Andy Burnham latest: Streeting backs Trump on defence spending

Key points

• Streeting says Trump is ‘right’ to ask Europe to spend more on defence
• 'No commitment at this point' to change the income tax personal allowance, Burnham says
• Burnham to conduct review into prisoner early release scheme amid PC Harper backlash
• PM announces £2 bus fare cap
• Burnham fails to commit to Healey’s 3 per cent defence spending demand

Full story: Wes Streeting unveils ‘loyal wingman’ drones in ‘groundbreaking moment’ for UK’s defence

Wes Streeting has hailed new British-made ‘loyal wingmen’ drones, in what he called a “groundbreaking moment for UK defence”.

The new defence secretary welcomed the Brontanax, a new unmanned fighter jet created by UK defence company BAE Systems on Wednesday.

Designed and built in Lancashire, the so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) is operated by a pilot from range, allowing crewed and uncrewed aircraft to operate as a team.

Often described as "loyal wingmen," CCAs are designed to fly alongside piloted aircraft and are expected to cost roughly a third as much as a traditional fighter jet.

Speaking at the Farnborough air show on Wednesday, Mr Streeting said the drone will be in the skies in 2027.

Wes Streeting unveils ‘loyal wingman’ drones in ‘groundbreaking moment’ for defence

Burnham keeps options open on raising personal tax allowance at Budget

Andy Burnham has denied claims he has U-turned on plans to raise the personal allowance from when people start to pay income tax from £12,570.

On Monday he told journalists that it was the issue which came up most on the doorsteps when he was campaigning to win the Makerfield by-election, but could not commit to anything until he had seen the books.

On his visit to the South West today, he said: "There is no commitment at this point to change, but we will look at that at in the Budget"

He also insisted that he would attempt to be honest with people about what he can and cannot do.

He said: “Well, it’s funny these days you can’t answer a question honestly without then people reading everything else into it.

“I want to answer questions honestly in this job, as I said before. I think that’s all about trust in politics and doing politics differently, and I’m determined to keep keep working in that way.

“It was raised a lot, but I then went on to say, ‘But we’ll have to look at it at the budget alongside everything else’. So no commitment, no unfunded promise.

“It’s just perhaps the way politics is these days and the way people report things, but that was an honest answer. There is no commitment at this point to change, but we will look at that at the budget.”

Green Party call for more bus services

The Green Party said lower fares are no use “if buses aren’t there” as they called for more services.

A party spokesperson said: “On buses we’ve now gone full circle – we are heading back to the £2 cap introduced by the Conservatives and raised to £3 under Keir Starmer.

“Temporary cuts to bus fares are welcome but we need a new direction of travel.

“We need to permanently offer free travel to all those under 22, and we need to see extensive investment in routes and an increase in services so that taking the bus is a realistic option for many more communities across England.

“Lower fares are no use if buses aren’t there in the first place.”

Watch: Robert Jenrick caught in hot mic moment live on GMB

On the buses

All the policy pledges Andy Burnham has made since becoming prime minister

Here are the policies that have been confirmed or suggested by the Burnham government so far:

All the policy pledges Andy Burnham has made since becoming prime minister

Streeting says Trump is ‘right’ to ask Europe to spend more on defence

In his first speech as defence secretary, Wes Streeting has backed Donald Trump’s calls for European allies to contribute more to defence.

The US president has repeatedly hit out at European Nato allies and has demanded they reach 5 per cent of GDP on defence spending by 2035.

On Wednesday, Mr Streeting said Mr Trump is “right” to ask for more, and said: “President Trump has called on Europe to carry a greater share of the burden for our own defence, and he is right to do so.

“The UK has always been a leading light on defence spending, but the world is changing and in these dangerous uncertain times it is clear that we have needed to go further.”

Streeting thanks defence industry for ‘persevering’ through DIP chaos as he hails new ‘opportunity’ with Andy Burnham

Wes Streeting has thanked the defence industry for “persevering” through the chaotic rollout of Sir Keir Starmer’s defence investment plan.

