Andy Burnham has splashed £1,000 of taxpayer cash on a replica Downing Street door – which will not even face the street – at No10 North.
Alongside a cardboard cutout of Downing Street “Chief Mouser” Larry the cat, the door will feature inside the office building.
The cost of the faux door has since been revealed, which came to the eyewatering sum of £978.87, including its purchase and transportation, while the wider set-up of the office cost upwards of £49,000.
This means that the “King of the North” spent two per cent of the funds allocated to create No10 North on a door that does not even function as a real door.
Some of the Prime Minister’s top team have been sent to work up in Heron House in the centre of Manchester until a permanent office could be “fully functional” in around six years’ time.
Mr Burnham has promised to spend one day a week from the northern hub, created as part of his bid to commit to a “devolution revolution”.
The Cabinet Office said: “No10 North was established to drive the Government’s devolution and economic growth agenda.
“Its purpose is to bring policy-making and decision-making closer to communities across the country, supporting the Government’s objective of spreading opportunity, investment and economic growth more evenly beyond Westminster and Whitehall.”
Andy Burnham vows the UK will do ‘everything we can’ to support British nationals impacted by Nepal floods
Andy Burnham has vowed the UK will do “everything we can” to support British nationals impacted by the devastating floods in Nepal.
In a statement, Mr Burnham said: “These scenes emerging from along the Nepal-China border are devastating.
“My thoughts are with all those affected, including the families and loved ones of British nationals missing in this tragedy.
“We will do everything we can to support British nationals impacted in the region and are in touch with the relevant authorities to offer support.
“I urge British nationals in the region to follow guidance from the local authorities and follow our travel advice.”
Reform unveils plan to ‘save’ British businesses by slashing red tape and axing ‘ridiculous EU laws’
Reform UK has pledged to scrap UK privacy rules to slash “red tape” for businesses and axe “ridiculous EU laws”.
Treasury spokesman for the party, Robert Jenrick, said the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) – which mirrors EU legislation and was adopted as domestic law after Brexit – had “strangled” tech firms and small enterprises.
Under new proposals, the framework would be replaced by rules modelled on New Zealand’s privacy legislation, which is seen as more lenient, the party said.
Mr Jenrick outlined the pro-business pitch this morning, including a pledge to widen a tax-relief scheme for investors in small businesses in the UK to allow relatives to claim advantages more easily.
He said the GDPR had “strangled small businesses and tech firms alike in a web of unnecessary regulation”.
“Ten years after the Brexit referendum, we should not still be following ridiculous EU privacy laws that hurt British businesses”, he added.
It ewould change the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme to ensure parents and grandparents can put up to £250,000 into their child or grandchild’s small business, and receive an income tax rebate of 50 per cent and exemption from capital gains tax if they hold the investment for three years.
The party has also announced promises to reverse the rise in employer national insurance contributions and changes to inheritance tax on farms, while introducing a “hard work bonus” that scraps income tax on overtime.
Andy Burnham told to ‘drop Net Zero dogma’ as Labour’s green levies blamed for energy bills hitting three-year high
Labour has been urged to “drop your Net Zero dogma” as it battled claims that green charges were driving up energy bills.
Ofgem announced a four per cent hike to the energy price cap this morning, bringing it to its highest level in three years.
The increase was blamed on wholesale gas prices, which have soared as a result of the war in Iran.
The costs make up around 40 per cent of the average bill
READ THE LATEST HERE.
Labour’s ‘catastrophic betrayal’ of Britons blasted by Zia Yusuf after refusal to release migrant crime data: ‘It’s a cover-up!’
Reform UK’s Zia Yusuf has accused the Labour Government of a “cover-up” after its refusal to release migrant crime data into the public domain.
Speaking to GB News, the Home Affairs spokesman declared the move a “catastrophic betrayal” of Britons who “deserve to know the truth”.
In a new campaign, 11 families of victims of crimes carried out by migrants have written to Justice Secretary Alex Norris, demanding that the Government publishes the data revealing the full scale of foreign offending in England and Wales from 2018 to 2024.
The Information Commissioner ruled previously that data revealing the full scale of the data in question should be published.
READ MORE HERE.
New additions to Reform’s top team expected ‘in the months ahead’ as party still lacks spokesmen for key fields
New additions to Reform UK’s top team are expected in the months ahead, according to word from Robert Jenrick today.
The party’s Treasury spokesman made the comment to reporters at a news conference this morning, while being questioned over a lack of spokesmen for key areas such as defence, foreign affairs and health.
The MP said: “Look, you’ve heard in the last fortnight from Richard Tice on housing. You heard from me and Richard on welfare reform, how we can bring down our absolutely ballooning welfare bill.
