Keir Starmer resigned this morning. Andy Burnham is now the overwhelming favourite to replace him and could be in office within weeks. For those working in development, cost consultancy and investment, it is worth being clear about what that means commercially. Burnham is not anti-development. His record in Greater Manchester is evidence enough: house prices rose 63% over the past decade against London's 7%, and major schemes like Victoria North and Mayfield were delivered on

Recent major London schemes show that commercial projects are no longer shaped at planning committee. The critical decisions now happen earlier, through safeguarding constraints, infrastructure consultation zones, political risk, fiscal exposure and cost assumptions formed before design begins. JPMorgan’s proposed Canary Wharf headquarters illustrates this shift. Progress depended not only on architectural ambition but on early engagement with London City Airport over height