The new defence secretary acknowledged the months leading to the DIP “weren’t easy” for the industry, but hailed Andy Burnham’s premiership and his appointment of former defence secretary John Healey as chancellor as an “opportunity”.

“What an opportunity we have with this prime minister and this chancellor,” he said in a speech at Farnborough air show on Wednesday. “They both understand defence. They understand the immediate pressures and priorities that defence is facing.”

He added: “I know that the months leading up to the dip weren't easy for many of you in this room and beyond. I thank you on behalf of the government for persevering. With a plan now published, I'm relying on all of you to make it a success.”

Manchester welcomes No 10 North

Andy Burnham to conduct review into prisoner early release scheme amid PC Harper backlash

Andy Burnham will review the previous government’s early release scheme following backlash over the early release of two of the perpetrators in the killing of police officer Andrew Harper.

Referring to concerns from the family of PC Harper about early release of two of his killers, the new prime minister said: “I feel for the family, it’s an appalling crime that was committed. The main perpetrator will not be subject to any early release. Of course, others involved have potentially been identified.

“But I’ve spoken to the new justice secretary. He will review the policy together and make further statements in due course.”

Read more:

Burnham to conduct review into prisoner early release scheme amid PC Harper backlash

Burnham asks cabinet to 'prioritise cost of living measures above all else'

Chancellor John Healey is “right behind” Andy Burnham’s drive to ease the cost of living, the prime minister said.

Speaking to reporters in Bath, Mr Burnham said: “I asked the entire Cabinet at our first meeting yesterday to prioritise cost of living measures above all else.

“People are struggling, life is too hard. This Government will make life more affordable.

“Now, I know a £2 cap on bus fares doesn’t solve everything but it shows the direction in which we are going and the chancellor is right behind that with me.”

Mr Burnham added the Defence Investment Plan, unveiled before his premiership, “will have a big impact on jobs”.

He said: “The instruction I’ve given is to maximise that impact for British industry.

“In the past, as a country, we’ve been too willing, I think, to buy from anywhere.

“Well, going forward, I want to ensure that British industry is supported, prioritised.”

Andy Burnham’s top team in full – from key cabinet roles to junior ministers

Here are the Labour MPs who have taken the top jobs in Mr Burnham’s new cabinet:

Andy Burnham’s cabinet – who’s in and who’s out as Healey and Rayner return

'No commitment at this point' to change the income tax personal allowance, Burnham says

There is “no commitment at this point” to change the income tax personal allowance, Andy Burnham has said.

Asked whether he was planning to change the allowance during a visit to Bath, the prime minister told broadcasters: “Well, it’s funny these days you can’t answer a question honestly without then people reading everything else into it.

He added: “I want to answer questions honestly in this job, as I said before. I think that’s all about trust in politics and doing politics differently, and I’m determined to keep keep working in that way.

“It was raised a lot, but I then went on to say, ‘But we’ll have to look at it at the budget alongside everything else’. So no commitment, no unfunded promise.

“It’s just perhaps the way politics is these days and the way people report things, but that was an honest answer. There is no commitment at this point to change, but we will look at that at the budget.”

Asked if tax rises were likely at the budget this year to pay for his cost of living policy blitz, Mr Burnham replied: “No, we’ll take decisions on tax at the budget. This is about reprioritising in this phase. As I say, going to the public’s priorities, the cost-of-living crisis, the housing crisis.

“How much longer are we going to talk about these things without actually doing something to help people? And already in the space of a few days, I’ve made a number of moves that will deal with some of these challenges, although I appreciate there’s a lot more to do.”

Burnham: New cabinet is 'not about factionalism'

Andy Burnham rejected a suggestion he had created bad blood with his clear out of Starmer allies in his new cabinet.

Speaking during a visit to Bath, the prime minister said: “No, I spoke personally to everybody involved. I explained my decisions to them.

“Obviously, many people who were serving in Keir’s cabinet are still in their positions today.

“Heidi Alexander, who’s done a brilliant job on public transport, Pat McFadden, Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary.

“So obviously, there’s a need to bring in change to give the Government that new direction that I’ve called for.

