Andy Burnham to start national tour to hear cost of living concerns

Andy Burnham will start a national tour on Monday to hear people's concerns over the cost of living.

The prime minister will spend much of the rest of August in "listening mode" as travels across the country, officials said.

He also plans to use the national tour to tell voters about his 10-year plan for the UK.

Mr Burnham is set to unveil several measures intended to help people with bills and give them "breathing room" - after already announcing cuts to energy costs and a £2 cap on bus fares during his first week in Downing Street.

A spokesman for the prime minister said he will be "meeting people where they are", adding: "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."

The cost of living remains a major concern for the public amid the fallout of the Iran war, keeping inflation higher than expected.

A poll published by Ipsos at the end of July found 30% of people were particularly concerned about the economy, while 22% cited inflation or prices specifically.

Opposition figures have criticised Mr Burnham for the measures announced so far, which include temporarily cutting the 5% VAT on energy bills to zero, a £2 bus fare cap and a 20% cut in business rates for the majority of pubs and other hospitality venues.

Reform UK's economic spokesman Robert Jenrick said the prime minister should "scrap green levies and taxes on energy bills" and rule out tax rises in October's budget.

He added: "It's high time the Labour Party cut the ballooning benefits bill so we can relieve pressure on the hardworking majority that hold our country together."

Green Party leader Zack Polanski, writing in The i Paper, said the prime minister was "tinkering at the edges" with his announcements.

Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride accused Mr Burnham, who vowed to also focus on improving high streets, of "breathtaking hypocrisy" as tax hikes and "red tape" were "hammering our high streets", forcing businesses to close and driving up prices.

He urged Mr Burnham to scrap business rates for thousands of high street firms.

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His comments were echoed by Lib Dem Treasury spokeswoman Daisy Cooper, who said Labour's tax hikes and "unnecessary new red tape" had pushed high street businesses "to the brink".

She said to "breathe life back into our high streets", Mr Burnham should reverse the job tax, deliver a VAT cut for hospitality, replace "broken" business rates and crack down on ghost landlords leaving shopfronts vacant.

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