Andy Burnham one month in: 19 things he’s already changed
Key Points
- Andy Burnham marked one month as UK prime minister on Thursday (20 August) with a list of 20 changes made since he took office on 20 July 2026.
- Consumer measures include a tax cut on electricity bills, a £2 cap on bus fares in England, easier subscription cancellation and a crackdown on fake discounts.
- Transport changes cover 24/7 free bus travel for disabled people, an extension of the 16-17 Saver Railcard and public control of buses in the West Midlands.
- Devolution measures give mayors a share of income tax and give councils more say over high street openings, alongside the opening of No. 10 North.
- Burnham said the first month is a start and that he is not complacent.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham marked one month as UK prime minister on Thursday (20 August) by publishing a list of 19 changes his government has made since he took office.
Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July, succeeding Keir Starmer, after nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester.
The list, posted on his X account, leads with cost-of-living measures. The government has cut tax on electricity bills, capped bus fares in England at £2, made subscriptions easier to cancel and moved against fake discounts in retail. It has also cut business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues.
Transport also accounts for four of the 20 items. Disabled people now get free bus travel 24 hours a day, the 16-17 Saver Railcard continues, buses in the West Midlands come under public control, and new homes near train stations go through a fast-track planning route.
Devolution runs through the rest of the list. Mayors get a share of income tax, councils and communities get more power over what opens on their high street, and Burnham has opened No. 10 North, a base for Downing Street outside London. He described the package as the biggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation.
“It’s a start, but I’m not complacent. I know that people need more and I promise that I will do everything I can to make yours and your family’s lives better,” said Burnham.
“We’re doing things differently to give people more breathing space and bring back hope,” he said.
The full list is as follows:
- Cutting tax on electricity bills
- Capping bus fares at £2 in England
- Making subscriptions easier to cancel
- Cracking down on fake discounts
- Giving 14-year-olds early access to technical education
- Opening 159 new mental health centres
- Investing to get all rough sleepers off the street this winter
- Supporting farmers affected by the drought
- Cutting business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues
- Shutting down 13 more asylum hotels
- Giving mayors a share of income tax
- Extending the 16-17 Saver Railcard
- Bringing buses in the West Midlands under public control
- Fast-tracking new homes near train stations
- Cleaning up illegal waste dumps
- Giving communities and councils more power over what opens on their high street
- Opening No. 10 North
- Giving disabled people 24/7 free bus travel
- Delivering the biggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation
