Former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner has urged the next government to “rewire” England by devolving power and money to town halls as she made her pitch to return as housing secretary.
In a speech at the London School of Economics, Rayner set out a vision for radical devolution that closely mirrored the agenda being championed by Makerfield MP Andy Burnham.
She told the audience that if councils cannot fix potholes, they have no hope of delivering the major regeneration schemes needed to transform a town’s high street.
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cost of living
The three ways Burnham could cut your energy bills
Officials have drawn up contingency plans to cut further green levies from energy bills if prices remain high this winter, The i Paper has been told.
What happens next?
Several options are now circulating among Burnham’s transition team who are believed to be weighing up how to deliver on that pledge. A Treasury source said work on a package was ongoing to help with rising costs.
Caption: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham, delivers a speech at The People’s Museum on June 29, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jeff J Mitchell
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
OPINION
3 min read
The options on the table
Millions of Britons have been urged to submit energy meter readings to avoid paying higher bills than they need to as a 13% jump to the price cap takes effect (Photo: Jacob King/PA Wire)
Scrap green levies
Burnham could remove remaining green levies from energy bills, funded through general taxation instead.
Windfall tax on banks
One proposal would be to raise the bank surcharge from its current 3 per cent.
Caption: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham, delivers a speech at The People’s Museum on June 29, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jeff J Mitchell
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
Mortgage rate falls are good news for buyers (Photo: Nathan Stirk/Getty)
Investment-led alternative
Replace stamp duty, loosen fiscal rules and tax the capital gains uplift on inherited assets.
What happens now?
A written statement published by the Chancellor said the remaining sum would be “confirmed at Budget 2026, in a fair and balanced way”.
Any plan to cut bills will have to compete for the same pot of money as a separate, unrelated problem Burnham will also be inheriting – a £4.7bn shortfall in the defence spending plan
The Government currently has around £24bn of “headroom”
Ofgem will confirm the next price cap, covering October to December, on 26 August, by which point Burnham is expected to have set out more on how he intends to deliver on his cost of living promise
Caption: MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JUNE 29: MP for Makerfield, Andy Burnham, delivers a speech at The People’s Museum on June 29, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)
Photographer: Jeff J Mitchell
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Source: Getty Images Europe
Copyright: 2026 Getty Images
politics
Burnham has made the same dangerous mistake every day since he was elected
The coronation of Andy Burnham is fraught with dangers. Never will a prime minister have arrived in Downing Street with so little scrutiny of what he wants to do.
The submarine robots that hold the key to fighting off Putin’s secret attacks
Sir Keir Starmer’s much-delayed Defence Investment Plan had one big bet at its heart: drones are the future of warfare.
The Ministry of Defence says Russian incursions into UK waters have increased by 30 per cent over the past two years
What you need to know
Britain will build at least six ships called “Common Combat Vessels” (CCVs)
They are crewed but act as “motherships” for uncrewed vessels operating in the air and underwater
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins wants a “hybrid navy”
CCVs are currently neither designed nor built, but similar assets exist elsewhere
Analysis
4 min read
Robot submarines could monitor Putin’s attacks
American company Anduril makes the “Seabed Sentry“- a weighted cylinder that uses sensors and AI to monitor what is happening under the sea. They could be used to listen out for spying and sabotage by Russian submarines. They are far cheaper than crewed submarines using traditional sonar.
Caption: People with Russian flags look at the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan, part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Cuba, arriving at Havana’s harbour, June 12, 2024. The Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan — which will not be carrying nuclear weapons — and three other Russian naval vessels, will dock in the Cuban capital from June 12-17. The unusual deployment of the Russian military so close to the United States — particularly the powerful submarine — comes amid major tensions over the war in Ukraine, where the Western-backed government is fighting a Russian invasion. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP) (Photo by YAMIL LAGE/AFP via Getty Images)
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Exclusive
4 min read
How it works
The sea sentry
Caption: Anduril’s Seabed Sentry submarine at Anduril’s headquarters in Costa Mesa, California, US, on Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. The supply chain for US defense manufacturing is too reliant on China, Anduril Industries Inc. founder Palmer Luckey said on Friday, shortly after new tariff threats by US President Donald Trump sent the markets skittering. Photographer: Kyle Grillot/Bloomberg via Getty Images
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A dozen of the cylinders can be dropped onto the seabed at a time by an autonomous submarine, with the devices forming a network which communicate between themselves and listens out for undersea activity.
