Andy Burnham and Manchesterism (Illustration by Tracy Worrall)

7 min read46 min

What would Burnham’s Britain look like? Ros Taylor explores the Manchester mayor’s governing philosophy – derided by some as more a vibe than a replicable political model, but celebrated by others as key to the city’s recent success

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The first hint of Manchesterism in the public consciousness came at an outdoor press conference in October 2020, when Andy Burnham heard about the latest Covid restrictions to be imposed on the city and the money available for it. In a moment that launched a thousand memes, the mayor looked down at his adviser’s phone bearing the news and grimaced. “I mean, it’s brutal, isn’t it?” he said. “This is not right. They should not be doing this – grinding people down: £22m to fight the situation we are in is frankly disgraceful.”

Boris Johnson was the prime minister then, but the refrain has persisted: ‘Manchester is being done down by Westminster and Whitehall, deprived of the autonomy it needs to thrive and I, the city’s elected mayor, will not roll over and keep quiet about it.’ As Burnham has grown more confident – poised, were he able to do so, to challenge Keir Starmer – Manchesterism has become a way for him to express how he would run the country differently.

What, then, is Manchesterism? What relevance does an idea rooted in one city have for governing a nation of 70 million? Does it owe anything to Manchester Liberalism, the other big political idea to have emerged from the North West? And given how little power British mayors have, how much has Burnham been able to do to flesh out his philosophy?

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Doubters say it is mostly vibes and boosterism, rooted in a belief in Manchester’s thwarted potential (axing HS2 to Manchester fuelled that disaffection) and relies on a bottom-up localism that would be hard to translate to the national stage. Enthusiasts believe it would permanently reshape the relationship between Britons and their elected representatives. Rachel Reeves’ tentative plans to share income tax revenues with local government, mentioned in her recent Mais Lecture, hint that Burnham’s message is getting through.

Yet Manchesterism is a “governance rather than an economics question”, says Marc Stears, director of the Policy Lab at UCL, and a former adviser to Ed Miliband. He describes it as “an essentially collaborative way of working” where government allies with trade unions and business to “dismantle roadblocks”. He says this approach is impossible when the country is governed overwhelmingly from Westminster: “The short-termism and antiquated nature of our governing stops you having a growth plan which is going to be successful.”

Stears, who has spent time in Australia, admires the “healthy rivalry” between cities like Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide, compared with the relatively unproductive British cities beyond the capital. “If we’re reliant only on London and the South East, we won’t be able to get growth above 1.5 per cent.”

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In practice, working more closely with unions and business has meant trying to bring services back into public control. Burnham’s signature reform has been to bring Manchester’s buses back into local authority control, calling them the Bee Network. He has also been planning more social housing to replace the stock lost to sell-offs. “It’s been difficult,” says Ryan Swift of the think tank IPPR North. “There’s been a mix of local government taking the lead on that and financially empowering social housing companies.” Efforts to reform skills and education have been less successful, largely because of the limited powers a city mayor has and difficulties in bringing opportunities and transport to some of Greater Manchester’s outlying boroughs, like Wigan.

Burnham has fleshed out Manchesterism by calling for constitutional changes like abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with a senate of the nations and regions. Gordon Brown championed this plan, but very few of his proposed reforms survived contact with the Starmer government. Burnham also wants to reform the whipping system so that MPs can vote in the interests of their constituencies, and he has “come round” to proportional representation.

Critics ask how much of what makes Manchester relatively prosperous today is down to Burnham himself

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Last autumn he called for higher taxes on the better-off, the renationalisation of utilities and more government borrowing, telling the New Statesman: “We’ve got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond market.” It was a bold move for a “governance” rather an economic project and raised questions about the cost of Burnham’s aspirations. With borrowing unlikely to get cheaper until the war in the Middle East is resolved, Manchesterism looks even more expensive. The market’s lack of confidence frustrates him. “The focus on the longer-term returns on delivery is something that’s held back investment in the North in recent years,” says Swift.