“That’s just the reality of politics.

“It’s not about factionalism and, in fact, the way I’ve dealt with it shows that it is about building a team that reflects all sides of the Labour Party at the highest level, so everybody can see themselves represented within it, and that’s what I’ve constructed.”

Wes Streeting unveils ‘loyal wingman’ drones in 'groundbreaking moment' for defence

Wes Streeting has hailed new British-made ‘loyal wingmen’ drones as a “groundbreaking moment for UK defence”.

The new defence secretary welcomed the Brontanax, a new unmanned fighter jet created by UK defence company BAE Systems on Wednesday.

Designed and built in Lancashire, the so-called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) is operated by a pilot from range, allowing crewed and uncrewed aircraft to operate as a team.

Often described as "loyal wingmen," CCAs are designed to fly alongside piloted aircraft and are expected to cost roughly a third as much as a traditional fighter jet.

Speaking at the Farnborough air show on Wednesday, Mr Streeting said the drone will be in the skies in 2027.

“We will adopt this as our operational concept demonstrator, and we're going to get it in the air in 2027,” he said. “This is a groundbreaking moment for UK defence, not just for air power, but for reindustrialisation.”

Labour grandee: It’s life or death for Labour now

A Labour grandee has warned it is now “life or death” for Labour as Andy Burnham seeks to unite the parliamentary party behind him.

Lord Glasman, Labour peer and founder of the socially-conservative Blue Labour, said he thought the party was “moving quite rapidly to extinction” under Sir Keir Starmer, but now believes there has been a turn and it has “come back from he dead”.

“The thing is, what we're going to be looking at now is sort of like a proper Labour government, something from the 60s and the 70s,” he told Times Radio. There's going to be a balance of forces, but there's going to be a tendency towards these things. Cost of living, industry."

He added: “The PLP had a near-death experience ... They've seen a prime minister come and go. Now, the reality of the matter is, it is life and death for Labour now. I mean, the Labour Party can fall. And I think that that will lead to quite a significant change.”

Sarwar appointment is ‘terrible look’ for Burnham, Swinney says

Appointing Anas Sarwar to the Lords so he can join Andy Burnham’s ministerial team is a “terrible look” for the new prime minister, John Swinney has insisted.

The Scottish first minister spoke after it emerged Mr Sarwar is to step down as Scottish Labour leader, allowing him to take up a ministerial role in the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.

But it comes after Scottish Labour suffered its worst ever Holyrood result in May – with Mr Swinney claiming the appointment was a “very very strange way” for the Makerfield MP to try to rebuild confidence in politics.

That said, the SNP leader said he wished Mr Sarwar, who has been Scottish Labour leader since 2021, well for his “exciting new job”.

But he added: “I think it is a terrible look for Andy Burnham.”

Mr Swinney, speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Breakfast said: “The new prime minister has made a great play of essentially improving people’s perceptions of politics and politicians, and to make one of his first decisions a decision to take the Labour leader in Scotland, who has just led the Labour Party to their worst result in the history of the Scottish Parliament elections, and give him a job for life in the House of Lords and a job in the UK Government, is in my view a very very strange way of trying to rebuild confidence of the public in politics.”

Andy Burnham fails to commit to Healey’s 3 per cent defence spending demand

Andy Burnham has failed to commit to new chancellor John Healey’s demands for defence spending to increase to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030, raising questions about how quickly he will allocate funding to Britain’s military.

Mr Healey quit as defence secretary in June, saying the defence investment plan did not provide enough money to future-proof the armed forces and keep Britain safe and criticised then-prime minister Sir Keir Starmer for not setting out a realistic timetable for the UK’s obligations to Nato to raise defence spending.

Defence spending was due to rise to 2.7 per cent of GDP by 2030 but Mr Healey argued it should instead rise to 3 per cent by then. Asked about Mr Healey’s previous demands, the prime minister’s official spokesperson stopped short of committing to them.

