Housing secretary rules out rent controls
The housing secretary ruled out implementing rent controls, while the Prime Minister held his first meetings at Number 10 North in Manchester.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The housing secretary, Angela Rayner, has ruled out introducing rent controls in England, saying the government has no plans to follow the approach taken in Scotland. Speaking as the prime minister opened his new base in Manchester, she said that rent controls had not brought down rents in Scotland and that the government's focus was on other measures to help renters, such as allowing tenants to challenge rent increases at a tribunal and ending bidding wars.
Andy Burnham, the prime minister, spent his first full day working from the new Number 10 North in Manchester, a temporary office in the city centre that he said would be the "nerve centre for a rewired Britain". He described the opening as "the best day of my life" and insisted it was not a gimmick. The move is part of his plan to devolve power away from Westminster, with senior ministers including the education secretary, Lucy Powell, and the housing secretary, Angela Rayner, expected to work from the site regularly. Eventually, 300 civil servants will be based there.
The prime minister used his first week in office to announce a series of cost-of-living measures. On Tuesday, he confirmed that VAT on domestic electricity bills would be cut from October, saving the average household around £45 a year. On Wednesday, he reinstated a £2 cap on single bus fares in England, excluding London, from January, funded by reallocating £454 million from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and £54 million from the department's budget. On Thursday, he announced a 20% cut in business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues in England from next April, saving a typical pub around £1,100 a year. The government said the £100 million cost would be met by reviewing tax reliefs for vape shops and other businesses that "cause social harm" and by cracking down on online sellers who do not pay the correct tax.
The opposition has criticised the announcements, with the Conservative leader, Kemi Badenoch, accusing the prime minister of making "unfunded commitments" and lacking a clear plan. She said his ambitions were "too small for Britain" and that he was still behaving like a mayor rather than a prime minister. The Liberal Democrats also questioned how the policies would be paid for.
On Friday, Mr Burnham paused the early release of prisoners that had been due to begin in September, saying he had instructed his team to put a hold on the changes until an urgent review had been carried out. The decision came after pressure from victims' families and concerns about public safety.
The prime minister also held his first meeting of the National Economic Council in Manchester, bringing together regional mayors, business leaders and cabinet ministers to discuss economic growth. He said the new office would help ensure that "opportunity has not been evenly spread around the country" and that the government would work to change that.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | Channel 5 | BBC News | BBC One | BBC Two | Channel 4 | GB News | ITV | Sky News |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A 20% cut in business rates for hospitality venues in England will take effect from April next year. | · | |||||||
| Andy Burnham will work from No. 10 North one day a week. | · | · | ||||||
| The government said the bus fare cap would be funded by reallocating spending, with reported costs around £450-500 million. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| The Prime Minister paused the early release scheme and ordered an urgent review; a prison officer described the pause as a 'bonkers decision' and warned prisons could reach full capacity by November. | · | · | · | · | ||||
| An early release scheme for prisoners in England and Wales was due to start in September. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Andy Burnham announced he will be the first Prime Minister to work from Number 10 North, convene a national economic council with mayors, and said the days of power being hoarded in SW1 are over. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Andy Burnham opened the new No. 10 North offices in Manchester on 24 July 2026. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Burnham said the government would look at the personal tax allowance in the budget but did not commit to changing it. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Bus fares in most areas of England will be capped at £2 per single journey from January 2027. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| The discount will be funded by cutting tax relief for businesses that cause social harm, such as vape shops and gambling arcades. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| The early release scheme was introduced by the government and passed by Parliament earlier this year to ease overcrowding. | · | · | · | · | · | |||
| Ministers Lucy Powell and Louise Haigh will work regularly from the No. 10 North site. | · | · | · | · | · | · |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC ONE West provided a comprehensive, neutral overview of the week's announcements, with a focus on the housing secretary's rent control decision and the prime minister's Number 10 North opening. It included on-the-ground reaction from passengers and business owners, and balanced reporting of government claims and opposition criticism.
- “That is not something that we're looking to do because we've seen what's happened in areas like Scotland It hasn't necessarily brought rents down.”
- “I think this might be the best day of my life.”
- “What does it cost for everybody to troop down to London every time there's a meeting when you need to make an argument about something?”
Sky News focused on the political strategy behind the announcements, emphasising the contrast with Keir Starmer's early premiership and the questions over funding. It gave significant airtime to opposition criticism, particularly from Mel Stride and Kemi Badenoch, and highlighted the 'cost of living blitz' narrative.
- “It was actually my policy originally as mayor of Greater Manchester, but I worked with Boris to take it national.”
- “I think in these early stages of the Andy Burnham premiership, he's in the honeymoon stage, he can get away with floating these policies.”
- “Andy Burnham's ambitions for Britain are too small.”
ITV1's coverage was balanced but with a slight emphasis on the practical impact of the policies and the political difficulties facing the new prime minister. It included vox pops from the public and business owners, and highlighted the exclusion of restaurants and cafes from the business rates cut.
- “It's simple, but it saves people money every day.”
- “I think the fact that he's announced some of these eye catching cost of living measures, but also says he wants to stick to physical rules and the 2024 manifesto means that in the coming months, he's going to have to make some tricky political decisions.”
- “It feels like we are left out.”
Channel 5's coverage was concise and focused on the daily announcements, with a slightly sceptical tone about the funding. It included a segment on the early release pause and the business rates cut, and featured a political editor's analysis questioning the sustainability of the policies.
- “You wait ages for a cost of living policy and then two come along at once.”
- “Andy Burnham has come across as being slightly surprised that it was being talked of in this way.”
- “This is only day two of Burnham's premiership, but he's already facing some difficult questions.”
BBC News provided a straightforward, factual summary of the business rates announcement and the prime minister's visit to a pub in Essex. It included reaction from the hospitality industry and the Conservative leader, and noted the lack of detail on funding for the business rates cut.
- “Pubs need to know that the cavalry is coming.”
- “This is a first step today, but it's an important step.”
- “Andy Burnham's ambitions for Britain are too small.”
Channel 4's coverage was more analytical, focusing on the political narrative of the prime minister's first week and the question of whether the announcements were substantive or symbolic. It included a segment on Number 10 North with sceptical voices and a comparison to previous levelling-up efforts.
- “I cannot tell you what a proud moment this is. I think this might be the best day of my life.”
- “This is about political power moving not just to a different government office, but actually moving out of government entirely.”
- “I think this is a very interesting gimmick that the Prime Minister has pulled today.”
GB News focused heavily on the early prisoner release pause, framing it as a response to public outrage and victims' concerns. It gave significant airtime to the Conservative leader and campaigners, and adopted a critical tone towards the government's handling of prison overcrowding and the Southport killer's transfer.
- “I've instructed my team to put a pause on the changes that were due to start in September. No prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review.”
- “We need to solve this problem of overcrowding we solve it by building more prisons or by renting prison spaces from other countries.”
- “I think you know I feel for the families I really do.”
BBC Two's Newsnight provided a panel discussion on the significance of Number 10 North, debating whether it was a gimmick or a game changer. It included interviews with regional mayors and offered a more reflective, analytical take on the prime minister's first week, with a focus on devolution and the broader political strategy.
- “I cannot tell you what a proud moment. This is I think this might be the best day of my life.”
- “It's not just a new office. Through this place, power is going to flow, energy is going to flow, new ideas are going to come through.”
- “I think this is a very interesting gimmick that the Prime Minister has pulled today.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.