Critics ask how much of what makes Manchester relatively prosperous today is down to Burnham himself. The Labour-controlled council took several key decisions in the decade before he became mayor. It welcomed foreign investment in property, especially from the Abu Dhabi United Group investment fund, a lot of it unaffordable to most Mancunians. By 2011, the BBC was already moving into Salford and the Beetham Tower, for a while the tallest UK building outside London, had gone up. Burnham’s focus on the ‘social economy’ is in part a reaction to the feeling that central Manchester has prospered from a huge injection of oil money, not necessarily to the benefit of locals. “Kids can’t see a path to those skyscrapers,” he told the Social Mobility Commission.

Abu Dhabi still owns Man City, but Burnham has attracted foreign direct investment from the US, EU and India. The UK Biobank and a GCHQ base have moved in. Universities are heavily involved in the planned ‘Atom Valley’ in Rochdale. They represent the scientific, trade and manufacturing side of Manchesterism – an echo of the Manchester Liberalism of the mid-19th century and the emancipation of workers through international trade. Burnham is notably enthusiastic about reindustrialisation. Asked whether he identifies more with Richard Cobden or Friedrich Engels, he chooses Cobden, the Mancunian Radical and free-trader.

The Greens’ by-election victory in Gorton and Denton shows that Labour’s record in Manchester has not been enough to counter Keir Starmer’s unpopularity. Burnham will take comfort from the fact he was barred from standing, and that the Greens won through a very Labour appeal to working-class solidarity and the pain of the cost of living. Should he become PM and need to govern in coalition after the next election, Burnham is ideologically flexible enough to do it: for his part, Zack Polanski has said he could work with him.

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But ‘Manchester’ localism carries risks. Regional and fiscal devolution means taking power away from Westminster – perhaps even a devolved England of German-style Länder. What if, as in Scotland, some regions choose to entrust it to parties that are not Labour? The prospect of, say, the East Midlands being run by Reform makes many on the left shudder. “There would have to be a change in the way people feel about politics,” says Swift, “and an acceptance of different politics in different areas. The argument still needs to be made for why devolution is a good thing in the longer term.”

Manchesterism is partly a howl of civic pride, an echo of The Fall’s “big, big, big, wide streets; those useless MPs”. “The wiring of the country isn’t right,” says Burnham, who couldn’t get a job in journalism in Manchester when he graduated. But it is also a model for radical devolution and a renationalisation and reindustrialisation project. Where it breaks from some of the early 21st century left is its lack of interest in expanding individual rights. 

Social mobility is vital to Burnham, but industry, education and infrastructure drive it forward, not rights-based law. Tellingly, the foreign cities to which he compares Manchester are outside Europe: Austin, Texas and Osaka in Japan.

To its fans, Manchesterism’s possibilities lie in the aspiration for an England that is not defined by the capital’s appetites, where “people feel settled and at ease with themselves”, as Stears puts it. It remains a work in progress – and that might suit Andy Burnham very well. 

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4 min read48 min

Taking decisions in Whitehall to reform public services is one thing, but tangibly improving those services is another. Our new report sets out how ministers can achieve both.

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Labour came into office with big ambitions for public service reform. Health, education and public order were three of the Keir Starmer government’s five initial missions, and while we don’t hear the M-word as often as we used to, ministers are still keen to improve the performance of public services across the country.

Public service reform is never easy – making a decision in Westminster does not magically lead to change in how people experience the service in their day-to-day lives. Ministers can feel removed from the services they oversee. But as the leaders of the system, there are some things that only ministers can do. Our recent Institute for Government (IfG) paper looked at lessons from successful reforms by recent governments that will be of use for any ministers today trying to improve how public services work.

Have a clear – and clearly thought-out – goal for your time in office

The most effective ministers have a clear idea of what they want to achieve in office. This will help them to articulate their vision to their civil servants and ensure that the department is pulling in the same direction to implement their objectives.

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Nick Gibb, as minister for schools for much of the 2010-24 period, was relentlessly focused on his vision for reform. Having shadowed his post for five years, he entered office with an excellent knowledge of his brief and a clear idea that he wanted to improve the standards of teaching in schools. He is perhaps best known for pushing the synthetic phonics method for teaching children how to read, and introducing the phonics screening test to check how well schools were using this method. Not all ministers will have the same opportunity to shadow their posts, but it is crucial that they set out their priorities early and communicate them effectively to guide action throughout the system.

Build the team to achieve that goal

Once ministers know what they want to do, they need relationships inside and outside government – the strength of these relationships can determine whether reform is successful or not.

