A poisoned chalice

Andy Burnham hopes to succeed where a slew of British leaders have failed since the Brexit vote ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

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Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up here. The political heat was rising in Westminster just as extreme weather was set to seize up public services in London. Yesterday morning, the UK was on the cusp of losing yet another prime minister, its sixth since the Brexit vote. Keir Starmer’s voice had cracked with emotion as he took the podium at 10 Downing Street. Andy Burnham, the PM in waiting, was already on the train down from the north to be sworn in as MP — the first necessary step toward taking a job that’s become a poisoned chalice for those who want it. “You’re not the messiah!” shouted a Tory MP during the ceremony. The “King of the North,” as the former Greater Manchester mayor is known, responded with “naughty boy,” drawing laughs with a line from Monty Python’s Life Of Brian. Burnham with Labour Party members after he was sworn in to parliament yesterday. Photographer: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images But here’s the thing, on today’s anniversary of the referendum that put Britain on course to leave the European Union, the country has rarely looked so unruly. One observer on social media pointed out that it was hot, England was playing well in the World Cup and the UK was averaging a new government about every year and a half. The derisive punchline was that the nation had become what once was Italy. Bloomberg Opinion columnist Rosa Prince says Burnham has a rare opening to succeed. Burnham will inherit a series of problems with no easy fixes. Gilt vigilantes certainly won’t let him try to spend his way into an economic revival. He and Pedro Sánchez are pretty much the only two left-leaning leaders left in a continent tilting conservative. And even the Spanish Socialist, a political survivor, is surrounded by scandal involving colleagues and relatives. Sánchez will require all his skill to make it to next year’s election. And Burnham will need a lot more than his quick wit to last longer than his recent predecessors. — Flavia Krause-Jackson Global Must Reads The US issued a 60-day license allowing Iran to sell oil on the global market, giving Tehran an economic lifeline as the two adversaries continued talks for a permanent peace deal. Kim Jong Un called for North Korea to boost its atomic capabilities, saying the “bloody situation” in the Middle East makes his push the “most correct and unique way” to defend his country. The White House is set to host a meeting of defense contractors this week to push for more robust munitions production, with stockpiles under strain after nearly four months of war with Iran. Also, the US said it provided four underwater vehicles to the Philippine military as Washington boosts its longtime ally’s capability to counter Beijing in the South China Sea. Bolivian security forces are preparing to enter the Chapare region, where former President Evo Morales has since late 2024 been protected by thousands of supporters while evading arrest and encouraging road blockades that disrupted the economy. Morales faces charges including human trafficking and statutory rape. A security checkpoint at the encampment protecting Morales in 2025. Photographer: Manuel Seoane/Bloomberg Rosa María Payá was 23 when her father died on his way to a pro-democracy meeting in Cuba, and now with Trump’s help, she’s hoping to complete his mission. The 37-year-old opposition leader is one of the most recognizable faces of the new Cuba and has detailed plans to run the island’s shattered government if the US president forces the communist regime from power. Leaked documents from a private Russian agency reveal plans to build a sprawling network of Wikipedia-style reference sites, media outlets and phony think tanks to shape how people and AI chatbots understand political issues. The goal of what Russian influencers call Project 2026 wasn’t just to spread fabricated stories but to create an alternative information ecosystem. Momentum is growing in both the US House and Senate on dueling efforts to pass legislation intended to make the internet safer for children, raising prospects for a breakthrough after big tech lobbying and partisan squabbles stalled the idea for years. Los Angeles won a court order dismissing a Trump administration lawsuit claiming its sanctuary city ordinance helped fuel riots during 2025 protests against the president’s deportation crackdown. A protest in Los Angeles in June last year. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg More than half of Australians now see their nation’s relationship with China as more important than its ties with the US, a new poll showed, while confidence in Trump slumped to a record low. Sign up for the Washington Edition newsletter for news from the US capital and watch Balance of Power at 1 and 5 p.m. ET weekdays on Bloomberg Television. Chart of the Day Greece’s rehabilitation from its debt crisis over the past decade or so has been lauded by regional peers and investors alike. But behind the new era of healthy metrics lies a decline in living standards that’s pricing even relatively affluent Greeks out of things like annual breaks by the seaside. And Finally As World Cup fever sweeps Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum invited an unlikely national hero to her daily press conference: Merlín the duck. Wearing the Mexican squad’s green jersey, the mascot with a wizard’s name has emerged as an early fan favorite after two straight wins for the national team. The duck provided a lighter agenda for Sheinbaum’s morning briefing known as la mañanera, which she often uses to respond to Trump or defend her policies. Merlín waddles around Mexico City last week. Photographer: Carl Recine/Getty Images More from Bloomberg Check out our Bloomberg Investigates film series about untold stories and unraveled mysteries Next China for dispatches from Beijing on where China stands now — and where it’s going next Next Africa, a daily newsletter on where the continent stands now — and where it’s headed Economics Daily for what the changing landscape means for policymakers, investors and you Green Daily for the latest in climate news, zero-emission tech and green finance COMING SOON: Get Next Japan for an inside view of the forces reshaping Japan, and what’s next for its businesses, markets and consumers Explore more newsletters at Bloomberg.com We’re improving your newsletter experience and we’d love your feedback. If something looks off, help us by reporting it here. Follow Us You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg’s Balance of Power newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, sign up here to get it in your inbox. 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