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Talk about starting on a high. In his first week on the job, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a cap on bus fares, cuts to business rates, and even managed to pour a pint. Burnham’s new cabinet is filled with lots of new faces and plenty of familiar ones, and for the first time in British political history, half of those sitting at the table are women.
On the international stage, the United States and Saudi Arabia have signed a nuclear agreement, while France became the first European country to bring in a social media ban for teens, and the US unveiled a fresh slate of tariffs.
Read on for your Weekend Wire.
Wheels on the bus
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Clearly keen to get started, Burnham was busy this week with three policy announcements in quick succession - all in a bid to demonstrate he gets the urgency of tackling the cost of living.
First up, and in reverse chronological order, transport. The cap on single bus fares in England, outside of London, will revert to £2 from £3, starting in January 2027. What will this look like across the country? Well, as any London-based readers will know, a single bus journey in the capital costs £1.75 regardless of distance, making it even cheaper than the new national cap. In Northern Ireland, public services will also get a small amount of additional money, though ministers will not be obliged to spend the money on public transport. And Scotland and Wales will get equivalent funding to England for the fare cap scheme.
Secondly, and also starting in April 2027, business rates for pubs, clubs and live music venues will be lowered by 20% on top of an existing 15% relief off their 2026/27 bill. This extra funding will be paid for by reviewing business rates reliefs for ‘anti-social businesses’ - such as vape shops - and by changing the way VAT is collected on sales via online marketplaces.
And finally… Burnham’s first announcement was that the 5% VAT charge will be cut from household electricity bills starting on October 1, 2026. The government predicts this will save a typical household about £45 a year.
However, it’s of course always worth noting that these affordability promises can’t be funded through good vibes alone. The new PM and his Chancellor are already under pressure to explain how they will pay for the new slate of policies, with a substantial Budget now expected in the autumn..
Making waves
In a land down under, Best for Britain’s CEO, Naomi Smith, spoke to ABC Australia’s Late Night Live radio show this week.
After discussing Burnham’s new premiership, Naomi highlighted independent economic research which found renewed EU membership could boost UK GDP by at least £92bn, creating the growth Burnham needs to fund his much-discussed domestic agenda.
Deal or no deal?
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A bad week for Saudi Arabia: as soon as its new nuclear energy agreement with the United States was signed, it appeared to be dead in the water. Early reports suggested Donald Trump had agreed to the Saudis beginning a civilian nuclear energy programme that might allow the Middle Eastern country to enrich uranium itself to supply a US-built facility.
However, after substantial backlash from US lawmakers, the US President declared that the agreement was conditional on the Saudi Arabian government signing up to the Abraham Accords and therefore recognising Israel. Saudi Arabia has historically resisted calls to recognise the state of Israel, and it seems unlikely that this policy will change soon.
In more Middle East news, Saudi oil tankers were attacked in the Red Sea by the Yemen-backed Houthis as the paramilitary group responded to the escalation of US attacks on Iran. Sadly for new Chancellor John Healey, the attacks saw oil prices surge to over $100/barrel for the first time since May.
Missing EU
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In a rare and significant intervention from the financial industry, top investment strategist Trevor Greetham wrote in the Financial Times condemning the impact of Brexit on the UK.
For a long time, the services sector has stayed quiet in the face of the economic damage caused by Brexit. But Greetham’s piece lays the problem out in black and white: the UK loses nearly £100bn in profit each year by not being a member of the EU. That is jobs, that is investment, that is the kind of economic growth Prime Ministers dream of.
For Greetham, the answer is clear: Britain’s future lies within the EU, shaping legislation and rebuilding its place at the heart of Europe:
“Business finds it hard to speak with a single voice about the damage done by Brexit, as some sectors will benefit from divergence - or cherry-pick. This is a form of prisoner’s dilemma in which the rational decisions of some players are inconsistent with the common good.”
Sacre Bleusky
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France’s parliament approved a sweeping law banning under-15s from social media, making it the first country in the European Union to do so. The restrictions are scheduled to begin rolled implementation as early as September when under-15s will be blocked from creating any new accounts on social media platforms. By January 2027, the rule will expand to all existing accounts, requiring active social media users across France to verify their age or face account deletion. Online encyclopedias and educational platforms will be exempt from the ban.
