EPA/Shutterstock19 June 2026Updated 13 July 2026Andy Burnham is set to become the UK’s prime minister next week, after the vast majority of Labour MPs nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer.It means the former mayor of Greater Manchester will enter Downing Street just weeks after his return to Parliament in the Makerfield by-election last month. Here is what we know so far about his plans for office. Devolution of powerBurnham has promised the biggest-ever “rebalancing of power” away from Whitehall, with English regions handed more control in areas including housing and transport by a new No 10 unit based in Manchester.The unit would be tasked with promoting “equivalent living conditions” across Britain, borrowing from an idea in the German constitution. He has also promised new opportunities to extend existing devolution settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power “deeper down”.This could be an area where he looks to build on the policies of the Starmer government, which was in the process of extending regional mayors beyond the main urban areas in England. Rachel Reeves was also due to set out a roadmap at the next Budget for how regional mayors could be given control of a share of income tax raised in their areas. Water and energyBurnham has said he wants all parts of the UK to take “greater public control” of the water and energy sectors.He has suggested this could emulate Greater Manchester’s bus network, where private operators bid to run services on a franchise basis, with local authorities controlling fares, timetables and routes.However, he is yet to spell out what an equivalent model for water and energy companies would mean in practice.Burnham has been at pains to point out his plans do not necessarily mean full nationalisation of utility firms, a move that would cost many billions of pounds.One area where he has advocated direct public ownership is Thames Water, a move that is already on the cards after government objected to a proposed rescue deal for the debt-laden company in June. [embedded content]HousingBurnham has promised the biggest council house building programme “since the post-War period” – implying a large rise in rates of construction compared to recent years. However, he is yet to offer details of how this would be funded.The pledge would be all the more challenging to meet given that Burnham has promised to stick to the current government’s debt and spending rules.He has also called for the entire 10-year £39bn affordable housing budget for England towards homes for social rent, the cheapest and most heavily subsidised form of publicly-funded housing.Currently some of the budget goes towards “affordable” housing, where rents are more similar to market rates, as well as affordable home ownership schemes.He has also expressed a desire to see higher density residential development in towns in order to protect more green spaces from development.Some of his other policies in this area – including restricting Right to Buy – have already been put in train by the current government. Personal taxesBurnham has said he would stick to Labour’s pledge at the last election not to raise the main rates of income tax, VAT or National Insurance, whilst maintaining there is “some room within that manifesto for movement” in other areas. During his campaign to be re-elected an MP, he also said he wanted to “have a proper look” at potentially raising the £12,570 starting threshold for income tax.Burnham has previously argued the UK overtaxes work and undertaxes wealth, prompting speculation he could raise capital gains tax – paid on profits made when selling assets such as shares and property aside from a main home.He has previously suggested that both council tax and stamp duty, a tax paid by homebuyers, could be replaced with a new tax on the value of land – an idea he has been advocating since as far back as 2010.Could Andy Burnham scrap stamp duty?3 days agoSocial careBurnham has long supported the idea that social care should become a more universal system.In a speech in 2023, he suggested this could be funded by replacing inheritance tax with a new “national care levy”. He has suggested everyone would pay this new tax, whilst “obviously the wealthiest would pay the most”.The Health Foundation think tank estimated in 2024 that an NHS-style model of universal and comprehensive care could cost around £17bn in additional funding by 2035/36.A cheaper option would be a Scottish-style system, with basic protection for everyone a …
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[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnEPA/Shutterstock19 June 2026Updated 13 July 2026Andy Burnham is set to become the UK’s prime minister next week, after the vast majority of Labour MPs nominated him to replace Sir Keir Starmer.It means the former mayor of Greater Manchester will enter Downing Street just weeks after his return to Parliament in the Makerfield by-election last month. Here is what we know so far about his plans for office. Devolution of powerBurnham has promised the biggest-ever “rebalancing of power” away from Whitehall, with English regions handed more control in areas including housing and transport by a new No 10 unit based in Manchester.The unit would be tasked with promoting “equivalent living conditions” across Britain, borrowing from an idea in the German constitution. He has also promised new opportunities to extend existing devolution settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power “deeper down”.This could be an area where he looks to build on the policies of the Starmer government, which was in the process of extending regional mayors beyond the main urban areas in England. Rachel Reeves was also due to set out a roadmap at the next Budget for how regional mayors could be given control of a share of income tax raised in their areas. Water and energyBurnham has said he wants all parts of the UK to take “greater public control” of the water and energy sectors.He has suggested this could emulate Greater Manchester’s bus network, where private operators bid to run services on a franchise basis, with local authorities controlling fares, timetables and routes.However, he is yet to spell out what an equivalent model for water and energy companies would mean in practice.Burnham has been at pains to point out his plans do not necessarily mean full nationalisation of utility firms, a move that would cost many billions of pounds.One area where he has advocated direct public ownership is Thames Water, a move that is already on the cards after government objected to a proposed rescue deal for the debt-laden company in June. [embedded content]HousingBurnham has promised the biggest council house building programme “since the post-War period” – implying a large rise in rates of construction compared to recent years. However, he is yet to offer details of how this would be funded.The pledge would be all the more challenging to meet given that Burnham has promised to stick to the current government’s debt and spending rules.He has also called for the entire 10-year £39bn affordable housing budget for England towards homes for social rent, the cheapest and most heavily subsidised form of publicly-funded housing.Currently some of the budget goes towards “affordable” housing, where rents are more similar to market rates, as well as affordable home ownership schemes.He has also expressed a desire to see higher density residential development in towns in order to protect more green spaces from development.Some of his other policies in this area – including restricting Right to Buy – have already been put in train by the current government. Personal taxesBurnham has said he would stick to Labour’s pledge at the last election not to raise the main rates of income tax, VAT or National Insurance, whilst maintaining there is “some room within that manifesto for movement” in other areas. During his campaign to be re-elected an MP, he also said he wanted to “have a proper look” at potentially raising the £12,570 starting threshold for income tax.Burnham has previously argued the UK overtaxes work and undertaxes wealth, prompting speculation he could raise capital gains tax – paid on profits made when selling assets such as shares and property aside from a main home.He has previously suggested that both council tax and stamp duty, a tax paid by homebuyers, could be replaced with a new tax on the value of land – an idea he has been advocating since as far back as 2010.Could Andy Burnham scrap stamp duty?3 days agoSocial careBurnham has long supported the idea that social care should become a more universal system.In a speech in 2023, he suggested this could be funded by replacing inheritance tax with a new “national care levy”. He has suggested everyone would pay this new tax, whilst “obviously the wealthiest would pay the most”.The Health Foundation think tank estimated in 2024 that an NHS-style model of universal and comprehensive care could cost around £17bn in additional funding by 2035/36.A cheaper option would be a Scottish-style system, with basic protection for everyone a …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
