Burnham to take on issues ‘ignored by Westminster’ in week two of summer tour
Issues expected to be addressed next week include ending rough sleeping and resolving fly-tipping
Prime Minister Andy Burnham will look at issues “ignored by Westminster for too long” during the second week of his summer tour of the UK.
Listen to this article
These issues include ending rough sleeping and resolving the “toxic dump, fly-tipping and environmental vandalism scandal”.
Mr Burnham will also be at Number 10 North during the week, marking a month since it was established.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister wants to bring back hope that we can finally fix the difficult issues facing the country that have been ignored by Westminster for too long.
“This includes taking on issues that others have said are intractable, like ending rough sleeping and resolving the toxic dump, fly-tipping and environmental vandalism scandal that is blighting communities across the UK.
Read more: Cornwall tourist tax could be ‘game changer’, says Burnham
Read more: Burnham announces £65million support package for farmers to manage drought pressures
“The coming week will see the Prime Minister take on some of these issues as he continues his tour around the UK, which will inform his upcoming 10-year plan to make Britain better off.”
In his first week of travelling around the country, the Prime Minister visited Derbyshire, the West Midlands, Devon, and Cornwall to hear from local people and businesses.
He also announced a series of policies, including “easy to exit” rules to help consumers cancel subscriptions and a ban on retailers making misleading claims about discounts.
Mr Burnham said he would also give councils new powers to block vape and betting shops in a bid to save Britain’s “hollowed-out high streets”.
The Prime Minister chaired a Cobra meeting to discuss efforts to deal with the extreme heat conditions across the UK, announced support for farmers to help manage drought pressures, and visited families affected by wildfires in the West Midlands.
It comes as the Prime Minister unveiled a £65 million funding package for farmers, amid fears hot, dry weather could drive up food prices on supermarket shelves.
Mr Burnham visited a family-run potato farm near Truro, Cornwall, on Saturday that has been affected by the drought and met National Farmers’ Union (NFU) president Tom Bradshaw.
Speaking to broadcasters at Colwyn farm, Mr Burnham said: “I realise we’ve got a long way to go to build back trust with the farming community across the country.
“I think it’s probably been the hardest summer for British farming in a generation.”