Andy Burnham announces new £2 bus fare cap across EnglandYour support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Read more
Andy Burnham’s plan to cut business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues “doesn’t go far enough”, celebrity chef and publican Tom Kerridge has warned.
Announcing the discount on Thursday, the prime minister said around 32,000 businesses would benefit and the typical pub could be expected to save around £1,100 annually.
But Kerridge, who has been leading a campaign to cut hospitality VAT to 10 per cent, warned that: “£1,000 on a yearly revenue doesn’t really make a difference.”
However, he told BBC Radio 5 Live that the move will still come as welcome news to publicans and: “It shows the government are beginning to listen and has an understanding that hospitality is at the core and heart of so many communities.”
Mr Burnham has also announced a VAT cut to electricity bills and capped bus fares to £2 from January, as well as promised to fix social care and ease the cost of living.
The business rate cuts alone are expected to cost the government around £100m per year and economists have warned taxes will likely need to rise to fund new policies.
Gary Lineker is ‘very welcome to pay more tax’ says Kemi Badenoch
Gary Lineker is “very welcome to pay more tax”, Kemi Badenoch has said, while arguing that tax rises were not the answer.
Asked about a call by the former footballer and 120 UK-based millionaires for Andy Burnham to impose higher taxes on their wealth, the Tory leader told reporters: “on Gary Lineker, he’s very welcome to pay more tax. He can write a cheque to the Treasury. No one’s stopping him.
“But right now, we are seeing the people who create jobs leaving the country…
“If we keep taxing the people who create the jobs, who generate the growth, we’re not going to have any taxes at all.”
She added that tax rises and “pennies here and there” do not increase our standard of living, and that the focus should be on “backing business so that they can create jobs and create growth”.
(Getty)
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 11:09
Chefs brand Burnham’s business rate move a ‘political manoeuvre’
The Independent’s politics reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Chefs have branded Andy Burnham’s move to slash business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venue a “political manoeuvre” which is “an absolute drop in the ocean”.
Great British Menu winner Nick Beardshaw said the policy is “not enough to save any businesses”, and warned more drastic action is needed.
“While it is a positive thing, I feel like it’s just a bit of a political manoeuvre designed to take a bit of heat away from the noise that hospitality is making,” he said.
“It’s an absolute drop in the ocean. Business rates are normally between 2 per cent and 4 per cent of turnover in these businesses, so the reduction represents a 0.4 per cent to 0.8 per cent reduction in total costs.
“Not enough to save any businesses, as is implied in his statement about not wanting to see any more of these businesses boarded up. Many of them won’t make it to next April!
“The way costs have increased over the last 6 years has meant the margins have been squeezed by numbers closer to 15% or 20%, so in order to “save” these businesses, way more drastic action is needed.”
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 11:04
Burnham’s rates relief for pubs sends strong signal – but two big questions remain
Andy Burnham has made his third major announcement in as many days since taking over as prime minister.
A 20 per cent cut to business rates will come into effect from April next year for pubs, clubs and music venues – except for the largest ones – with Mr Burnham saying the government will “back the businesses that people want to see in their communities”.
But, how is this being paid for?
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 11:01
What businesses are eligible for rates cuts?
Pubs, social clubs and live music venues are eligible for the 20 per cent cut in business rates, but other venues in the hospitality sector haven’t been mentioned.
That means cinemas, cafes, restaurants and hotels may miss out. Plus, the 20 per cent cut only applies to businesses in England and not Scotland or Northern Ireland.
(Getty)
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:55
Badenoch: If Burnham wants to call a snap election, we are ready
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
If Andy Burnham wants to call a snap election, we’re ready, Kemi Badenoch has said.
She insisted the Tories are “always ready” for a general election and urged him to call one if he cannot find the money to fund defence.
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:50
Badenoch: Burnham must fix the economy before tackling cost of living
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Kemi Badenoch has issued a stark warning to Andy Burnham, urging him to fix the economy first.
Taking aim at the swathe of new spending commitments he unveiled this week, the Tory leader told a press conference in central London: “If you try to tackle the cost of living without fixing the economy, you will fail.”
Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch gives a speech at IET (Institute of Engineering and Technology) (Getty)
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:46
Kemi Badenoch suggests Burnham risks being like Liz Truss
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Kemi Badenoch has suggested Andy Burnham risks being like Liz Truss, saying: “Four years ago, a prime minister announced policies without making savings to pay for them. And it didn’t end well.”
She added: “He doesn’t actually know what he wants to do he is thinking out loud. All we know is that it is going to cost a lot of money.
“Andy Burnham needs to rule out tax rises to pay for his spending spree.”
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:44
Andy Burnham ‘seems like a nice guy’, Badenoch says
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Andy Burnham “seems like a nice guy”, Kemi Badenoch has said, but accused him of having ambitions for Britain that are “too small”.
She told a press conference in central London: “I’m glad he’s got a sense of humour, it’s needed in this job.”
Responding to the policies he has unveiled in his first week in office, she said: “Is that it?”
“Britain is the fifth largest economy in the world. .. and our new prime minister’s big ideas are £2 bus fares”, she said, adding: “Our problems go way beyond bus fares and VAT on bills.”
(Getty)
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:43
Chair of the Night Time Industries Association suggests pub business rates cut just the beginning
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Entrepreneur Sacha Lord, the chair of the Night Time Industries Association and an ally of Andy Burnham, has told The Independent, that the 20 per cent business rates cut for pubs, clubs and music venues may be “just the beginning” of help.
The prime minister had campaigned for the hospitality sector when he was mayor of Greater Manchester and raised concerns about the way costs are forcing many venues to close.
Mr Lord noted that “every little helps” in regards to the business rates relief.
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:42
Countryside Alliance welcomes ‘encouraging’ business rate cut for rural pubs
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Mo Metcalf-Fisher, external affairs director at the Countryside Alliance, which campaigns for rural businesses including pubs said: “This further cut to business rates for pubs is welcome. Pubs across the countryside form part of the backbone of rural communities across the country, providing jobs and serving as crucial hubs on the front line in tackling loneliness.
“It’s encouraging that Andy Burnham has set about easing some of the burdens on publicans face so early in his premiership. We must not lose sight of the fact that it comes off the back of the business rates revaluation last November that put up the paper valuations of businesses – the values that rates bills are calculated from – up by an average of 30 per cent.
“We’ve also heard that the valuation increases were distinctly uneven, with some rising by up to four times, and many dragged above the threshold that makes them liable to pay business rates at all.
“What’s needed for business rates to work for the countryside is fundamental reform of how they affect hospitality venues and others, such as equestrian businesses, that need large premises to operate.”
Rebecca Whittaker23 July 2026 10:39