Andy Burnham said he has “reprioritised” how money is being spent in Government, to try to ease the cost of living.
Asked whether he would “be honest with the public” that some of his pledges might come with more borrowing or tax rises, the Prime Minister told broadcasters: “I will always be honest with the public – that’s my style.
“This week, the three policies I’ve announced – ending rough sleeping, the bus cap we’re announcing today and the removal of VAT off electricity bills – are all fully funded, and that’s the way I will go.
“And people will say, ‘Well, how?’
“I’ve reprioritised. The public’s priority is reducing cost of living pressures and that’s what I’m doing.
“I’m taking a difficult look at some of the things that the Government was committed to, digital ID being one example, and reprioritising.
“And I think that’s what people would expect me to do coming into this job.
“When you talk about council housing, it’s about putting greater priority on council housing.
“The Government had already allocated £39 billion to housing over 10 years.
“My instruction on coming into this job is to spend a greater proportion of that funding on new council housing because that gives the biggest return on investment than anything else.” #politics @itvnews
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