Big Read
9 min read
UK commandos conducted an operation against a Russian ship sailing under a false Cameroonian flag earlier this month, sparking discussions on British defences capabilities against further Russian aggression (Photo: UK MOD/SWNS)
WORLD
Putin is preparing for war. Why aren’t we?
The UK is woefully unprepared with the Royal Navy in a desperate condition. Whoever sits in Downing Street come next September will need to address matters of defence, homeland and cyber defence especially, with urgency.
Unused or unwanted subscriptions cost consumers £1.6bn.
Writer Sadhbh O’Sullivan looked into her own forgotten subscriptions when she became a first-time buyer, and realised how much she was wasting on things she wasn’t using.
Are you good at managing money (Photo:
Peter Dazeley/Getty/The Image Bank RF)
The hidden spends that go unnoticed
I’d long considered myself to be quite a reasonable spender.
But the hidden costs across her bank accounts, like free trials that hadn’t been cancelled and memberships for abandoned services, proved otherwise.
It was full of small amounts, £2.99 here, £4.50 there. These small amounts added up.
The ghost subscriptions
Sadhbh isn’t alone.
19%
According to a Nationwide survey almost one in five Brits don’t use every platform they pay for.
The bank suggests they could save as much as £400 a year by ditching them.
4.7 million
National Trading Standards’ 2025 research found 4.7 million people were paying for subscriptions they didn’t know they’d signed up for.
In 2024, a government report found unused and unwanted subscriptions cost consumers up to £1.6bn a year.
How to deal with the subscriptions
Hunt them down
Banking apps usually list your ‘subscriptions’ separately from direct debits and standing orders so you can easily spot what you’re shelling out on.
Pensioners have some flexibility over the timing and payment of their state pension
(juststock/Getty Images/iStockphoto/ NIPITPHON)
Edge will give customers cashback on debit card and direct debit spending
Check everything
You can be debited through credit cards, E-payment services, your mobile phone bill, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
How to deal with subscriptions
Dating apps have failed the black community, says Amber (Photo: Morsa Images/Getty)
Be honest
Don’t vow to use a subscription you’re not going to, even if you
have good intentions.
Look over 13 months
Many businesses have changed from monthly to annual payments so look further back.
Changes are due to kick in on everything from inheritance tax to filling in self-assessment forms (Photo: Getty).
Customers struggling with debts are highly likely to be in vulnerable circumstances, regulators warn
(Photo: Martin Prescott/Getty)
Future proof
Make sure to track any subscriptions you have kept so you can cancel them, if need be, in future.
Don’t be afraid of phone calls
If companies don’t let you cancel online, don’t fear the customer service line.
With TV and broadband, call the new customer number as it’s often answered more quickly.
If you’re happy with the service, but not the price, speak to a real person that may offer a better deal.
Look for a phone number and press the ‘thinking of leaving us’ option. It’s usually a fast track to a team with authority to offer bigger discounts.
Donations to charity have increased dramatically
But staff say many people treat their shops like a tip.
Here they share the most useful donations they get, and the
ones that drive them mad.
A rail of clothes in a second hand vintage charity shop – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
People won’t buy the current donations
The quality of donations over the last year has diminished.
Claire Stockman, head of retail for St
Luke’s Hospice [pictured], says many donations include used items from fast fashion like Boohoo and Primark, which they cannot sell for more than £2, if at all.
What the workers see
60%
of what comes into St Luke’s Hospice is unsellable, Stockman says.
She adds its soiled, damaged beyond
repair or smelly.
Vinted
Harriet, a volunteer at Crisis in Dalston,
says people bring in clothes that are dirty and stained – things that they cannot sell
on Vinted.
She also sees dirty kitchenware and technology that no longer works.
It’s not all bad
Two young women shopping in a vintage charity shop – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Harriet says they still get their
fair share of designer items.
She’s seen a pair of Louboutins
sell for around £400.
People will buy high-end items
even if they’re a little worn.
First Person
6 min read
The best donations
There was a box donated after someone’s family had passed and in it were all these medals. I researched them and the whole collection ended up going for £2,340…
JANE THURNELL-READ, VOLUNTEER AT
THE OXFAM GENERAL SHOP IN EXETER
What is a good donation?