“You’ve heard from Zia Yusuf about how we solve the prison crisis and boot out the foreign criminals back to places where they came from, or to El Salvador. And you heard from me today about small businesses.
“So the offer from Reform is very broad. Nigel’s been clear that that’s going to continue.
“And there will be new additions in the months ahead to our top team.”
John Swinney ‘surprised’ Andy Burnham will bypass Scotland in ‘cost of living tour’
Scotland’s First Minister has said he is “surprised” the Prime Minister will not be bringing his UK tour to Scotland.
It is understood Andy Burnham will not be coming to Scotland as he tours the country talking to people about the cost of living.
Speaking to reporters, John Swinney said: “I’m surprised the Prime Minister’s decided not to come to Scotland as part of his listening tour.
“But I think if he did come to Scotland, people would be wanting to say to him that that they’re deeply concerned about the fact that his Government has failed to live up to the Labour election promise to cut fuel bills by £300 because, as a consequence of the price cap announcements today, bills are now £250 higher than when Labour came to office.
“Labour have totally failed to cut energy bills as they promised.
“And in an energy-rich country like Scotland, what that says to me is that Scotland’s energy has got to be in Scotland’s hands, so that we can reduce fuel bills and use the energy wealth of Scotland to support consumers in our country.”
William Clouston resigns as leader of the SDP
The former leader of the SDP confirmed the move on X: “I have resigned as leader of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
“Thanks to all that have given me support, trust and kindness since 2018”.
In an attached letter, the politician described his tenure as “truly the greatest political honour in my life.”
Lib Dems call for tougher crackdown on burglary as polling shows Labour ‘too soft’ on crime
Police officers would be forced to attend every burglary under legislation pitched by the Liberal Democrats, who criticised the police for solving too few burglaries.
The party says more than 160,000 burglaries went unsolved in England and Wales over the past year, according to their own analysis.
They have also suggested analysis of Home Office figures shows that only 6 per cent of burglary cases resulted in a charge, while the Metropolitan Police failed to identify a suspect in four out of every five cases.
Jess Brown-Fuller, the Lib Dem’s justice spokeswoman, said: “It’s frankly appalling that the government has failed to get a grip on this, many will be left worrying that if their property is burgled, the chances are the criminal responsible will never face justice.
“The PM needs to sort this issue out now with a serious crackdown on burglaries. Liberal Democrats would urgently push forward legislation to guarantee that every single burglary is properly investigated.”
Polling carried out by YouGov in recent days found around 47 per cent of people believe Labour’s approach to crime and punishment is too soft, while only 3 per cent said they believe the party is too harsh.
Robert Jenrick says Kemi Badenoch is living ‘in a fantasy of her own making’ amid ‘unite the right’ turmoil
Kemi Badenoch is living “in a fantasy of her own making”, Reform UK’s Treasury spokesman has said.
Robert Jenrick hit out at the Conservative leader, suggesting she was lying over claims Giorgia Meloni had warned her not to do a deal with Reform.
Speaking at a press conference in London, he said: “My advice, if you go and visit a foreign leader, is don’t make up a pack of lies about what they say. That’s clearly going to hurt your relationship.
“I have meetings with people, Nigel (Farage) has meetings with leaders around the world, and he keeps those conversations private. That’s the way to do things. That’s the way you conduct yourself.
“As regards Kemi, we could tell she was making it up – that’s what she’s like, she lives in a fantasy of her own making.”
Reform unveils £30 tax credit for Britons stuck on the phone to HMRC for over 30 minutes
Reform UK has announced plans to introduce a tax credit for Britons who are left waiting on the phone to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for more than 30 minutes.
Earlier this morning, the party’s Treasury spokesperson Robert Jenrick confirmed those affected will receive a £30 tax credit at the end of the tax year if Reform wins power.
To ensure the tax authority meets its targets, Reform will link the pay of senior HMRC officials to their customer service performance.
Notably, if senior officials fail to make progress on waiting times, they will be fired.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Reform urge Andy Burnham to ‘drop net zero dogma’ and bring down energy bills
Reform UK has urged the Government to “drop your net zero dogma” to bring down energy bills.
After Ofgem announced a 4 per cent price cap hike from October, Treasury spokesman Robert Jenrick told a London press conference: “This is going to be a very difficult period ahead. Households are being battered by energy price increases. Energy prices will have risen by 17 per cent since April alone.
“My message to John Healey and Andy Burnham is very simple: drop your net zero dogma. Do what Reform have proposed. Get rid of the green taxes and levies that have been ladled onto people’s energy bills by stealth.
“If you do that, you will save the average household £200 off their energy bill.
