Andy Burnham Vows Cost of Living Help Is ‘On Its Way’

Andy Burnham has promised cost of living relief is “on its way” and hinted he might look at trying to bring down utility bills and rail fares.

Speaking to the Sunday Mirror, the prime minister said the worries of voters have been on his mind from his first moment in the job two weeks ago.

Alluding to his campaign to win the Makerfield by-election, Burnham said he was thinking of the “people on whose doors I was knocking only about five, six weeks ago… They did get over to me how tough life was. Can’t go for drink anymore. Can’t take the kids out. Not having a holiday this year.”

He added: “I heard those type of things being said throughout the campaign, and those comments were still ringing in my ears as I arrived in Downing Street.”

Burnham said he would not make “false promises” to the public but will do “whatever I can” to “take a little bit of pressure down”.

The prime minister indicated that he is looking at rail fares – some of which he described as “outrageously” high – and said water bills are an essential issue.

Burnham said: “I think rail fares are too high, outrageously so in some instances. So that’s something that’s in my sights.

“I mentioned VAT and electricity bills. It’s a short-term measure at this moment, but let’s see where we can go with that.

“Water is an issue as well, where I think the public pay high bills and they don’t see that money then going into infrastructure. There’s another area that needs reform.”

In his first fortnight as PM, Burnham has already promised to cap bus fares at £2 for journeys outside of London and announced plans to cut VAT from energy bills, saving approximately £45 from the energy price cap.

He also revealed pubs, social clubs and live music venues would get a 20% cut to business rates from April.

The chancellor John Healey also wrote in The Sunday Telegraph he would be watching for any supermarkets’ attempts to rip off customers.

He said: “We’ll be watching closely for any suggestions that customers are being taken for a ride at the pump or the till.”

He said Labour would not be afraid to “clamp down” in price-gouging begins.

However, the chancellor also warned that the government “can’t completely stop the squeeze that families and businesses will feel with a global shock of this scale”.

It comes after war in Iran triggered a 13% increase in household energy bills for Britain at the start of July.

Even so, Healey vowed the government will have a “ruthless focus on our own national interests” and work with allies to ease the impact from the crisis in the Middle East.

Ministers will also have to decide whether it wants to intervene and help Brits in the winter when the price cap is expected to rise again.

Burnham told the Sunday Mirror: “We’ll keep monitoring that situation and make sure we’re doing everything that we can do. People have raised issues like the standing charges on bills, and they kind of pushed me to go further on that.

“So I’ll take a look at that issue, alongside other issues and other things that we might be able to do to help people with the cost of living.

“It remains a very tough time for people, and I know the main thing people would like me to do if I can do it is to ease that pressure a little bit.”

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