Read in full:

Andy Burnham fails to commit to Healey’s 3 per cent defence spending demand

In full: Andy Burnham announces new £2 bus fare cap across England

Andy Burnham has announced that most bus fares in England will be capped at £2 from January, as part of a wider blitz of policies aimed at tackling the cost of living.

Currently, the nationwide cap on single bus fares is set at £3 until the end of March 2027. However, some areas – including London and Greater Manchester, where Mr Burnham set a £2 limit as mayor – have lower top rates for single tickets.

“Good, affordable transport links are an essential. No one should be priced out of those and left behind,” Mr Burnham said.

“But for too long people have said that cheaper transport isn’t an option. I don’t accept that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again now: a £2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.

“Lower fares will help people get to where they need to – giving them breathing space to help with the cost of living.”

Andy Burnham announces new £2 bus fare cap across England

Burnham 'open to listening' in way Starmer 'wasn't', says Welsh FM

Welsh first minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has said Andy Burnham is “open to listening, perhaps in a way that Keir Starmer wasn’t”, especially regarding the devolution of powers.

It comes a day after Mr Burnham told him and the leaders of Scotland and Northern Ireland he was “focused on practical measures, not constitutional changes like further referendums”.

Mr ap Iorwerth told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Wednesday morning: “I had a conversation with Andy Burnham yesterday, congratulated him on becoming prime minister, and we both made it clear to each other that we wanted to have a positive relationship, a constructive relationship.

“I know that he understands devolution for Manchester. I want to help him understand what devolution means in Wales and what tools we need to make it work better.

“So, what powers do we need? I have a mandate to lead a government which stood on a platform of wanting powers over policing and justice to be devolved in Wales, rail powers and funding to be devolved to Wales, the right to be able to control our own natural resources.

“So there is a list, if you like, of things that we need to devolve now in order to move the story of Wales, the story of devolution, on to the next level.

“Now it’s clear that we have now a prime minister that is opening, open to listening, perhaps in a way that Keir Starmer wasn’t, and I’m eager to do everything that I can to make the case for Wales. I promised to stand up for Wales, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.”

What Burnham’s record on rough sleeping reveals about his first pledge as PM

What Burnham’s record on rough sleeping reveals about his first pledge as PM

Darren Jones intervention on energy bill was 'not the most timely or wise', transport secretary hits back

The transport secretary has hit back at former cabinet minister Darren Jones after he posted to social media claiming that the government's new plan to cut VAT from energy bills is "unfunded".

Heidi Alexander told Sky News: "I'm not sure it was either the most timely or wise tweet that Darren has ever put out."

She added: "Darren's a really good friend of mine, and I've got a lot of time for him. He was a great servant to the cabinet and to Keir's government. But you know, it wasn't the most wise or most timely of tweets.

"Government was going through a process of finding the money to be able to pay for the rollout of Digital ID. Andy Burnham has become the prime minister. He said that isn't going ahead, and so that money that was being found across government to fund that program is now instead being used to take VAT off electricity bills."

Government won't say how bus fare cap is funded, says Stride

Conservative shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said the government is “not actually specifying where the money is going to come from” as he questioned the financing of prime minister Andy Burnham’s bus fares cap.

Asked if he supported Mr Burnham’s £2 cap for single bus fares from January, Sir Mel told BBC Breakfast: “I think anything that’s about trying to get on top of cost of living pressures, of course, is very important because under this government we’ve seen very high levels of inflation, amongst other things.”

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said on Wednesday she was “100 per cent” the bus fare cap was fully funded.

She told BBC Breakfast: “There is £454 million pounds of reprioritising money, it’s switch spending.”

Sir Mel Stride said there was a “broader point here that’s really important, which is that under Labour we’ve ended up with a huge debt, massive servicing costs on that debt, and that means that we’ve really got, as a government, the government’s got to be explaining exactly where all these spending commitments are going to be funded from, and we saw yesterday a commitment on fuel bills, but when it came to the detail, there was no money allocated for it.

“And from what I can tell from this particular move on bus fares, we’re in a similar kind of situation whereby they’re saying they’re going to make some kind of savings within the energy department’s budget, but they’re not actually specifying where the money is going to come from.”