“I cannot, for the life of me, understand why anyone would want to put net zero ideology above the interests of British people this winter, who are going to find life very, very tough.”
‘Unworkable and unserious’ – Labour and Tories hit out at Reform’s bid to slash red tape for businesses
Reacting to Reform UK’s privacy pledges, a Labour spokesman said: “First Reform want to rip up the Online Safety Act which keeps kids safe online. Now they plan to scrap vital safeguards that protect people’s private data.
“These unworkable and unserious plans are just a desperate attempt to distract from Nigel Farage’s secret £5 million ‘gift’ from a Thai-based crypto billionaire.
“With Andy Burnham’s leadership, Labour is backing small businesses, reviving our high streets and driving growth in every postcode.”
Meanwhile, Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the announcement was “a mixture of already-made promises and half-baked schemes that collapse on contact with reality”.
The Conservative MP added: “Reform’s policy on overtime has already been exposed as an unfunded shambles.
“Their VAT registration plans present another multibillion-pound black hole, inevitably meaning more taxes or more borrowing, and there is little detail on how their proposals to scrap GDPR would work.”
Andy Burnham ‘looking forward’ to first meeting with Donald Trump next month despite back and fourth digs
Andy Burnham has defended past remarks about Donald Trump by claiming the US president has “said things as well”.
The Prime Minister insisted he would find “common ground” with the US leader, despite having previously described American politics as “poisonous” and “polarised”.
Speaking to Channel 5 News, he also said he has a “habit of saying what I feel” – something he pledged to continue doing as Prime Minister.
Earlier this month, Mr Trump said he thinks he and the Prime Minister are “going to have a very good relationship”, while also claiming Britain is currently “a bankrupt country”.
Mr Burnham is planning to join European leaders on a US trip in September to lobby for Ukraine’s defence – which would be Mr Burnham’s first US visit since taking over in No10 in July.
When pressed on past comments, Mr Burnham told reports today: “Well, he’s said things as well, and everyone says things as politicians. In the moment you meet people where they’re at, and you find a connection with people, and that’s always been my style.
“I’ve had a habit of saying what I feel over the years, and I’ll continue to do that.
“But, at the same time, I am somebody who works with people, tries to find common ground, and obviously that’s what I should be doing in this job in the British public’s interest, and I will always take that approach.
“I’m looking forward actually to my first meeting. We had a good phone call on my first day in office and looking forward to meeting in person.”
PM joins Sadiq Khan and Pat McFadden to celebrate Sainsbury’s launching 10,000 work experience opportunities for Neets
Andy Burnham has urged UK business to follow the example of Sainsbury’s, after the retailer announced 10,000 work experience opportunities for young people to tackle youth unemployment.
The Prime Minister said the number of young people not in education, employment or training (Neet) – which has topped one million – is a “huge challenge” which employers need to help address.
He toured Sainsbury’s Nine Elms this morning, after the supermarket group unveiled a programme designed to help more young people in deprived areas into work from October, including workplace visits, careers sessions and practical work experience across England, Scotland and Wales.
Mr Burnham told reporters: “This is a really positive development today.
“One of the biggest British brands out there, Sainsbury’s, coming forward and saying 10,000 placements for young people, work placements, apprenticeships. This is exactly what we need.
“We need a national drive to challenge youth unemployment and give more opportunities for our young people, and I would ask other businesses to do the same.
“We have a huge challenge: too many young people are out of work – but it can be fixed.
“I think we need to fix the education system, which is what I’m doing as well, giving young people technical paths alongside the academic route. But then we need employers to step forward and offer those work placements too.”
Mr Burnham was joined on his tour of the superstore by Sainsbury’s chief executive Simon Roberts, Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden and London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan.
Britain to maintain staunch support of Ukraine, says Andy Burnham
Britain’s support for Ukraine will not change, Andy Burnham has said, amid news that the head of the CIA has travelled to Russia for unannounced talks.
CIA chief John Ratcliffe made his first known visit to Moscow for talks with Russian officials yesterday – sparking widespread speculation that it could be pre-empting new military action of some kind by Vladimir Putin.
Asked if Britons should be worried that the talks herald the possibility of attacks by the Russians on the UK, Prime Minister Mr Burnham told broadcasters: “It’s a challenging situation when we look around the world right now.
“But from what we’re doing, people need to be sure of this: We’re doing what we’ve done since the start of this conflict, which is to provide that back-up support to Ukraine to be able to defend themselves, because they do need to do that.
“They are obviously in an impossible situation, so challenging, but Britain needs to be there and be a constant as they go through this illegal invasion that they’re facing.
“So, we will continue to do that. Prime ministers before me gave that assurance and I visited Ukraine to send a really clear message to the Ukrainian people that Britain isn’t changing course. We said we would support them. We are supporting them, and that won’t change.”
