers, is reported in issue 129 of Lancashire Business View magazine.

We hope Mr Burnham will start listening more closely to businesses. And not just the big players, but the SMEs and the family firms that show resilience and drive and want to play their part in making the country successful. We also hope that heralds a better deal for this part of the country when it comes to investment in infrastructure and the tools that we need to drive our economy forward.

There are some encouraging signs around a Burnham premiership. It has been reported that he has drafted in as an advisor Jim O’Neill, a crossbench peer and former Treasury minister who worked on George Osborne’s ‘Northern Powerhouse’ project.

He has also spoken about backing British business through public procurement changes and an education system that offers academic and technical paths in equal balance.

The proof, as always, will be in delivery. Burnham talks about a ‘last chance to change’. Lancashire businesses will be hoping for change that lasts and they get a chance to do what they do best – with the support of a government that better understands the role they play.