Prime Minister Andy Burnham is set to deliver a cost of living announcement to the entire nation on Tuesday. The Labour Party leader confirmed help for the cost of living would be incoming during his first speech as Prime Minister on Monday.
Cabinet Meeting Precedes Announcement
Mr Burnham's Cabinet will meet for the first time at 12.30pm. It stands to reason the time of the cost of living announcement will come after this, given it will be Cabinet members' first time around the table alongside the PM, and it will afford them a final opportunity to tweak any announcements as they see fit.
Immediate Breathing Space Promised
Mr Burnham said he would set out a 10-year plan later this year but promised more immediate help to deal with squeezed household finances. “I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living, and I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them,” Mr Burnham said yesterday.
New Cabinet Appointments
His new Cabinet includes the likes of John Healey, the new Chancellor. The former defence secretary who quit the government over a lack of funding for the defence investment plan is the surprise appointment to the Treasury. Healey, 66, is a steady and experienced force, having been an MP since 1997, and serving as a Treasury minister under Tony Blair.
Mr Burnham said yesterday: “That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.”
Further Cabinet Shuffles
It comes as Mr Burnham shuffled his Cabinet on Monday, with Bridget Phillipson staying a member of Cabinet as Minister for Women and Equalities in, Downing Street has announced. Angela Rayner has been reappointed as the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government. She quit the role and her position as deputy prime minister last September after a row over stamp duty.
Lucy Powell is the new education secretary, replacing her Labour deputy leadership rival Phillipson. Jonathan Reynolds has moved from chief whip to business secretary, replacing Peter Kyle. Anneliese Midgley is the new chief whip.
Health Secretary's Statement
Yvette Cooper, meanwhile, said it was a real honour to be appointed Health Secretary by Mr Burnham “27 years after I worked on the first NHS cancer plan as a junior health minister”. In a statement shared on social media, the former foreign secretary added: “I’m looking forward to working urgently to improve maternity services, to take forward plans for social care, and to once again play a part in supporting our National Health Service, Labour’s proudest achievement. Most of all I’m looking forward to working with the dedicated NHS staff, carers, healthcare professionals and volunteers on whom we all depend. In leaving the FCDO, let me pay tribute to the brilliant diplomats and ministers I worked with at the Foreign Office, and to my fellow foreign ministers from across the world – for all the work we did together to support Ukraine, to recognise the State of Palestine, to keep the spotlight on Sudan and to treat violence against women and girls as the global crisis it is. The partnerships we build abroad make us stronger at home.”