The Prime Minister on Monday travelled to Kyiv, where – during a meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky – he reiterated there would be “no change in the UK’s steadfast support” for Kyiv.
He also urged Ukraine’s allies to send more interceptor missiles to Kyiv, and co-chaired his first coalition of the willing meeting, where he said the group was doing “everything we can” to “dig into our own stocks and help others dig into their stocks”.
Mr Burnham plans to lobby US president Donald Trump for more support for Ukraine’s defence in a trip to Washington in September.
PM concedes rising energy price cap is ‘difficult for people’
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said rising energy bills are “difficult” for people after Ofgem raised its price cap by 4 per cent to a three-year high and analysts forecast a further 9 per cent hike from January.
Speaking to reporters this morning, the Prime Minister said: “It’s difficult for people and I recognise that. But it’s why, within days of taking office, I announced that we would remove VAT off electricity bills to give people that little bit of help.
“That kicks in from October. We know the price cap will have an impact, but it is what we can do right now. And we’ll continue to look as we go forward at how we get energy prices down in the long term, and that’s what we need to do too.”
Andy Burnham vows to take action on dangerous driving epidemic after fatal A66 crash
The Government will “take action” to stop the trend of dangerous driving videos being posted online, following the fatal A66 crash last weekend that claimed seven lives – including two police officers.
Speaking to Channel 5 News, the Prime Minister was asked if there is anything the Government can do to crack down on the “growing problem online of the police being goaded and provoked”.
Mr Burnham said: “There’s always something we can do and the glorification of dangerous driving is an appalling trend, and it needs to be challenged, and that means everybody playing their part to stop it, including the tech companies.”
Pressed on whether he would be asking tech companies to take down such content, he added: “I’m waiting for a full investigation into what happened at the weekend, but people can be sure that we’ll take action off all of the issues that are coming out.”
‘What a legacy to leave’ – Prime Minister pays tribute to Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton will be remembered for her legacy of “great music that people will treasure forever”, Andy Burnham has said.
Speaking to reporters at a supermarket in London, the Prime Minister said: “I was a huge fan of what Dolly did around literacy around the world.
“I was culture secretary when her libraries were first coming through and the books that went into communities across Britain. What a legacy to leave.
“It was so moving to hear about her dad and how that experience made her want to give back so much.
“She leaves that legacy as well as, obviously, great music that people will treasure forever.”
Kemi Badenoch seeking to gain control of another council as voters go to the polls in five areas
Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives could gain control of another council as voters go to the polls in five by-elections across the country.
Following the resignation of a Labour councillor in Wandsworth, the Conservatives could take control, making it the seventh London council in which they would have the majority of councillors.
That’s not all, as Reform UK is looking to strengthen their position on councils stretching from Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Dover.
GB News has done a preview of every by-election happening this week.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE
Tories and Lib Dems hit out at Labour’s ‘failing’ promises to cut energy bills
Labour has failed to deliver on its promise to cut energy bills, the Conservatives have said, as household bills are expected to rise from October.
Claire Coutinho, Shadow Energy Secretary, said: “Labour promised to cut energy bills by £300, but they have gone up by nearly £400 instead.
“Our cheap power plan would cut energy bills for households and businesses by scrapping Government taxes and levies on bills, and it wouldn’t cost the taxpayer a penny. We have to put cheap energy first.”
Meanwhile, the Liberal Democrats have said the latest energy price rise is “continuity Starmerism”.
Pippa Heylings, the party’s energy spokeswoman, said: “This latest rise in the price cap has wiped out the small savings from Andy Burnham’s cut of VAT on electricity bills, proving that continuity Starmerism will keep families stuck in a financial mire.
“The Prime Minister must wake up to the scale of the challenge and accept that bold change is needed to bring bills down.”
Energy bills to see 4% rise from October as Energy Secretary says slash to VAT will ‘give breathing space’
Average annual energy bills will rise by almost £100 for a typical household in October, GB News understands.
Energy regulator Ofgem announced a 4 per cent rise on July’s price cap this morning, which will see billpayers in a typical dual fuel home pay £1,723 – up from the previous cap of £1,633.
October’s price cap will cover the period from October 1 to the end of this year (Q4).
Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said families will be “understandably concerned about the cost of energy bills this winter”, and suggested that the rise is being “driven up by the Iran war”.
She added: “Energy is an everyday essential and it needs to be affordable for everyone, which is why we have cut VAT on electricity bills from October, to give families some breathing space.
“This has limited the rise in the price cap and follows the £150 in costs we removed from bills earlier this year, and we will keep looking at what more we can do to protect families from unaffordable bills.”
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