A key adviser to Andy Burnham has said he will be focused on “dealing with the cost of living in the short term” if, as expected, he becomes prime minister.
Former Labour minister Miatta Fahnbulleh told the BBC she expected people “at the bottom” would have “more money in their pockets” under a Burnham government.
She said any policy decision would be up to Burnham but added “we do need to find ways to give people respite and that’s about money in their pockets”.
Fahnbulleh has been drawing up policy plans for a Burnham government ahead of his expected coronation as Labour leader and prime minister.
Burnham is set to be declared Labour leader next week before taking office as prime minister on 20 July, after the vast majority of Labour MPs nominated him in the process to replace Sir Keir Starmer.
In an LBC interview last week, Burnham said the government needed to be “serious about putting more money back into people’s pockets”.
Burnham said there was “some room” for movement on tax and suggested he would look at reducing business rates for some high street businesses.
Some newspaper reports have suggested Burnham is preparing to unveil a package of cost-of-living support within the first few weeks of taking office as prime minister.
The Financial Times has reported, external that Fahnbulleh has proposed “immediately” providing cost-of-living support for energy bills and transport.
Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Fahnbulleh suggested the economy was central to Burnham’s policy plans.
When asked how people’s lives would be different if Burnham becomes prime minister, Fahnbulleh said: “Everyone recognises that people are under pressure, living standards have not risen and we have to grip that.
“And that means dealing with the cost of living in the short term to give people some respite.”
She went on to say essentials such as housing, energy and transport were too expensive and there was a need “to make them more affordable through public control”.
Burnham has said he wants “greater public control” of the water and energy sectors, emulating the bus network he oversaw as mayor in Greater Manchester, where private operators bid to run services on a franchise basis.
When asked if she expected that “people at the bottom will have more money put in their pocket by Andy Burnham in government”, Fahnbulleh said: “Yes.”
“I’m not going to get into the specifics because ultimately that will be a choice for Andy and his chancellor,” the Labour MP for Peckham said.
“But we are very, very clear. We understand that people are under pressure. And we do need to find ways to give people respite. And that’s about money in their pockets and it’s also about driving down the costs of essentials.”
Fahnbulleh resigned as a junior minister for communities following a dire set of results for Labour in May’s local elections.
A former civil servant and think tank boss, Fahnbulleh has been feeding policy ideas into Burnham’s preparations for power.
Also speaking on the programme the Conservative shadow chancellor, Sir Mel Stride, argued that the outgoing prime minister damaged the economy and “the markets feel things could get even worse under Andy Burnham”.
Sir Mel said Burnham would be a prime minister “who’s clearly going to lean more into tax”.
He said Burnham will inherit Labour backbench MPs “who are not capable of taking the tough decisions to get, for example, on top of the welfare bill”.
