A report by the Compass thinktank, drawing on ideas from 15 left-leaning thinkers, urges Andy Burnham to tackle UK inequality through radical measures including a wealth tax, free personal social care and public ownership of gas and electricity networks. The proposals are intended to inform the government's approach ahead of chancellor John Healey's first budget this autumn, with the report's authors framing them as evidence that Britain can still be governed "from the left of centre", while cautioning that Burnham may not be given much longer than his predecessor to show results.

The report, titled Ending Business as Usual, sets out 70 policy options presented as "a menu, not a manifesto". Key ideas include a wealth tax on net assets above £10m (raising an estimated £24bn a year), equalising capital gains tax with income tax (£11.3bn a year, though the IFS warns this could push wealthy individuals to relocate their money or leave the country), and replacing council tax and stamp duty with a proportional property tax, which would see 23% of households, mostly in London and the south-east, paying more. Other suggestions include free personal social care funded by an income tax surcharge on over-40s, universal free childcare, a £50,000 cap on political donations, and abolishing the House of Lords.