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The success of the previous Labour government’s Sure Start programme – the inspiration behind the current government’s Best Start programme – relied on a cross-government coalition of support. Sure Start was overseen by a ministerial steering group that brought together several departments, including ministers responsible for health, education and social security. The idea was based on work by a senior Treasury official, and support from Gordon Brown as chancellor was crucial to its success. 

During the coalition, Norman Lamb was particularly skilled at building networks outside government as minister for care and support. He saw himself as a campaigner and an advocate for mental health in government, which lent him credibility and authenticity with the sector. Open engagement across government and the wider sector is therefore essential for ministers to secure buy-in for their agenda.

Choose the right tools to achieve the goal

To deliver tangible change in real-world outcomes, ministers need to use the right tools to embed their reforms. One way to help keep momentum on delivery and monitor progress effectively is by using accountability mechanisms.

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As home secretary tasked with completing the rollout of the Neighbourhood Policing Programme, Jacqui Smith stripped back an array of inherited top-down targets for the police and focused instead on retaining one target, which measured public confidence in policing. Policing is operationally independent from the government, but Smith was able to negotiate targets collaboratively with police chiefs and use them to hold local police forces to account from the centre.

By using the right tools, ministers can maintain strategic oversight of reform without trying to solve every problem themselves. These are useful lessons for Home Office ministers, who have recently announced a set of targets for policing in England and Wales and a Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee to restore confidence in policing.

Public service reform is an ongoing slog for ministers and their teams. They will inevitably face criticism from inside and outside government, so they need to be prepared to dig in and defend their objectives. Having a clear goal, communicated to the right team and delivered with the right tools, will make this task much easier.  

 

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Megan Bryer is a research assistant at the Institute for Government, and Tim Durrant is programme director of the IfG’s Ministers team.

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The cast of the new Lord Of The Rings film has been announced, with some exciting new faces set to share the screen with the franchise’s most recognisable stars.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, it was finally confirmed that Elijah Wood and Sir Ian McKellen will be reprising their roles as Frodo Baggins and Gandalf in The Hunt For Gollum.

Andy Serkis will also be back as the titular villain, in addition to directing the new movie, which will serve as a prequel to the first Lord Of The Rings movie.

Joining them will be new additions Kate Winslet, Lee Pace and Leo Woodall as Marigol, Thrandul and Halvard, respectively.

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However, perhaps the most intriguing announcement is the news that Jamie Dornan is also joining the franchise as Strider, a character who Middle Earth fans will know is later revealed to be Aragorn.

Aragorn was played in the first three Lord Of The Rings movies by three-time Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen, who it was confirmed earlier this month would not be returning for the new film.

During an interview with ScreenRant, Andy Serkis teased: “I don’t know what’s out there at the moment, but I know there’s a lot of speculation, but let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone.”

Pierre Vinet/New Line/Saul Zaentz/Wing Nut/Kobal/Shutterstock

Letting fans know what they were in for, he added: “Our film takes place between The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings, and it’s The Hunt For Gollum, and it is a physical hunt for the character, but also a psychological hunt for himself.

“So, we’re just about on the launchpad now, and it’s very exciting. And yeah, it’s going to be a big ride.”

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Filming on The Hunt For Gollum is due to get underway next month, with the movie hitting cinemas in December 2027.

Meanwhile, another Lord Of The Rings instalment written by US comedian and Tolkien superfan Stephen Colbert is also in the works.

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A moving new short film, Little Rock, comes out on 15 April. It highlights the impact on young families when a parent is diagnosed with young onset dementia.

Little Rock stars Adolescence’s Amelie Pease, Dune’s Neil Bell and Kate Hampson (Happy Valley, Emmerdale). It tells the story of Lana (Pease), a teenager trying to navigate life as her father’s memory fades (Bell). Through music, memory and the shifting roles within their family, the film captures the painful beauty of love that endures even when recognition begins to disappear.

New dementia awareness campaign

Little Rock marks the launch of ‘Dementia Doesn’t Care’. This is an awareness campaign highlighting the reality families face when dementia strikes decades earlier than expected.

Charity Younger People with Dementia is leading the campaign. It’s one of very few organisations in the UK providing specialist support for people under the age of 65 living with the condition.

