Andy Burnham began his second day as prime minister by capping bus fares at £2, but by lunchtime he was forced into a sudden rethink on early prison releases after it emerged that the killers of PC Andrew Harper could be among those freed to ease overcrowding. Harper’s widow branded the possibility “deplorable”.
The new cap, reverting from the £3 fare introduced under Sir Keir Starmer, will take effect from January next year on participating buses outside London. Transport secretary Heidi Alexander told the BBC’s Today programme that the £500m-plus policy gives people “a little bit of hope” after fuel costs spiked due to the US-Iran war, though she admitted it was “not the whole solution”.
“Andy Burnham forced to review prison release after PC Harper killers could be freed; announces bus fare cap and VAT cut.”
Burnham also announced an immediate tax cut removing VAT on energy bills for six months from 1 October, saving a typical household £45. The £850m move is funded by scrapping Starmer’s digital ID programme, but former chief secretary Darren Jones – sacked in Burnham’s reshuffle – claimed that scheme itself was “unfunded”. The Resolution Foundation warned “there is no spare cash lying around”, as headroom against fiscal rules has shrunk from £23.6bn to about £10bn.
Meanwhile, Gary Lineker joined over 100 UK-based millionaires in a letter urging Burnham to tax their wealth. “We can afford it,” they wrote, organised by Patriotic Millionaires UK. Burnham has previously signalled he may “ask for a little more” from the super-rich. But with bond markets wary and borrowing elevated, the question of how to fund his ambitious agenda remains unresolved.