— ‘Officially the bank bailout cost the public £23bn, after some asset sales. But that’s trivial compared with the colossal lasting damage right across the economy. Official estimates cite a loss of up to 7.5% of GDP; others suggest double that amount. Bankers hiss at any hint of plucking a few feathers off them, but we wait to know how much John Healey dares take. Dimon visited No 10 last month to warn them off a tax raise, but Burnham only “dropped into the meeting briefly”. So, how much? Returning the corporation tax surcharge on banks to its original 8%, from the 3% to which the Tories cut it, would yield £2bn. It’s a puny sum, and the banks owe the country much more. But nonetheless, Burnham resisting their bullying would send a self-confident message.’ https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/oct/27/andy-burnham-budget-banks-billions-prime-minister