Big Issue
“That’s what this new era is going to be all about: a sense of hope, of possibility, that things are achievable that you might not have thought were before,” said Andy Burnham when making his case to be prime minister.
That begs the question of what exactly could be possible in the future. Could Burnham change Westminster’s mind on rent controls? Could he finally unlock the homes needed to address Britain’s housing crisis? Could Manchesterism shift the dial on nationalising water companies?
One area where Burnham has previously maintained an interest is a universal basic income.
Often dismissed in Westminster as too expensive, a basic income can take many forms but a universal version would give cash to everyone, creating an income floor that no one could fall below. The idea would be to utilise the tax system to claw back money from people already on higher incomes who do not need it.
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