'We will be boldly Labour but we will also be prudently Labour', minister says

The transport secretary has said Andy Burnham has promised to both be "boldly Labour" and "prudently Labour" as he attempts to tackle the cost of living crisis.

Amid questions over which policies the new PM will pursue, and how he will fund them, Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "When we were at Cabinet yesterday, the prime minister was really clear with us that we are going to be boldly Labor, but we're also going to be prudently Labour, and we will need to reprioritise spending."

She added: "Politics is essentially about priorities, as you know, and Andy has been clear that there will need to be some reprioritisation."

£2 bus cap 'shows the direction of travel' under Burnham, says transport secretary

The £2 bus cap is "a signal of intent and shows you the direction of travel of the government under Andy Burnham", the transport secretary has said, insisting it will give people "a little bit of breathing space and help with the cost of living".

Heidi Alexander told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We've seen the experience in Greater Manchester where our new prime minister did so much to improve the public transport there. Since he created the B network, brought busses busses back under public control, set a fare cap, had control over timetables, we've seen bus usage go up by 11 per cent.

"But really, what this announcement today is about is giving people a little bit of breathing space and help with the cost of living. We know that there will be a lot of people that get to the end of every month before the next paycheck comes in, and they'll be worrying about whether there's any money left in their bank account.

"And there are millions of people who rely upon busses in England. There's a significant proportion of people that don't have access to a car, and so reducing that bus fare cap down for single journeys from £3 to £2 - on top of the announcement that we made about getting rid of VAT on energy bills from this autumn - I think this is really a signal of intent and shows you the direction of travel of the government under Andy Burnham."

Streeting and Mahmood apologise for joke about early prisoner release caught on hot mic

Defence secretary Wes Streeting has apologised after comments he made about the early release of prisoners were inadvertently picked up by a microphone.

Mr Streeting made the remarks during a conversation with home secretary Shabana Mahmood and the new justice secretary Alex Norris on Tuesday.

In the overheard comments, Mr Streeting suggested to Ms Mahmood that Mr Norris was “the enemy now” and “wants to let them all out”. The exchange occurred on Tuesday, a day after Mr Streeting returned to prime minister Andy Burnham’s new-look Cabinet.

Taking to X, Mr Streeting clarified that his comment was a reference to a joke shared between former Conservative prime minister Theresa May and ex-chancellor and home secretary Kenneth Clarke.

He wrote: “I hope everyone can see there was no ill intent behind this ribbing of the new justice secretary – it was a reference to an old May/Clarke joke.

“But I appreciate these are very serious issues and am sorry for any offence inadvertently caused by this moment of levity.”

Streeting and Mahmood apologise for joke about early prisoner release

Burnham's plans for devolution 'remains to be seen'

Sir Mel Stride said it “remains to be seen” what Andy Burnham means by devolution.

The Tory shadow chancellor said the detail in the prime minister’s plans was missing, and “it feels a little bit about musical chairs with politicians.”

Asked if he would support the devolution of powers if he had to vote on it, Sir Mel told BBC Breakfast: “So, look, we are a party that brought in devolution. In fact, the only reason that Andy Burnham was ever mayor of Greater Manchester was because of the fact that we set up that mayoralty when we were in power.

“But it remains to be seen exactly what Andy Burnham means by devolution. It can be anything from devolving a little bit more spending, all the way through to sharing taxes that are raised locally, all the way through to actually being able to redesign those taxes, which is a more fundamental reform.

“So we need to really see the detail. But a lot of this, the detail is missing, and it feels to me a little bit about musical chairs with politicians when he speaks about these things, rather than the meaningful and difficult decisions that he’s got to take, particularly around spending, particularly around controlling that welfare budget, in order to be able to get that pressure off people at the moment and get our economy moving.”

'Not wise' for Darren Jones to criticise government policy

Heidi Alexander has warned Darren Jones it is “not wise” to criticise a policy announcement after he was sacked from cabinet this week.

The former minister had hit out at Andy Burnham’s announcement that it was cutting VAT on household electricity bills, a plan which he said was “unfunded”.

