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Welcome to Balance of Power, bringing you the latest in global politics. If you haven’t yet, sign up here. Days before securing his decisive by-election victory, Andy Burnham named George Orwell’s The Road to Wigan Pier as the book that has most shaped his politics. Now, his own journey — from near Wigan in the north of England to Downing Street — has begun. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, who’s long harbored ambitions for higher office, gained a parliamentary seat in a standalone contest. That allows him to mount a leadership challenge against Prime Minister Keir Starmer, paving the way for Britain’s fifth premier in less than four years. Having secured more votes than all other parties combined and achieving a resounding victory over Nigel Farage’s right-wing populist Reform party, Starmer’s ouster now appears inevitable.  
Bloomberg’s Ruth David reports on the implications of the vote.
Burnham has proved capable of reversing the rapid decline in support that Labour has suffered over the last year or so — an achievement many in the ruling party hopes and believes he can replicate nationally. But there remain hurdles ahead for the politician known as the “King of the North.” Burnham hopes that Starmer’s most senior ministers will privately advise him to set a timetable for his departure, triggering a leadership contest that would see the new contender and other hopefuls compete for the top job. But Starmer has vowed to stay in post, which if he does, would force Burnham or another member of parliament to wield the knife with the backing of at least 81 colleagues. His team is confident he has enough support to force Starmer into a leadership bid, which the prime minister automatically qualifies for by virtue of being premier. Whatever happens over the coming days, the process will be chaotic for a country whose politicians have become addicted to drama. Labour promised to put an end to the constant churn of ministers that came to define the final years of Conservative party rule — a legacy that continues to haunt them. For Britain’s allies, it casts doubt over key government policies from Brexit to fiscal responsibility. It also signals another remarkable departure from a political system long defined by stability. — Ellen Milligan 
Burnham waiting for the results of the by-election.
Photographer: Mary Turner/Bloomberg
Global Must ReadsThe US and Iran postponed the start of their negotiations over a permanent peace deal and restricting the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program. It’s uncertain why the talks, meant to be held in Switzerland today, have been delayed, though Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants clashed overnight in Lebanon. US Vice President JD Vance meanwhile hit back at Israeli cabinet members who have criticized Donald Trump’s interim agreement with Iran. European Union nations on the bloc’s eastern flank are piling pressure on Brussels to speed up the approval of air-defense funding as more military drones stray into its airspace from Russia and Ukraine, sources say. European Council President António Costa defended his recent outreach to Russia during a meeting with leaders, arguing he was well-positioned to convey the EU’s interests. Russia’s foreign minister rejected Europe’s latest proposal for peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv. 
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow Oil Refinery yesterday.
Photographer: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu/Getty Images
An ASML chip-making machine may have made its way into China in violation of US-led export restrictions, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said, in the Dutch giant’s biggest challenge yet under the Trump administration. ASML insists it has never shipped a so-called extreme ultraviolet lithography unit to the Asian country, and that such equipment needs constant upkeep from its employees, sources say. Germany faces a US tariff probe for what Washington calls “persistent underpayment for innovative pharmaceutical products.” Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said a push to overhaul the country’s health insurance system that would curb spending on drugs amounts to a “serious step backwards” because it would shift more of the burden to the US to shoulder the ultimate cost of developing innovative drugs. Ebola patients are fleeing treatment centers in Democratic Republic of Congo in search of food, underscoring how hunger has become one of the biggest obstacles to containing an outbreak of the deadly virus that’s already infected almost 900 people. Government reports have documented more than 150 escapes from treatment and isolation facilities since late May. 
Red Cross members at a funeral in Bunia, Congo, on June 7.
Photographer: Jospin Mwisha/AFP/Getty Images
Brazilian investigators suspect Banco Master and related entities paid for an apartment and premium concert tickets for relatives of Senator Jaques Wagner, a senior ally of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. EU leaders sought at a meeting in Brussels to strike a balance between addressing deepening trade imbalances with China while not provoking a damaging conflict with the world’s No. 2 economy. Indonesia expanded its corruption probe into President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship $15-billion free-meals program into foundations involved in the nationwide rollout of kitchens. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said he was cutting off all contact with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, citing her “blatant unfairness” and underscoring the Jewish state’s growing isolation from many of its closest allies. 
Don’t miss from Bloomberg Weekend: Mishal Husain speaks with Meredith Whittaker about concerns over mass surveillance from the push for online safety. Morgan Meaker writes about the airport that transformed Greenland, while Eleanor Thornber, Maddie Parker and Nayla Razzouk investigate why the chocolate croissant keeps getting pricier. Subscribe to the newsletter here.
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Supertankers laden with almost 80 million barrels of oil are sitting in the Persian Gulf and ready to cross the Strait of Hormuz at a moment’s notice after the US and Iran struck an interim peace deal. The oil and shipping industries are watching closely for signs of more activity in the strait, and crude tankers are likely to be among the first types of vessels to attempt the passage. And FinallyMoving Pope Leo XIV across Spain requires the kind of planning usually reserved for rock stars. Vatican reporter Flavia Rotondi gives an insider look into what it’s like to travel in the pontiff’s entourage, experiencing the American up close and personal during his visit to Madrid, Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Leo himself admitted that he was up against tough competition, given there was an actual music celebrity in the Spanish capital: “If they are confronted with the question ‘Do you want to go see Bad Bunny, or do you want to go to see the pope?’ I think many will see Bad Bunny.” 
Pope Leo boarding an aircraft Spanish King Felipe VI (far left) offered after the first plane was delayed on June 12.
Photographer: Jorge Guerrero/AFP/Getty Images
Pop Quiz (no cheating!). Which African country did Taiwan accuse of caving in to Chinese pressure by blocking it from participating in an oceans conference this week? Send your answers to balancepower@bloomberg.net More from Bloomberg
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Friday, June 19, 2026
Political churn
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