Burnham to unveil new cost of living measures on UK tour
Prime minister Andy Burnham will start a national tour on Monday to hear Brits’ concerns about the cost of living and unveil a series of measures to provide financial support.
Burnham plans to use the national tour to tell voters about his 10-year plan for the UK, while also announcing his new policies to “give people some room to breathe”.
The new measures will follow Burnham’s cuts to energy costs and a £2 cap on bus fares which he announced in his first week in Downing Street.
He will also focus on ways of “improving high streets”.
A spokesman for the prime minister said Burnham will be “getting out of Westminster and meeting people where they are”.
“He thinks Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles, like hidden pricing and consumers being ripped off, must be accepted as part of life,” they said.
“He doesn’t think that’s right.”
Persisting pressures
The cost of living remains a major concern for the UK public, as the conflict in the Middle East has kept inflation higher than expected.
Despite Burnham’s plans to ease cost of living pressures, significant interventions are unlikely before the Autumn Budget, set for 28 October.
Chancellor John Healey has also said he will oversee “strong fiscal discipline”.
Opposition figures have also criticised the measures announced by Burnham so far, including a 20 per cent cut in business rates for pubs and other hospitality venues, arguing they do not go far enough.
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride accused Burnham of “breathtaking hypocrisy”.
He argued the government’s “tax hikes and red tape are hammering our high streets”, hiking up prices and forcing businesses to close.
Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper echoed this, claiming Burnham is “embarking on a vanity tour” while businesses continue to be “pushed to the brink”.
Reform UK’s economic spokesperson Robert Jenrick said: “If Andy Burnham wants to help people with the cost of living, he should scrap the green levies and taxes on energy bills and rule out tax rises at the Budget.”