Andy Burnham, expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister within three weeks, will on Monday pledge to give mayors more power and invest extra cash into the regions – a plan a source said will put “devolution at the heart” of rewiring the economy. The speech comes as Britain reels from a record-breaking heatwave that experts have called a “wake-up call” to prepare for a Mediterranean climate.
Burnham’s top ally, Louise Haigh, has urged him to increase capital gains tax and loosen fiscal rules to allow the government to borrow millions, according to the Sunday Telegraph. Haigh, who would be in line for a senior role in a Burnham cabinet, said the tax system needs a “fundamental redesign” to deliver economic renewal.
“Andy Burnham will pledge more power to mayors in a devolution revolution as the UK faces a deadly heatwave.”
Without a Labour leadership contest, Burnham has fewer opportunities to set out his stall, the Mirror notes. Reform leaders are demanding he call a general election to secure his mandate – a demand the Mirror calls hypocritical given that no Tory MP who defected to Nigel Farage’s party held by-elections. Burnham has already indicated he will stick to Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules and has no plans to change Labour’s key promises not to raise income tax, VAT or employee national insurance.
The heatwave that gripped the UK this week has killed people, closed schools, and disrupted transport. Related storms caused 800 flights to be delayed or cancelled yesterday and lightning set homes ablaze. The Met Office predicts mid-40s temperatures in future unless climate change targets are met.
Meanwhile, outgoing PM Sir Keir Starmer has scrapped plans to replace the Royal Navy’s ageing fleet in favour of funding drones in his defence investment plan, a move Burnham has signed off on, according to the Sunday Times. The shift prioritises autonomous vehicles over modernising the armed forces.
Burnham will inherit a parliamentary majority big enough to bring about real change, but with pressing economic challenges and a climate crisis accelerating, the next three weeks are his only chance to convince the nation he has the right ideas.