A young woman chooses clothes in a fashion store and reads the labels on things while shopping at the mall. A millennial shopaholic woman tries on clothes in a fashion boutique – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
A good donation is anything new with tags on, anything that hasn’t been opened, or higher quality items.
Items that have been well looked after are more likely to sell and generate a better price for charity too.
Harriet adds that knick-knacks and wine glasses are surprise hits in her branch.
The feeling of dread that the weekend is over is all too familiar.
Here, psychologists, career consultants and sleep experts give their best advice on how
to beat the gloom that the
work week is looming…
(Photo: Getty).
How to beat the Sunday scaries
Pave the way on Friday
Psychologist Maria-Teresa Daher-Cusack says to wrap up tasks and not to leave big or difficult things for Monday. And write a to-do list for the next week so you know what to expect when you return after the weekend.
Young man practicing meditation in nature at sunrise – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Working from home is being blamed by some councils for the rise in fraudulent ‘polygamous’ working (Photo: Moment RF/Getty)
Get outside early
Doctor Naheed Ali says getting out on a Sunday morning – not sleeping late – helps regulate the circadian rhythm that can become skewed over the weekend.
How to avoid Sunday scaries
On Sunday spend time away from technology to allow yourself a personal reset away from doom scrolling.
Relaxing with dog on sofa – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Rebrand your Sunday evenings from a daunting time to relaxing. Career consultant Victoria McLean goes out for dinner or reads something unrelated to work.
She also doesn’t check her inbox on a Sunday night as it can begin the dread.
How to beat the Sunday scaries
Sleep tourism in hotel. Exhausted woman sleeps sweetly in bed in the morning – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Sleep well
Put yourself in the best position to rest by avoiding large meals, screens and caffeine.
Structure your week
If possible don’t stack your Mondays with high-pressure tasks.
Caucasian mid adult patient writing a diary while recovering in the hospital ward – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Cheerful aged woman, senior intern waving, saying goodbye to her young colleagues while leaving office after first day at work – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Find the fun daily
Don’t just save joyful things for the weekend. On lunch breaks, try to do something you enjoy.
(Photo: Getty).
Sometimes, you
need to listen.
If the Sunday scaries are constant, listen to them. If every Sunday fills you with dread and nothing seems to quell it it’s worth asking if it’s the job, the culture or the career itself. No one should spend half their weekend bracing for impact… ” says Victoria McLean
The UK has one of the most stable electricity grids in the world.
But no country’s energy system is 100 per cent secure and large-scale blackouts, although rare, are possible.
Here’s how to prepare, and what could happen, if we do have a blackout.
The immediate effects
If the UK’s power went down tomorrow, these are the ways it is likely to impact you first.
You’d get stuck in lifts, wherever you are in the lift shaft.
Trains would be stopped as the signals depend on electricity.
Traffic lights would stop working on the roads – leading to congestion or crashes.
Contactless payments are likely to fail.
Your Wi-Fi at home would stop working and communication becomes difficult.
Fridges and freezers will turn off – unless you have a standalone generator – and food will spoil over time.
Hospitals and water treatment works have their own backup generators so will keep going until their supply runs out.
How transport would be affected
Caption: This photograph taken on April 29, 2026 shows people charging their electric vehicles at a charging station in Kathmandu. As global fuel markets reel from the Middle East war, motorists in Nepal are increasingly turning to electric vehicles, with high demand putting a strain on dealerships. (Photo by Prakash MATHEMA / AFP via Getty Images) / TO GO WITH ‘Nepal-Transport-Automobile-Energy’ FOCUS
Photographer: PRAKASH MATHEMA
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Source: AFP
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For EV owners that are already on the road, Professor Keith Bell, who works in electricity planning, recommends that those with an EV with reasonable charge use it as a generator, like your own store of electricity.
In the case of the power system going down, petrol isn’t a totally safe option as queues at petrol stations could be huge and places are likely to run out of fuel.
The longer term effects
The longer the power takes to return the worse things are likely to get. In 2021 Storm Arwen physically damaged power lines across the UK.
Without nuclear to take the strain, that exposure to gas is costing us dear (Photo: Catherine Falls Commercial/Getty)
Caption: FILE PHOTO: A row of electricity pylons is seen near the Frodsham on shore wind farm in Frodsham, Britain, September 5, 2023. REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo
Photographer: Phil Noble
Provider: REUTERS
Source: REUTERS
During the 1977 New York blackout, which lasted 25 hours, there was civil unrest, resulting in widespread looting and arson, although intense heatwaves are thought to have exacerbated the situation.