More than 70,000 people in the UK live with the condition. And with diagnosis taking up to 4.4 years on average, the need for dedicated support has never been greater. Dementia Doesn’t Care will highlight the experiences of families and the role of support services. These include children’s group sessions, young adult carers’ groups and practical workshops that act as lifelines to those families affected.

Produced by Lobster, Little Rock was written and directed by Nick Tree, the multi award winning director. He spent weeks listening to the experiences of children and young people living with a parent with dementia to create this powerful work.

Tree says:

As a father and a son, these stories broke my heart. I wanted to capture their truth with absolute integrity. Little Rock shows that dementia doesn’t just affect the person diagnosed, it reshapes entire families and can steal parts of childhood too.

Inspired by real-life experiences of families affected by young onset dementia, the film invites audiences to confront a reality many have never considered.

Amy Pagan, marketing, fundraising & social media lead for Younger People with Dementia says:

We’re incredibly grateful to Nick, Amelie, Neil and Kate for creating Little Rock and the powerful role it plays in bringing this campaign to life. Too often, the realities of young onset dementia, particularly its impact on children and families, go unseen and misunderstood.

This film captures those experiences with real honesty and care, and we hope it will help more people understand the challenges families face, while encouraging greater awareness, empathy and support in a truly meaningful way.

Through regular contact, shared experiences, and ongoing advice, Younger People with Dementia connects families facing similar challenges and provides the emotional and practical support needed to make an incredibly difficult situation more manageable.

Featured image via Younger People with Dementia

By The Canary

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The man who suggested people drink bleach during the COVID pandemic is back with another hit.

President Donald Trump reportedly thinks fizzy drinks are good for him, because it kills grass — and therefore it must also kill cancer cells.

The wild revelation comes via Dr. Mehmet Oz, Trump’s administrator for Medicare and Medicaid, who shared the anecdote on Donald Trump Jr.’s podcast on Tuesday.

“Your dad argues that diet soda is good for him because it kills grass if you pour it on grass, so therefore it must kill cancer cells inside the body,” Oz told Trump Jr. in disbelief, to which Trump Jr. just laughed and shrugged knowingly.

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CHANDAN KHANNA via Getty Images

“I’m not even going to argue this right now,” Oz continued.

Oz then shared an anecdote of walking in on Trump drinking an orange Fanta on Air Force One, where he again repeated the theory.

“He’s got a Fanta on the desk and I say, ‘Are you kidding me?’ So he starts to sheepishly grin, he goes, ‘You know, this stuff’s good for me, it kills cancer cells.’”

The Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center declined to comment.

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Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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The Green Party need not spend any money campaigning for the local elections in May next month as David Lammy is seemingly doing its press for them.

Lammy in DC

Justice secretary Lammy posted a picture of himself in Washington — presumably to attend the Bilderberg conference with Palantir-sponsored US vice-president JD Vance — and called him a “friend”.

Shadow home secretary, Zoe Gardner, reposted Lammy’s gushing friendship declaration and asked: “Genuinely, who is going to vote for this in May?” We are thinking the same.

Genuinely, who is going to vote for this in May?

Who?

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Why would you? https://t.co/ODdiLLyVSY

— Zoe Gardner (@ZoeJardiniere) April 13, 2026

Lammy’s friends also include Peter Mandelson, a pal of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s friend

Other reactions were similarly expressing disgust. Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, called the photo opportunity a “debasement.”

“My friend.”

This is how our government greets those accused of war crimes.

This is not diplomacy. It’s debasement. https://t.co/i4pR5JNAud

— Zack Polanski (@ZackPolanski) April 14, 2026

One user called them a pair of trashers: Vance for trashing the peace talks and Lammy for trashing jury trials.

What a pair of trashers!@JDVance just trashed peace talks @DavidLammy is intent on trashing jury trials

These men should be removed from power as soon as possible https://t.co/95QY8DLkdc

— Tom London (@TomLondon6) April 13, 2026

Bilderberg meeting

Declassified recently shared the list of participants of the 2026 annual Bilderberg meeting, which included Lammy.

According to Bilderberg’s press release, the 72nd Bilderberg Meeting took place from 9-12 April 2026 in Washington among a “diverse group of political leaders and experts from industry, finance, academia, and media”.

This year’s invitee list included Palantir’s Peter Thiel and Alex Karp. NATO’s secretary general also confirmed his attendance.

