Burnham is expected to spend much of August travelling through the UK’s nations and regions in what Downing Street has described as a period of “listening mode”. According to Sky News, the tour starts on Monday and comes after his first weeks in office brought measures including a temporary removal of VAT from energy bills, a £2 cap on bus fares and a reduction in business rates for many hospitality venues.
Cost of Living Remains at the Centre of Burnham’s Early Agenda
The government says the next phase of its cost-of-living programme will focus partly on consumer practices that leave people paying more than expected. A Downing Street spokesman said Burnham believed Westminster had become accustomed to treating “hidden pricing and consumers being ripped off” as unavoidable parts of everyday life.
According to the Mirror, Burnham has said he will spend the month “out of Westminster and into your town”, asking people what would actually make their lives better. He also referred to bills, closed high-street units and what he described as “rip-off prices”, while saying action on misleading discounts and pricing practices would follow.
The Prime Minister has already announced that VAT on electricity bills will be removed from 1 October. The Mirror reported that the measure is estimated to cost £850 million and reduce the average bill by £45. His government has also announced the return of the £2 bus fare cap in England from January.
The cost of living remains a prominent public concern. According to Sky News, an Ipsos poll published at the end of July found that 30% of people identified the economy as a major concern, while 22% specifically cited inflation or prices. The continuing effects of the Iran war have also been linked in the supplied reports to inflation remaining higher than expected.
High Streets and Government Spending Face Closer Scrutiny
Burnham’s tour will also focus on the condition of high streets, with meetings planned with families, workers and shop owners. Downing Street says the discussions will contribute to the government’s 10-year plan, which Burnham has said will set out a path for the country later in 2026.
One planned stop is Port Talbot in south Wales, where more than 2,000 jobs were lost following the closure of a final blast furnace. The Mirror also reported that the Prime Minister is expected to visit parts of the country where Labour has lost support in recent years.
Opposition parties have challenged both the scale and financing of Burnham’s announcements. Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride has accused the government of placing additional pressure on high streets through taxes and regulation, while Liberal Democrat Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper has called for changes to business rates and VAT for hospitality.
Reform UK economic spokesman Robert Jenrick has argued that the government should remove green levies and taxes from energy bills and rule out tax rises in the October Budget. At the same time, Chancellor John Healey has said he intends to maintain “strong fiscal discipline”, limiting the scope for major spending commitments as Burnham continues his tour.