Things to buy now to prepare
The Russian state-owned Sputnik news agency took over the BBC’s radio frequency in Lebanon (Photo: Getty)
Battery radio
To get updates during a power cut – a car radio can be used, but in severe weather it might be safer to stay inside.
Bottled water
A minimum of 2.5-3 litres of drinking water per person per day is recommended.
Caption: Plastic bottle with clean water on a blue background.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
A Cuban rides his bike during a nation wide blackout in Havana on 21 March (Photo: Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty)
Wind-up torch
The Government recommends opting for torches over candles, for safety reasons.
How to prepare
A blackout is unlikely but we should make small changes.
If possible, don’t let your petrol tank run down to almost empty. Keep it over half full so you’re never caught short.
Always have a portable power bank, and spare batteries, to charge your phone and other essentials.
As card machines could fail, keep some cash at home.
To keep yourself distracted and entertained, keep board games and a pack of cards handy to play.
Eight easy ways to stop
your child spending summer glued to their devices
Not all screen time is bad
Using screens in a way that benefits your child’s development is key and balancing educational content and entertainment with offline activities ensures a well-rounded routine.
DR GUMMER
How to keep your kids off screens
Outdoor activities
For younger children, try scavenger hunts, garden games and nature walks. For older ones, hikes
and biking trips.
Create a schedule
Designated screen-free times helps children develop a routine that balances screen use with other activities.
Caption: Mid adult man with eyeglasses sitting on a comfortable sofa at home, thoughtfully writing notes in a small notebook while natural sunlight illuminates the room
Photographer: Milan Markovic
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Family game nights
It’s an excellent way
to bond and develop critical thinking skills.
How to keep your kids off screens
Creative hobbies
Getting creative, through drawing, painting or model construction, enhances cognitive skills and offers an alternative to screens.
Social interaction
Arrange playdates or group activities with friends, or for older kids try an overnight camping trip in the garden.
How to keep your kids off screens
Lead by example
Showing that you value offline time encourages your children to do the same.
Have a reward
Implement a reward system where screen time is earned through positive behaviour.
Open conversations
Discuss the importance of balancing screen time with your children so they understand the reasons behind the rules.
Can following a particular diet
help prevent or delay dementia?
Some studies suggest so.
These are the eight brain-boosting foods registered dietitian Fareeha Jay
recommends people consume as part of a weekly diet…
Foods that can cut dementia risk
Caption: A detail of cracked egg falling into the pan as woman holds egg shells in both hands.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Eggs
They contain several nutrients thought to support brain health, including choline, vitamin B12 and iodine.
Coffee
Caffeine can reduce inflammation and
slow the degeneration
of brain cells.
Barista hand making cappuccino Coffee with espresso machine in cafe – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Cooking fruit and vegetables (Photor: GMVozd/Getty Images/E+)
Broccoli
It’s packed with antioxidants and high in vitamin K, which is essentially for healthy brain cells.
Fibre is overlooked in dementia prevention
Caption: Cookie jar, tea, wine, nuts, books, lit candles and Christmas decorations on the table. Cozy Christmas hygge at home. Selective focus.
Photographer: Jelena990
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
To increase fibre intake, include wholegrains, nuts, seeds, lentils, and legumes.
Fermented foods also support brain health by improving the gut microbiome.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
Foods that can cut dementia risk
(Photo: Joff Lee/Getty Images)
Oily fish
Your brain uses Omega-3s to build brain and nerve cells – so a diet rich in them may slow age-related mental decline.
Walnuts
These improve heart health markers, which is linked to a lower risk of neurological disorders.
Health professionals are nuts about nuts – with good reason!
Supermarkets report increasing demand for blueberries (Photo: RHS/Guy Harrop)
Blueberries
They contain compounds which have been shown to improve blood flow to the brain, cognitive function, and memory.
The Mind diet
The diet aims to reduce dementia risk and the decline in brain health.
It was created in 2015 by Dr Martha Clare Morris and colleagues at Rush University Medical Centre and the Harvard Chan School of Public Health.
It encourages vegetables, berries, nuts, whole grains, olive oil, fish, beans, and poultry.
These foods contain nutrients that promote good brain health by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
The line was a near-verbatim echo of one used by Burnham in his speech in Manchester on Monday, when he also promised to “rewire” Britain and devolve power to the regions.
