Transport and Utilities
Andy Burnham has pledged to restore the England-wide £2 bus fare cap across Britain, aiming to help people return to work. This mirrors his rollout of the Bee Network in Greater Manchester. The cap had previously been raised to £3 by Keir Starmer's government.
Burnham advocates bringing energy, water, housing, and transport under 'stronger public control.' He has explicitly confirmed that Thames Water should be brought into public ownership.
Economy and Tax
Burnham has committed to honouring the 2024 manifesto pledges not to raise income tax, VAT, or employee National Insurance contributions for working people. He has promised to cut business rates for pubs by 20% and lift the threshold at which other small businesses pay rates to protect high streets.
He has explicitly stated he will 'look again' at or review raising the personal allowance for income tax, reconsidering the employer National Insurance contribution increases enacted in 2024, and reviewing the inheritance tax hike for farmers.
Housing and Social Care
Burnham has promised to launch 'the biggest programme of council house building since the Second World War,' suggesting this can be funded by redirecting the existing £39 billion affordable housing programme purely toward social rent homes.
He has stood by his long-held stance to fix social care, confirming he is looking at replacing inheritance tax with a 'national care levy' to ensure social care can be provided for free.
Devolution and Electoral Reform
A cornerstone of his vision is pushing significant power, budgets, and public service oversight away from Westminster and directly into the hands of regional communities and local mayors. Burnham has confirmed his long-standing support for proportional representation for UK general elections to make national politics less adversarial.
