Westminster Report

BY David Burton-Sampson MP for Southend West & Leigh.
It’s not every day that you get a new Prime Minister, so this is really quite a moment. Andy Burnham wants to bring hope to our community and give people a breathing space with support on the cost of living.
Here’s how the new government will be helping us in Southend West and Leigh.
The Prime Minister has announced that VAT on household electricity is being abolished this winter, saving every household money on their energy bills. Taking VAT off domestic electricity from October will save £45 a year for average homes, making life more affordable.
He has also declared that from January, single bus fares will be capped at only £2. I am delighted to see the government cutting fares by a third for passengers here.
The £2 cap will be in place from 1 January 2027, for the rest of the year, helping millions of people with affordable bus travel and supporting access to work, education, healthcare and leisure.
Don’t forget that alongside the new £2 fare cap, every child aged five to fifteen in England will be able to travel free this August on participating buses – with unlimited journeys, no registration required, and at no cost to families.
Andy Burnham recognises that for too long costs have grown and grown with seemingly no end in sight. These announcements are about giving families a breathing space, and connecting communities to jobs, opportunities and each other.
He has also announced backing for pubs, clubs and live music venues with a 20% cut in their business rates.
These places sit at the heart of our communities and too many have disappeared from our high streets in recent years. Labour are also helping to pay for it by reviewing rates for businesses that do not make a positive contribution to local communities, like vape shops.
From next year pubs, clubs and live music venues will save around £1,100 a year for the typical pub.
We know they are key to providing places for people to come together. These venues support our local jobs and help keep our high street and town centres vibrant. Here in Southend, we have a proud, long-standing, musical history, so this should be music to their ears!
We are also in our Great British Summer of Savings with cheaper tickets for cinemas, theme parks, soft play areas and museums – so there’s plenty to choose from when you’re giving the kids a treat.
There are discounts for children’s meals when you are out and about too, with a VAT cut from 20% to 5% on their meals, so that you can eat out more cheaply on those special days.
We want to make the essentials more affordable this summer, as well as providing the opportunity to enjoy keeping the family entertained.
As the school year returns in the autumn, there will be more free breakfast clubs helping provide free childcare here in Southend and more families receiving free school meals alongside all children in Reception, Year One and year Two.
Measures Labour has introduced are lifting children out of poverty and transforming the life chances of our young people.
I recognise that many families in Southend West and Leigh are struggling with the cost of living and I know our schools are on the front line of dealing with the impact of pressures on young people.
I welcome the new Prime Minister’s immediate economic choices to support households’ energy bills, cap bus fares and back pubs and clubs. It’s a great start to his premiership and builds on Labour’s record of helping with the cost of living, having frozen rail fares and prescription charges, as well as having increased the National Minimum Wage and the State Pension.
I am also delighted to see Andy Burnham finally grasping the nettle of social care.
The Prime Minister wants to draw a line after decades of failure to tackle the problem head on. This will be a huge achievement for Andy Burnham and I am sure, only the first of many for our new Prime Minister.
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