Burnham

[briantrumpet]

I bet he looked lovely in that dress.

 

[briantrumpet]

Anyway, Ian Dunt is impressed so far.

 

[Dorset Boy]

No comment that the VAT cut on electricity will be more than wiped out by the increase in energy prices in October?

 

[Rusty Nails]

No comment that the VAT cut on electricity will be more than wiped out by the increase in energy prices in October?

I notice that the VAT cut in electricity will be more than wiped out by the October increase in energy prices.


Will that do?,

 

[midlandsgrimpeur]

So far, the evidence is that Burnham does politics better than Starmer: whereas Starmer was saying how miserable we all had to be the moment he got in because of hard choices, Burnham has done two small but noticeable things, at the same time talking about a 10-year plan.

That's not to say that he won't screw up in short order once it comes to the 10-year plan, but it makes it easier to do less popular stuff if you've got more people on your side believing that you want to make their lives a bit easier/better.

I think my previous post that he is going to focus on small wins to build goodwill and see some actual positive change to people's daily lives (whilst storing up credit for the larger items) is looking a likely approach. He is going to have address the larger policy problems like immigration at some point but doing so with credit in the bank seems like an astute thing to do.

 

[briantrumpet]

I think my previous post that he is going to focus on small wins to build goodwill and see some actual positive change to people's daily lives (whilst storing up credit for the larger items) is looking a likely approach. He is going to have address the larger policy problems like immigration at some point but doing so with credit in the bank seems like an astute thing to do.

Hence my referencing the astuteness of also referencing a 10-year strategy. Starmer started out with all the negative stuff headlined, and beat any optimism out of progressive voters with the Reform pitch and his EU red lines referenced.

 

[secretsqirrel]

I notice that the VAT cut in electricity will be more than wiped out by the October increase in energy prices.


Will that do?,

Well….. thank goodness he cut the VAT.

 

[briantrumpet]

Well….. thank goodness he cut the VAT.

I wonder if he'll move early on loosening the link between gas and electricity prices (or at least adjusting the formula... could be another relatively popular move, since it's been mooted already.

 

[Pross]

No comment that the VAT cut on electricity will be more than wiped out by the increase in energy prices in October?

But the price cap would go up anyway so it's still cheaper.

 

[Pross]

I'm struggling why Mel Stride was saying Burnham needs to explain how they will fund the reduction in the the bus fare cap when they included that in the announcement (loans instead of grants for overseas climate change schemes). He'd have been better pointing out the Tories introduced the £2 cap to start with and all Burnham has done is put it back to the level the Tories created.

 

[BoldonLad]

Someone (not me) has been checking Andy's (or the Treasury's) maths:

 

[spen666]

I'm struggling why Mel Stride was saying Burnham needs to explain how they will fund the reduction in the the bus fare cap when they included that in the announcement (loans instead of grants for overseas climate change schemes). He'd have been better pointing out the Tories introduced the £2 cap to start with and all Burnham has done is put it back to the level the Tories created.

Its a bit smoke and mirrors announcement by Labour

There is no money to pay for bus fare cap UNTIL those loans are repaid. At present they are grants, so there is no money coming in to pay for the bus fare cut at present - in the future, assuming there will be sufficient loan repayments, then the funding will be there. However at present there is no money saved to pay for the scheme from the out set

Hence why I say its a bit smoke and mirrors

 

[bobzmyunkle]

There is no money to pay for bus fare cap UNTIL those loans are repaid. At present they are grants, so there is no money coming in to pay for the bus fare cut at present - in the future, assuming there will be sufficient loan repayments, then the funding will be there. However at present there is no money saved to pay for the scheme from the out set

Burnham, Healey, Spen666 - fiscal rules innit. Seems the 70s was OK if it's 1979.

 

[Pross]

Today's big announcement is a bit perplexing. I've never understood the way politicians like to prioritise pubs over other businesses. It was the same back in the pandemic - first thing to reopen, eat out to help out etc. then there's the clamour to extend opening hours for big sporting events. I know the industry has a strong lobby but I also suspect it fits into the narrative 'hard working people' who in politician world probably all stop off for a pie and a pint at their local inn on the way back from a hard shift. They'd be better off spending money on trying to modernise and rejuvenate high streets.

 

[briantrumpet]

Today's big announcement is a bit perplexing. I've never understood the way politicians like to prioritise pubs over other businesses. It was the same back in the pandemic - first thing to reopen, eat out to help out etc. then there's the clamour to extend opening hours for big sporting events. I know the industry has a strong lobby but I also suspect it fits into the narrative 'hard working people' who in politician world probably all stop off for a pie and a pint at their local inn on the way back from a hard shift. They'd be better off spending money on trying to modernise and rejuvenate high streets.

I suspect we're going to have a few totemic things that don't cost too much... it's been noted how they are announcing something like this each day at 6am, which is spoiling the negative attacks on breakfast bulletins.