Attendees at this year’s Bilderberg meeting include usual suspects: former MI6 chief John Sawers, David Lammy, editor of the Economist and Rishi Sunak. pic.twitter.com/wM4hUKX4SD

— Declassified UK (@declassifiedUK) April 8, 2026

Lammy has been a regular invitee to the secretive meeting.

In 2023, Matt Kennard reported that in 2022, Lammy was paid to attend the Bilderberg meeting through a consultancy headed by former MI6 head Sawers.

Labour shadow foreign sec @DavidLammy was paid to attend the Bilderberg meeting in Washington last year by Newbridge Advisory.

Newbridge is the personal consultancy of “Sir” John Sawers, ex-head of MI6 who was appointed Britain’s first special rep to Iraq by Tony Blair in 2003. pic.twitter.com/mmZF8Mh3UO

— Matt Kennard (@kennardmatt) March 29, 2023

Never say social mobility in Britain is dead. David Lammy has gone from Tottenham boy to shameless elite apologist for genocide and imperialism in half a lifetime. https://t.co/W7xIO322Hy

— Mark Curtis (@markcurtis30) April 8, 2026

Declassified’s Mark Curtis quipped: “Never say social mobility in Britain is dead. David Lammy has gone from Tottenham boy to shameless elite apologist for genocide and imperialism in half a lifetime.”

Tottenham set to go Green

Lammy has brushed off polling showing he would lose his seat to the Greens in the next general election, which will take no later than 15 August 2029.

Labour holds all MP seats across Haringey, which is represented by four MPs — Bambos Charalambous (Southgate), David Lammy (Tottenham), Tulip Siddiq (Highgate) and Catherine West (Hornsey).

#GE2029 projection for Tottenham:

Grn: 36% (+17)
Lab: 32% (-25)

Green GAIN from Labour (21% swing)

Lammy is toast https://t.co/8EueUFcuVl pic.twitter.com/5dB4ZZL9xm

— Stats for Lefties (@LeftieStats) March 6, 2026

He rubbished the prospect of the Greens taking his seat in a recent interview with Oli Dugmore.

I told David Lammy the Greens are forecast to win in Tottenham.

He said: “I can 100% tell you that there is no prospect of the Greens taking my constituency. Absolutely none at all.” pic.twitter.com/9PgAKq9A2h

— Oli Dugmore (@OliDugmore) March 13, 2026

However, will local elections give Labour a jolt?

It is to be seen how Haringey will vote in the local elections in May. Labour holds 50 out of the 57 seats in Haringey.

Will Haringey go Green in May? Will that make Lammy realise the knee deep shit he is in with friends like Vance and Mandelson?

We think Lammy’s photo ops with Vance, Netanyahu, Gideon Sa’ar (the list is endless) will come back to haunt him.

Featured image via 

By The Canary

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DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 14

STONES AND GLASS STATEHOUSES: Gov. Kathy Hochul has raked in almost $200,000 in campaign contributions from insurance companies as she pushes for a proposal she argues would help save both their policyholders — as well as those same companies — lots of money.

But while reaping that campaign cash, Hochul has also attacked members of the Legislature for taking their own political contributions — and she is now arguing their political positions are tainted by those dollars in a way hers are not.

“I’m proud of what we’re doing,” Hochul told reporters today at an unrelated event in the Capital Region. “Money has no influence in what we’re doing.”

One of the sticking points holding up the now two-weeks-late-and-counting state budget is Hochul’s push to limit who can sue for damages when they’re in an auto accident. Right now, even if the accident is your fault, you can still reap a reward. Limiting who can receive damages would save insurers money, and, in theory, cut monthly insurance rates for New York’s millions of drivers, Hochul argues.

But members of the Legislature — who often receive political donations from the state’s trial lawyers, which represent plaintiffs in personal injury suits — say they’re skeptical the push would equate to any real savings for New Yorkers, and they worry it would prevent injured people from receiving the money they deserve in court.

On Monday, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Michael Gianaris made waves in the Capitol when he blamed Hochul for acting like an obstructionist in state budget negotiations.

“It takes three parties to agree, and the person who proposed the budget seems less than willing to appreciate that,” Gianaris said on the Senate floor. He later told reporters Hochul’s negotiating strategy is “a one-way street” when it comes to auto insurance reforms.