Last week, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said children should have “phased and gradual access” to social media. The commission has also released an age verification app that EU member states, including France, are currently trialling.
This comes as the commission calls out video app TikTok for not adequately protecting children’s privacy rights on its platform by allowing adults to view the accounts of minors, exposing them to cyberbullying, unwanted contact and predatory behaviour.
‘A load of lies’
The Best for Britain team headed up to Burnham’s stronghold: the Makerfield constituency in Manchester. We spoke with voters about Brexit, including some Leave voters who have changed their minds after seeing the consequences over the last decade…
All change
The cabinet has changed, and the climate is changing. These were the two major themes of our Substack this week as we continued to bring you thought-provoking content that adds light rather than heat to our media landscape.
Analysing the cabinet’s European credentials, we found that there were plenty of reasons to be cheerful - and not just via the Prime Minister himself. From Ed Miliband to Miatta Fahnbulleh and Hamish Falconer, Burnham has appointed secretaries of state who value international cooperation, boast in-depth subject knowledge and a wealth of diplomatic and political experience.
Burnham’s cabinet: What could it mean for UK-EU relations? | ||||||
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It’s the first - and arguably the most important - task for any new Prime Minister. | ||||||
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On the climate, the heatwaves that have scorched both Britain and mainland Europe are a wake-up call for us all. But, there is hope. Our second piece explores the UK Trade and Business Commission’s report into the ETS agreement currently being negotiated by the UK and the EU. This agreement, the research suggests, will drive investment in clean energy and make it easier for businesses to trade across the UK-EU border. Most importantly, it will allow the UK and EU to collaborate further on climate change; something we all can - and must - get behind.
Tariff treatment
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Not content with starting a futile war with Iran that has sent inflation skyrocketing across the world, Donald Trump announced a fresh tranche of tariffs on Friday morning.
The tariffs - set at 10% for the UK - are supposedly being enforced to combat forced labour around the world. Trump and his team have used Section 301 of the US Trade Act (1974) to introduce the measures, which in effect replace the last blanket tariffs he enacted - the ones knocked down by the Supreme Court earlier this year that, you guessed it, expired on Friday morning.
To add insult to injury, the head of the British Chambers of Commerce has claimed that, because of the difference between the UK’s and the EU’s trade deals with the US, Brexit means the UK will now be paying a higher tariff than our European counterparts. Where’s Dan Hannan when you need him?
Tom Brufatto, Executive Director of Policy and Research at Best for Britain, said:
“Rather than competing for preferential treatment from the White House, UK and EU leaders should commit to reintegration, with independent economic research showing that renewing our membership could generate a transformative £92bn of badly-needed growth.”
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One of the many calls the new PM took this week came from European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen. During their exchange, Burnham called for a closer and more ambitious relationship to deliver for both the UK and Europe.
And the two leaders agreed both nations should work closely towards a UK-EU summit later this year. We’ll be keeping a close eye on progress…
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The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has had a devastating impact on global prices, but might it be just the crisis the world needs to knock our addiction to fossil fuels on the head?
That is the argument being made by Martin Wright this week. Wright states that the havoc in Hormuz has once again brought to light the energy insecurity that fossil fuels create, let alone the vast environmental damage. Could the world’s politicians finally be forced to hasten their transition to cleaner and more reliable energy sources?
“For decades, environmentalists have been crying out for a shift to greener technologies as a way of breaking this addiction. As author and environmentalist Bill McKibben puts it: ‘Sunlight has to travel 93 million miles to reach the Earth, but none of those miles go through the Strait of Hormuz.’”
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Controversial influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate were arrested in the US this week. As reported by the Guardian and other outlets, they are facing extradition to the UK over a number of extremely serious charges, allegations which they - and a lawyer for them - deny.
The internet was less serious about Tate’s outfit.
Next week, voters will head to the polls in Manchester on Thursday to replace Andy Burnham as the region’s mayor.
And the nation will come together to remember the three lives lost in the Southport attack nearly two years ago.
We will see you then.
Eliza Snider and Joshua Edwicker
Senior Press Officer and Senior Content Officer
Best for Britain
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