UK PM seeks to ease high living costs

The United Kingdom's Prime Minister Andy Burnham starts a national tour on Monday to gauge public sentiment on the cost-of-living squeeze.

Downing Street said he is to announce "a series of measures to make life easier" for those struggling with the costs.

The prime minister's office said Burnham's plans are to "give people some room to breathe". He will also focus on "improving high streets" as he begins his national tour.

Burnham faces public pressure to take action on the cost of living, though major interventions are unlikely before October's Budget, the BBC reported.

The UK's finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey, has said he will maintain "strong fiscal discipline", which will limit how much the government can spend.

Downing Street said he will be in "listening mode" this week as he tours the UK's nations and regions and works on a "10-year plan to bring back hope".

The prime minister's spokesperson said: "He thinks Westminster has got used to telling people that everyday hassles — like hidden pricing and consumers being ripped off — must be accepted as part of life.

"He doesn't think that's right. That's why he's going to start rolling out a series of pro-consumer cost-of-living measures to give people some room to breathe."

The spokesman added: "He's also going to be kicking off his summer tour around the country, getting out of Westminster and meeting people where they are.

Responding to the cost-of-living plans, the Conservatives said the government's "tax hikes and red tape are hammering our high streets".

Conservative lawmaker Mel Stride, the shadow chancellor, said: "This is breathtaking hypocrisy…they are forcing businesses to close, destroying jobs and driving up prices for the public.

He added: "Meanwhile, Labour are plotting to release dangerous criminals onto our streets, leaving people feeling unsafe in their communities."

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said that high street businesses were under strain and "need more than a new PM embarking on a vanity tour this summer".

She urged the PM to adopt the Liberal Democrats' high-street plan: "That means reversing the damaging jobs tax, delivering an emergency VAT cut for hospitality, replacing broken business rates and cracking down on the ghost landlords leaving our shop fronts vacant."

Reform UK's economic spokesman Robert Jenrick argued: "If Andy Burnham wants to help people with the cost of living, he should scrap the green levies and taxes on energy bills and rule out tax rises at the Budget."

An Ipsos survey released in late July found 30 percent of respondents were most concerned about the economy, with 22 percent singling out inflation or prices. The UK's Consumer Prices Index rose by 2.6 percent in the 12 months to June 2026, down from 2.8 percent the previous month, according to the Office for National Statistics.

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