A few hours later, Hochul’s spokesperson Kara Cumoletti fired back: “If Sen. Gianaris is interested in making progress, he should urge his colleagues to support the governor’s efforts to lower auto insurance rates, rather than defending a broken system that benefits trial lawyers — one of the top donors to the Senate Campaign Committee he controls.”

Ouch.

Despite her spokesperson insinuating that those looking for Gianaris’ motivations need only follow the money, Hochul insisted her political contributions have nothing to do with her stances, which are driven by a tireless fight for affordability.

“I was responding to criticism that is trying to infer that we are the roadblocks; that we’re not trying to cooperate,” Hochul said today, explaining Cumoletti’s statement.

Since 2021, Hochul has received $194,250 from auto insurance companies and insurance industry associations, per public records. The state Democratic Party, which Hochul controls, also raked in $70,250 from those same groups between 2024 and 2025.

“If interests are aligned, then those interests are also aligned with the interests of every single New Yorker who wants to see their rates go down,” Hochul said when asked about those donations. “I don’t think the trial lawyers’ interests are aligned with New Yorkers.”

The New York State Trial Lawyers Association President Andrew Finkelstein responded in a statement accusing Hochul of getting “into bed with the insurance industry.”

“NYSTLA will fight both in the courthouse and out to keep the doors of justice open to everyone, not just the wealthy few,” Finkelstein said. “Albany is right to pull back the covers and expose who this plan really serves.” — Jason Beeferman

From the Capitol

NO CONCERNS OVER RETIREMENTS: Hochul brushed off any concerns caused by a rash of legislators who have announced their retirements after filing paperwork to get on the ballot, effectively letting them choose their own successors in some cases.

“The process is what it is,” Hochul said. “The vast, vast majority of the time, the system is such that candidates plan to run, they plan to stay, they petition to get on the ballot, and, again, if something unforeseen happens, there is a mechanism that’s in place, the committee on vacancies, that allows that person to be filled. I’m not concluding there’s something sinister about a process that has been in place for a long time.”

Republican state Sen. Jack Martins bowed out of a battleground Nassau County district over the weekend. He previously denied rumors he might retire — but announced his plans to do so after submitting petitions that let area party leaders select Assemblymember Jake Blumencranz to run in his stead.

In the Cortland area, Assemblymember Jeff Gallahan pointed to health concerns when announcing his retirement. He’s giving his spot on the Republican line to Mark Benjamin, the community relations director for a landfill.

And Democratic Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes announced her retirement last week. Her spot on the ballot will go to Buffalo Common Council Member Leah Halton-Pope, and the party will avoid the primary that likely would’ve occurred had Peoples-Stokes announced her plans earlier.

“I think Crystal Peoples-Stokes was planning to stay longer,” Hochul said. “I don’t know if this is some sort of conspiracy to do something untoward. She’s following the laws, and this is how it is. It’s actually pretty rare. It doesn’t happen with great regularity.” — Bill Mahoney

HOCHUL DEFENDS POPE: Hochul said President Donald Trump’s attacks on Pope Leo XIV are “abhorrent” in emotional comments to reporters today.

“The pope is a man of peace,” said Hochul, a Catholic. “He has a right to speak out and wise leaders would be right to listen to him.”

On Sunday, Trump, following a veiled critique from Leo that Jesus “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war,” wrote on Truth Social that “Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy.” Later that day, the president posted a picture that depicted himself as Jesus, an image he deleted the following morning.

Hochul told reporters that “Jesus would be rather shocked at what’s happening these days.”

“The Pope deserves more respect and for someone to release an image that equates the president of the United States with Jesus — or anyone with Jesus — is just reprehensible to, hopefully, everybody,” she said. — Jason Beeferman

FROM CITY HALL

BREAD AND ROSES: The mayor unveiled new details about five city-run grocery stores he plans open by the end of his term — a key campaign promise that has kindled strong feelings from opponents.

The stores will sit on city-owned land, absolving them of paying market-rate rent and property taxes. In exchange, the yet-to-be selected private operators will be contractually required to offer several staples like bread and eggs at a fixed price below the New York City average.

How far below, though, the administration still has not determined.