The overlap is too close to be accidental and comes as Burnham – now the clear frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir Starmer – puts the finishing touches to his cabinet line-up and prepares to build a government around the devolution agenda that has been called “Manchesterism”.
Rayner pitching for old job
Rayner is understood to be positioning herself for a return to her old job as housing secretary after hostile briefings earlier this week suggested the Burnham camp was freezing her out.
It comes amid ongoing speculation about what role, if any, she will play in a Burnham-led government.
The Financial Times reported on Wednesday that she has been left on the sidelines of Burnham’s march to No 10, while other reports suggest she has been advising Burnham’s team on his plans to give mayors more powers.
Although the former deputy prime minister is not a member of Burnham’s inner circle, which includes former transport secretary Louise Haigh and Knowsley MP Anneliese Midgley, she is still expected to be given a job in his first cabinet.
Sources close to Rayner insist that no offer has been made by Burnham yet, although her allies claim she would welcome a return to her old job as housing secretary.
It comes less than a year after Rayner resigned as deputy prime minister and housing secretary after admitting she had underpaid stamp duty on a second home. Rayner said she took “full responsibility” for the error despite insisting it had been unintentional.
She was cleared by the HMRC in May following an investigation.
One Rayner ally said: “There have been reports that Rayner is being frozen out and there have been reports that she is advising Andy on devolution. The truth is somewhere in the middle.”
Burnham is understood to be weighing up several machinery of government changes, which could see the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Rayner’s old department, broken up.
Sources familiar with his thinking believe he could create a Ministry of Housing to underline his commitment to the “biggest council house building programme since the post-war” period. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport would be turned into a new super-department that would also take on responsibility for communities.
Vision for mayoral power
Rayner used a speech marking the New Economics Foundation’s 40th anniversary to set out an expansive vision for mayoral power, which some have interpreted as a pitch for her old job.
Much of the agenda echoed policies Burnham has been advancing in recent weeks.
Like the former Greater Manchester mayor, Rayner argued that economic growth depended on handing substantially more power to England’s regions, with metro mayors given greater control over transport, regeneration and public services.
Both have framed devolution not as an administrative reform but as the central mission of a future government.
Rayner said: “We have the worst combination of micro-management and control from the centre, without the resource or focus to make it effective. Whitehall empires hoard their own power.
“And layers of governance and bureaucracy, developed with the best of intentions, too often end with the triumph of process over purpose.
“I want to see that purpose restored. To truly get growth in every corner of the country and put more money into people’s pockets, we must rewire England by devolving power and money to the country as a whole.”
Rayner hails trams and buses
Rayner hailed Burnham’s Greater Manchester Bee Network as devolution’s “biggest success story outside London” and said the Government should commit to backing every mayor who wants a franchised bus network by the end of this Parliament, with fares payable through a system modelled on London’s Oyster card.
“We should put a line in the sand and be clear that government will back every mayor who wants a franchised bus network to have one by the end of this Parliament,” she said.
Rayner also waded into the row over Whitehall’s refusal to approve funding for a Leeds tram scheme backed by West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin. She argued that if every secretary of state agrees a project should go ahead, officials should not be able to override the decision.
“Centralisation isn’t dead; it is alive and well – holding our economy back and creating politics that hoards power,” she said.
“Everyone can dodge responsibility and hide behind process. But people elect governments to make decisions and improve their lives.
“The Government can and must clear the bureaucratic barriers to the Leeds tram and back Tracy to deliver it as quickly as possible.”
Call for mayors to be able to buy derelict buildngs
Rayner also proposed giving metro mayors the power to compulsorily sell or lease derelict buildings left to rot by absentee owners, citing Sheffield’s Old Town Hall and Manchester’s Theatre Royal as examples.
She said: “When buildings have been left to rack and ruin by distant investors, mayors should be given the power to put them up for compulsory sale or lease, so someone else can have a shot – whether that’s the council, a local business or a community group.
“Building on the work we’ve already done to strengthen the powers available to communities to take control of assets of community value – and the introduction of a Community Right to Buy – we can take greater steps to put power in people’s hands.”
The former housing secretary also called for a Regional Care Cooperative in every part of England by the end of the Parliament to reduce the role of private equity in children’s social care, alongside a cap on care providers’ profits, pointing to research from the New Economics Foundation which found that most of the UK’s largest private-equity-backed care home operators are ultimately owned through tax havens.