PM returns from break with renewed cost of living focus

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has returned from his summer break with a renewed focus on easing the cost of living, announcing a series of measures aimed at giving consumers more protection and revitalising Britain's high streets. Downing Street said the PM would spend much of August travelling the country to hear directly from families, workers and business owners about the pressures they face. In his first week back, he unveiled plans to tackle what he called 'everyday hassles' such as hidden pricing and subscription traps, and to give councils more power to block new vape and betting shops.

On Monday, Burnham kicked off his summer tour in Ilkeston, where he announced a crackdown on what he described as 'hollowed out' high streets. Under the new plans, vape shops in England will require planning permission, and local authorities will gain stronger powers to block new betting shops and 24-hour gambling venues. The government also promised to extend closure orders for shops suspected of illegal activity from six to twelve months, and to consult on scrapping the 'aim to permit' rule that currently restricts councils from preventing betting shops from opening. The Prime Minister said the changes were shaped by BBC investigations into organised crime on high streets, and that he wanted to 'rip out the criminal behaviour' that was pulling places down.

The tour is part of a broader effort to address the cost of living, which Burnham has made his top priority since taking office. He has already announced measures to cap bus fares and reduce energy costs, and has promised more pro-consumer action in the coming days. However, the government has not yet set out how these initiatives will be funded, and the Chancellor John Healey has stressed that fiscal discipline will be maintained ahead of the October budget. Opposition parties have criticised the plans as insufficient or as a distraction from deeper economic problems. The Conservatives argue that the focus should be on cutting taxes for small businesses, while Reform UK has accused the PM of preparing a 'death tax' to fund social care reforms.

Burnham has also used his first weeks in office to set out ambitious reforms to education and social care. He has pledged to overhaul the school curriculum to give technical and vocational subjects equal status with academic routes, and to create a national care service with cross-party talks on funding. On social care, he described the current system as a 'major dereliction of public duty' and said he would not forgive himself if he failed to fix it. His father has Alzheimer's, and he has spoken movingly about the personal stakes involved. But the details of how these reforms will be paid for remain unclear, and the Prime Minister has acknowledged that 'difficult decisions' on tax lie ahead.

As Burnham embarks on his summer tour, he faces immediate challenges, including continued pressure over the early release of prisoners and the ongoing impact of the Iran war on energy prices. His government has promised to watch for price gouging at the petrol pump and in supermarkets, but has admitted it cannot completely protect families from the squeeze. The PM's ability to deliver on his cost of living promises will be judged in the coming months, with the budget in October likely to be the first major test of his economic strategy.