“What I can tell you is that when New Yorkers come to city-run grocery stores, they will see a clear price differential when it comes to those essentials,” Mamdani said at La Marqueta, the site of a $30 million grocery store set to open in 2029.

Unlike the East Harlem location, other city-run stores will not be built from the ground up, meaning they will open earlier. The first is set to welcome shoppers next year, for example.

While the mayor is planning just five stores, the concept of government grocers has sparked heated backlash from the mayor’s more moderate detractors. John Catsimatidis, owner of the supermarket chain Gristedes, threatened to close all of his stores if Mamdani won, a pledge he walked back after the democratic socialist’s November victory. — Joe Anuta

BUSINESS AS USUAL: New York City Council Member Farah Louis returned to work Tuesday after federal investigators raided her home and her sister’s amid a federal probe on bribery and fraud allegations.

Louis, who has not been charged, appeared at a scheduled Zoning and Franchises subcommittee meeting, which she chairs.

As part of the investigation that led to the indictment, prosecutors have questioned whether Louis and her sister, Debbie Esther Louis, accepted kickbacks in exchange for steering city funds to shelter provider BRAHGS Home Care, according to a search warrant.

Louis directed more than $450,000 in city funds over five years to the nonprofit, according to city documents reviewed by Gothamist.

Louis left the building shortly after the hearing concluded and did not take questions. — Gelila Negesse 

FROM THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL

D’ESPOSIT-NO: Former Rep. Anthony D’Esposito will not be making a comeback bid for Congress against Democratic Rep. Laura Gillen in a battleground Long Island district.

D’Esposito, who is currently inspector general in the U.S. Labor Department, signaled his interest in returning to Congress earlier this year — though it was unclear if he would quit his job in the Trump administration to do so.

Last month at a House subcommittee hearing, he skirted questions about his congressional aspirations, and the politically powerful Nassau County Republican Committee backed John DeGrace, a former Valley Stream mayor, as its nominee. DeGrace declined the nomination last week, leaving the possibility of a D’Esposito return on the table.

But D’Esposito ruled it out in a statement Tuesday, the final day for local Republicans to choose a replacement candidate. He expressed his personal support for Hempstead Receiver of Taxes Jeanine Driscoll, whom he called a “dear friend.”

“I will continue serving as the 9th Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Labor, working with our team nationwide to root out fraud and put those who steal from Americans behind bars,” D’Esposito said in the statement. “It is an honor to serve in President Trump’s administration and on the Anti-Fraud Task Force led by Vice President JD Vance.”

Read more from Madison Fernandez in POLITICO Pro.

TRUMP BOOSTS BLAKEMAN: The president emphasized his support for Republican Nassau County Executive and gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman shortly after an appearance on Fox Business that was ridiculed by Hochul’s campaign.

“Bruce Blakeman, the highly respected and very popular Nassau County Executive, who is running for Governor, is surging in the New York State Polls,” Trump wrote, after Blakeman appeared on Fox Business. “He is one of the best politicians in the U.S. Watch him work his magic!!!”

About 30 minutes before Trump’s post, Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo and her partner pressed Blakeman on the following:

“I’m not seeing a lot of you, where have you been Bruce?”

“I don’t see enough of you. I need to start seeing you more on social media.”

“How are you going to get New Yorkers out to actually vote for you, Bruce?”

Hochul’s campaign mocked the appearance for Blakeman as “humiliating.”

For his part, Blakeman responded to Bartiromo by saying New Yorkers are sick of the high cost of living in New York.

New Yorkers “want a new governor, a governor that puts them first, cares about them, will cut their utility bills in half, will lower taxes, create job prosperity and create safer neighborhoods,” Blakeman said. “I have the experience, the ability and policies that people want.” — Jason Beeferman

IN OTHER NEWS

— MATCH DAY: Train tickets to MetLife Stadium from New York City are projected to cost more than $100 during World Cup games — despite regular prices of $12.90. (The New York Times)

— INDEPENDENT: Scotia Mayor David Bucciferro rejected Republican backing for his incumbent bid with Scotia-Glenville GOP Chairman David Lindsay announcing plans to run a candidate against Bucciferro. (Times Union)

— RISK TOLERANCE: Wall Street firms continue hiring and expanding in New York City at record levels, even as Mamdani advances a tax-the-rich agenda that some predicted would drive companies out of the city. (THE CITY)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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