Burnham vows to tackle London's soaring transport costs with fares pledge

Andy Burnham has pledged to reduce transport fares across London if he becomes Prime Minister, placing cheaper travel at the heart of a wider package of reforms aimed at easing the cost of living.

Writing in the Evening Standard, Burnham said essential services such as transport, housing, energy and water should come under greater public control, pointing to Greater Manchester's Bee Network as a model for wider reform.

He argued that Londoners should no longer face some of Europe's highest public transport costs, promising a long-term strategy to reduce the price of everyday essentials for households and businesses alike.

Alongside his transport commitments, Burnham outlined plans to accelerate the delivery of genuinely affordable housing across the capital, including boroughs such as Westminster, Brent, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and Hillingdon. His proposals include using surplus public land to reduce development costs while giving local authorities greater powers to deliver new council housing.

The proposals form part of Burnham's wider vision for a more devolved Britain, with greater decision-making powers handed to regional leaders and a new "No.10 North" operation based in Manchester designed to oversee economic growth across every part of the UK, including London.

Questions remain over how the programme would be funded, particularly given existing pressures on public finances and concerns about maintaining investment in London's transport network. Sir Sadiq Khan has previously warned against reducing capital funding for the capital while strengthening investment elsewhere.

Burnham has sought to reassure financial markets that he would retain existing fiscal rules while pursuing what he describes as a decade-long programme to make housing, transport and other essential services more affordable.

Source: Evening Standard