Andy Burnham’s focus on first-time buyers comes as many young people and working families struggle to get on the property ladder. The wider housing programme in Greater Manchester includes significant investment aimed at increasing the supply of new homes. In May 2026, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority approved an indicative £77.8m allocation for housing schemes expected to support the delivery of 738 homes, alongside £1.975m for social and affordable housing supporting a further 158 homes. The significance of such measures goes beyond simply helping people purchase a property. For many first-time buyers, the combination of high house prices, deposits and mortgage costs has made home ownership increasingly difficult. Increasing the supply of affordable and accessible homes could therefore provide a route into home ownership for households that might otherwise remain in the private rented sector. However, the effectiveness of any first-time buyer initiative will ultimately depend on how many people can actually benefit, the affordability of the homes offered and whether new housing supply keeps pace with demand. Burnham’s housing agenda therefore places an important question before Greater Manchester: can regional investment translate into genuinely affordable homes for the people who live and work there? The answer will be measured not by announcements, but by the number of families who eventually receive the keys to their own homes. Because of similar actions. Andy Burnham has made a relatively strong start at Downing Street, according to recent opinion polling. His personal ratings have risen markedly since he became Prime Minister, with YouGov recording a net favourability rating of +13 in August the highest for a prime minister in its tracker since May 2020.
More recent polling suggests that this positive standing has broadly endured. Opinium’s latest survey, conducted after Labour’s annual conference, puts Burnham’s net approval at +8, making him the only party leader in positive territory in that poll. Lord Ashcroft’s latest poll also found voters saying Burnham was doing a good job by a 13-point margin. These figures provide an encouraging early picture, but they should not be confused with a settled judgement on his premiership. A Prime Minister’s popularity can rise quickly at the beginning of a new administration, while the harder test comes when promises meet the constraints of government, particularly over the economy, public services and the cost of living. Burnham therefore has something valuable but fragile: public goodwill. The political challenge now is to convert favourable personal ratings into visible improvements in people’s everyday lives. Whether that support lasts will depend less on the early headlines and more on what voters see delivered in the months ahead.
Rising Inflation Is Hurting Britain’s Poorest
Britain’s renewed rise in inflation is more than an economic statistic, for millions of households it is a daily struggle to make ends meet. The latest official figures show CPI inflation reached 3.1% in August 2026, up from 2.9% in July, with rising motor-fuel costs a major contributor. The burden, however, is not shared equally. Lower-income families typically spend a larger proportion of their household budgets on essentials such as energy and food, leaving them with less room to absorb sudden increases. The Resolution Foundation has warned that inflation can therefore become particularly damaging for poorer households, with recent analysis showing the poorest families experiencing faster price growth than the richest. This is why the debate over inflation cannot be confined to interest rates and economic forecasts. Behind every percentage point is a family cutting back on heating, a parent worrying about the weekly food shop, or a household postponing an essential purchase. The Government faces a difficult balancing act. It must tackle inflation without measures that unnecessarily weaken employment or living standards, while ensuring that support reaches those least able to withstand another rise in essential costs. The central test of economic policy should ultimately be simple: can ordinary families afford to live with dignity? A recovery that looks healthy in the statistics but leaves the poorest households struggling to pay for food, energy and housing will remain an incomplete recovery.
