![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/7133.jpg\")
Andy Burnham delivers a speech at the People\u2019s History Museum in Manchester on Monday. Photograph: Alastair Grant\/AP<\/p>\n‘There is room for movement on tax,’ says Burnham in first interview since becoming MP<\/p>\n
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham, the lead contender to succeed prime minister Keir Starmer, has hinted at some of his tax proposals as he draws up plans to revitalise Britain\u2019s high streets.<\/p>\n
In his first interview since being elected MP for Makerfield, Burnham told LBC there is \u201csome room\u201d in the Labour manifesto for \u201cmovement on tax\u201d. While he reaffirmed his commitment to \u201cstick\u201d to the promises made by the manifesto of not raising income tax, VAT or national insurance personal contributions, he suggested there was flexibility for other taxes to rise, such as business rates on warehouses.<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham delivers a speech at the People\u2019s History Museum in Manchester on Monday. Photograph: Alastair Grant\/AP<\/p>\n
\u201cI stick by the manifesto and the promises that it made. So, let me be absolutely clear about that, but there is some room within that manifesto for movement on tax,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo if you take business rates, for instance, I believe there is a case for higher business rates on warehouses and the major developments we see on the outskirts of our cities, so that we can cut business rates for pubs, and I\u2019ve proposed a 20 per cent cut and lift some high street businesses out of business rates altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that he wanted to prioritise and reward businesses that \u201cbring social benefit and bring people together\u201d, listing bars, restaurants, coffee shops and hairdressers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe high street really needs to get more of our attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Also in the interview last night, he promised to ease the cost of living if he becomes prime minister, saying he would look at bringing down water and energy costs by de-privatising companies<\/a> and making bus travel free for 16- to 18-year-olds.<\/p>\n You can read our write-up of that interview here:<\/p>\n Burnham is expected to answer more questions today from the public in a \u201cAsk Me Anything\u201d (AMA) on Reddit. The AMA event on the r\/UKPolitics sub-reddit is scheduled to start at 5pm.<\/p>\n Users have written in with some questions ahead of the AMA, a number of them asking whether he would scrap the state pension triple lock. Others have asked about his plans to \u201cre-instil [the] hope so many of us had back in 2024\u201d, his thoughts on the \u201cfuture with our relationship with the US\u201d, and his \u201cfavourite flavour of crisps\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a004.25 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n The UK\u2019s culture and media department will stop using X because the site \u201cnow favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate\u201d, Lisa Nandy<\/a> has announced.<\/p>\n The culture secretary\u2019s department is the UK\u2019s second to quit the Elon Musk-owned platform over increasing concerns about the way it highlights and prioritises often inaccurate far-right and racist content and is used to incite violence and division.<\/p>\n Lisa Nandy at the vote count for the Makerfield byelection on 19 June. Photograph: Adam Vaughan\/EPA<\/p>\n Two weeks ago the Guardian revealed that<\/a> Richard Hermer, the attorney general for England and Wales, had told his office to no longer post on X, a decision prompted in part by the platform\u2019s role in stoking disorder in Southampton and Belfast earlier in June.<\/p>\n In a statement on her own X<\/a> account, Nandy said: \u201cI\u2019ve decided to leave this platform and my department will too. A platform originally designed for free speech and expression now favours abuse and misinformation over meaningful debate. It isn\u2019t healthy for our democracy or our communities and I don\u2019t want to support it.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Exclusive: Infrastructure cuts to pay for defence will cost UK 10,000 jobs, analysis shows Keir Starmer\u2019s decision to cut billions of pounds of infrastructure spending to pay for more defence equipment will end up costing the UK 10,000 jobs, according to an analysis of the government\u2019s own figures.<\/p>\n The prime minister announced this week<\/a> he was putting an extra \u00a315bn into defence investment to revamp the country\u2019s armed forces and boost British manufacturing.<\/p>\n The long-awaited defence investment plan (Dip) was designed to cement Starmer\u2019s legacy in foreign policy and security as he prepares to depart Downing Street. But it also raised questions about where the funding would come from, given \u00a36.8bn is being raised by unidentified cuts to departmental investment programmes and another \u00a34.7bn is entirely unaccounted for<\/a>.<\/p>\n The analysis, by researchers at the Transition Security Project, shows that while the extra defence investment will generate about 10,000 jobs by 2029-30, taking the money away from other sectors will cost nearly double that.<\/p>\n The findings cast doubt on claims by Starmer and his chancellor, Rachel Reeves<\/a>, that they are boosting British jobs by reallocating large chunks of government spending to the Ministry of Defence (MoD).<\/p>\n Read more:<\/p>\n Share<\/a>‘There is room for movement on tax,’ says Burnham in first interview since becoming MP<\/p>\n Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics.<\/p>\n Andy Burnham, the lead contender to succeed prime minister Keir Starmer, has hinted at some of his tax proposals as he draws up plans to revitalise Britain\u2019s high streets.<\/p>\n In his first interview since being elected MP for Makerfield, Burnham told LBC there is \u201csome room\u201d in the Labour manifesto for \u201cmovement on tax\u201d. While he reaffirmed his commitment to \u201cstick\u201d to the promises made by the manifesto of not raising income tax, VAT or national insurance personal contributions, he suggested there was flexibility for other taxes to rise, such as business rates on warehouses.<\/p>\n Andy Burnham delivers a speech at the People\u2019s History Museum in Manchester on Monday. Photograph: Alastair Grant\/AP<\/p>\n \u201cI stick by the manifesto and the promises that it made. So, let me be absolutely clear about that, but there is some room within that manifesto for movement on tax,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cSo if you take business rates, for instance, I believe there is a case for higher business rates on warehouses and the major developments we see on the outskirts of our cities, so that we can cut business rates for pubs, and I\u2019ve proposed a 20 per cent cut and lift some high street businesses out of business rates altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n He added that he wanted to prioritise and reward businesses that \u201cbring social benefit and bring people together\u201d, listing bars, restaurants, coffee shops and hairdressers.<\/p>\n \u201cThe high street really needs to get more of our attention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Also in the interview last night, he promised to ease the cost of living if he becomes prime minister, saying he would look at bringing down water and energy costs by de-privatising companies<\/a> and making bus travel free for 16- to 18-year-olds.<\/p>\n You can read our write-up of that interview here:<\/p>\n Burnham is expected to answer more questions today from the public in a \u201cAsk Me Anything\u201d (AMA) on Reddit. The AMA event on the r\/UKPolitics sub-reddit is scheduled to start at 5pm.<\/p>\n Users have written in with some questions ahead of the AMA, a number of them asking whether he would scrap the state pension triple lock. Others have asked about his plans to \u201cre-instil [the] hope so many of us had back in 2024\u201d, his thoughts on the \u201cfuture with our relationship with the US\u201d, and his \u201cfavourite flavour of crisps\u201d.<\/p>\n![\"Peter](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Peter_Walker.png\")
Peter Walker<\/p>\n![\"Kiran](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kiran_Stacey,_L.png\")
Kiran Stacey<\/p>\n