Speaking to Sky News, the transport secretary said she is "not sure it was either the most timely or wise tweet that Darren has ever put out".

Transport secretary '100% sure' bus fare cap funded

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander said she was “100 per cent sure” the £2 bus fare cap was fully funded.

Some £400 million of the money comes from switching international climate grants to repayable loans.

She told BBC Breakfast: “There is £454 million pounds of reprioritising money, it’s switch spending.

“We’re not going to be giving those grants to international climate projects in other countries.

“We’re going to be making those loans instead, so that money comes back.”

She also insisted the cut to VAT on domestic electricity bills was properly financed despite former cabinet minister Darren Jones suggested the money was being switched from an unfunded digital ID scheme.

She said it was “not true to say the money isn’t there to implement the changes on electricity bills”.

“The Office for Budget Responsibility said that implementing the digital ID programme was going to cost £1.8 billion, about £800 million of that money is actually going to be used to fund that change to cutting VAT off energy bills,” she said.

Comment: Psst! Chancellor – here’s one get-rich-quick scheme you can’t afford to ignore…

In an open letter to John Healey, Chris Blackhurst sets out why the new occupant of No 11 should seriously consider a ‘Robin Hood tax’ – a £500,000 annual wealth charge that would make Britain a magnet for the world’s mobile rich, and jumpstart the UK economy for everyone:

Psst! Chancellor – here’s one get-rich-quick scheme you can’t afford to ignore…

Shadow chancellor fears Healey 'captive' to a PM wanting to go back to 1970s

Sir Mel Stride has expressed fears that the new chancellor may be “captive to a prime minister who seems to want to go back to the 1970s.”

The shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride has said John Healey “has got a huge job ahead of him”, telling BBC Breakfast on Wednesday morning: “I think that John Healey has got a huge job ahead of him.

“Of course, I wish him well in that because we want that for the good of the country.

“But I fear that he is somewhat captive to a prime minister who seems to want to go back to the 1970s and huge spending and state intervention, higher taxes, higher borrowing, and all of that, which is what we’ve seen from Labour to date, but even more of it.

“Also constrained by his backbenchers, who do not have any appetite, particularly for welfare reform, which I think is key to the success of our economy.

“And I think under those circumstances, particularly with an economy that itself is very constrained now because of its mismanagement by Rachel Reeves over the last couple of years, I think he’s really got his work cut out.”

Burnham announces £2 bus fare cap

Andy Burnham has announced that most bus fares in England will be capped at £2 from January, as part of a wider blitz of policies aimed at tackling the cost of living.

Currently, the nationwide cap on single bus fares is set at £3 until the end of March 2027.

However, some areas – including London and Greater Manchester, where Mr Burnham set a £2 limit as mayor – have lower top rates for single tickets.“Good, affordable transport links are an essential.

No one should be priced out of those and left behind,” Mr Burnham said.

“But for too long people have said that cheaper transport isn’t an option. I don’t accept that. I’ve done it before and I will do it again now: a £2 cap on bus fares for millions across the country.

“Lower fares will help people get to where they need to – giving them breathing space to help with the cost of living.”

It comes after the new prime minister vowed that his government would give people a “sense that help is coming” in his first Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

The measure is backed by £454 million of funding – including money to allow devolved governments to take similar action.

Burnham steps back from suggestions about increasing tax-free personal allowance

Andy Burnham has backtracked from suggestions about increasing the £12,570 tax-free personal allowance as part of his plan to tackle the cost of living.

The threshold has been frozen since 2021, meaning more people are dragged into paying tax as earnings increase as a result of inflation.

Speaking to The Times over the weekend, the new prime mininster said that the "frustration about the personal allowance" he had heard from voters while campaigning in the Makerfield by-election was "lodged in my mind".

And on Monday, he told reporters that "all of this will be looked at" in the next budget but admitted any change would be expensive and "difficult given the financial circumstances in which we find ourselves".

However, allies of Mr Burnham have now told the BBC that changes to the personal allowance are not part of his initial plan to tackle the cost of living.