Shadow chancellor accuses PM of ‘breathtaking hypocrisy’
Hopes for relief on household bills have been slow to materialize, with the fallout of the Iran war keeping inflation higher than expected. An Ipsos poll published at the end of July underlined the pressure: 30% of people listed the economy as a leading concern, while 22% listed inflation or prices specifically.
Against that backdrop, Burnham plans to start a multi-stop trip across the UK this week. The visit is part of his effort to rebuild the government’s bond with the British public since he succeeded Keir Starmer as prime minister last month, and he is expected to announce a series of pro-consumer cost of living measures as well as plans to improve high streets in towns across the country.
Downing Street has not yet published an itinerary. Burnham is expected to visit areas where Labour has lost support over the last decade and regions that have seen declining industry; Port Talbot in south Wales, home to the UK’s largest steelworks, is a likely stop after its final blast furnace closed in 2024. The prime minister has said he has given the public “breathing space” since taking office and is in “listening mode” as he promotes what he describes as his “10-year plan to bring back hope.”
A spokesperson for Burnham said: “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. He doesn’t think that’s right. That’s why he’s going to start rolling out a series of pro-consumer cost of living measures to give people some room to breathe.”
Opposition figures have dismissed the announcements as “tinkering.” Shadow chancellor Mel Stride accused the prime minister of “breathtaking hypocrisy,” argued that Labour was “hammering our high streets” by forcing businesses to close under the party’s “red tape” policies, and said the government was “plotting to release dangerous criminals on to our streets.”
Stride added: “If Burnham is really serious about cutting the cost of living, he should adopt our plan for stronger high streets – including scrapping business rates for thousands of high street firms. And if he wants people to feel proud of the places where they live, he should scrap his disastrous plans to let vile criminals walk free.”
Reform UK’s Treasury spokesperson, Robert Jenrick, said Burnham should scrap green levies and taxes on energy bills, adding: “It’s high time the Labour party cut the ballooning benefits bill so we can relieve pressure on the hard-working majority that hold our country together.” The Liberal Democrats’ Treasury spokesperson, Daisy Cooper, echoed Stride’s criticism of bureaucracy and accused the prime minister of “embarking on a vanity tour this summer.”