All 5 'Fixes' Andy Burnham Says Will Make Costs Easier Ahead Of 2026's Budget

Chancellor John Healey has unveiled five “everyday fixes” designed to make day-to-day costs more manageable for “millions” of people in the UK. This comes ahead of Wednesday’s Budget , which will be the first under prime minister Andy Burnham. Healey said of the package: “Today’s everyday fixes are just a small part of what we are doing to give families a bit of breathing space.” “Conflict in the Middle East and Europe is hitting families here at home through higher everyday costs,” he continued, adding: “We can’t control global events, but we can act where we can make a difference.”

Burnham stated: “If you’re a nurse driving for work, a parent spending those precious first weeks with your new baby, or an unpaid carer picking up an extra shift, these changes will make life a little easier and put more money back in your pocket.” He claimed that tomorrow’s Budget will “go further to give families and businesses the breathing space they need today, while we build a stronger economy, transform our country and bring down costs for people long-term”.

So what do those “fixes” actually entail? 1) Raising tax-free mileage rates The chancellor is set to lock in a 55p tax-free mileage rate for the first 10,000 business miles driven. Once over 10,000 miles, the taxable mileage rate will increase from its current 25p a mile to 35p a mile. This is designed to help the roughly “three million employees and self-employed people who use their own vehicle for work,” including nurses, builders, and care workers. 2) Extending parental pay The government will extend parental pay to 150,000 more parents, including two weeks of paternity pay for self-employed fathers, who previously missed out on the benefit.

Eligible parents will receive up to £194 a week for the two-week period. 3) Allowing carers to earn more without losing benefits entirely At the moment, carers lose their entire allowance if they go even slightly above the Weekly Earnings Limit, which amounts to 16 hours’ worth of pay at the National Living Wage. This change means it won’t be as all-or-nothing as that anymore. Instead, for every pound a carer earns above the Weekly Earnings Limit, they’ll lose the equivalent in support as part of a “taper” method. 4) Removing import tariffs on “100s” of everyday items This includes baked beans, chocolate, and gherkins, and also aims to support “farmers facing higher fertiliser bills and households that rely on kerosene heating oil”.

The government says this could save families £21 on their food shop a year. 5) Rolling out more Post Office drop boxes The government aims to bring the total of these drop boxes to 1,000, which they say can make it easier for people to send and receive parcels without lining up in the Post Office, especially in “the run-up to Christmas”. The government also says it will upgrade 600 Post Offices by the end of the financial year. What else might change after tomorrow’s Budget?

Though we will have to wait to see the Budget in full, Burnham previously wrote an exclusive for HuffPost UK promoting plans to set up a new £1.5 billion fund that mayors can borrow from to get major projects “off the ground” in their areas over the next two years. The prime minister has already unveiled funding designed to “fix” rough sleeping, stating that the Budget would offer an extra £432 million to fix the ongoing issue. John Healey is also set to outline £150 million of support to help mayors scale up in Wednesday’s Budget , and is expected to explain how he’ll finance his four-year defence investment plan too.

Household energy bills and taxes on banks are expected to be included in tomorrow’s Budget as well, as the government looks to help ease the cost of living. How have these plans been received? Ellie Chowns, a Green Party Treasury spokesperson, said that some of these changes are “welcome” – like the removal of the earnings “cliff” for carers, which she says her party has long campaigned for. But she added: “With just one day to go until the Budget, and millions of households across Britain struggling to cope with the cost-of-living crisis, where is the wider ambition to tackle the inequality pushing ordinary families to the brink?

“And why is Labour still choosing to tinker around the edges, rather than delivering the genuine change Britain needs?” Sarah Dyke, the Liberal Democrat’s rural affairs spokesperson, meanwhile, said: “We all want to see cheaper staples on the shelves, but any spare Treasury money must be used on British farmers first.” And the Shadow Chancellor, Andrew Griffith, said: “Rampant borrowing, soaring taxes and an utter inability to cut spending mean inflation has already wiped out the benefits of Burnham’s ‘everyday fixes’.

“Shoppers face rising costs at the till and families are struggling to make ends meet, but Burnham’s plan is cheaper gherkins. This is an insult to families hammered by Labour’s tax rises. “This Labour government is not serious about the challenges facing our country.” Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.