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Scoff at cheaper bus fares and No 10 North if you like, but Andy Burnham knows what he’s doing | Jonathan Freedland
Andy Burnham’s new government has announced a £2 cap on single bus fares across England from January, presenting it as an immediate measure to ease pressure on household budgets. Jonathan Freedland argues that such practical, easily understood policies can build lasting public support, drawing a comparison with Ken Livingstone’s popular 1981 “Fares Fair” reductions in London.
The column criticises Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for dismissing the plans as “mayor of Manchester ideas” and insufficiently ambitious for a prime minister. Freedland contends that Burnham’s experience as Greater Manchester mayor is an advantage: alongside promises of larger reforms, including a 10-year national plan in the autumn, tangible measures such as cheaper transport can demonstrate political effectiveness and shift power away from London.
In short
- Burnham will cap single bus fares at £2 across England.
- Freedland says practical policies can create enduring voter support.
- Badenoch’s criticism is portrayed as misunderstanding local political strengths.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
The strongest case is that practical, immediately tangible policies like bus fare caps serve both immediate and strategic purposes. They provide relief to households under budget pressure, demonstrate government effectiveness through concrete action people use daily, and build public trust that can enable support for larger reforms. As Livingstone's London policy showed, popular transport measures create durable political goodwill, and Burnham's experience managing devolved powers positions him to shift authority away from London whilst proving such localized initiatives work.
The case against
The strongest case is that whilst well-intentioned, fare caps raise serious concerns about fiscal sustainability and economic efficiency. Such targeted subsidies may represent poor value for taxpayers' money and could distort transport markets, leaving underlying issues—infrastructure investment, operator economics, long-term funding models—unaddressed. Critics argue that such populist measures, however popular, risk setting poor precedent and that the same resources might achieve greater public benefit through comprehensive transport reform or broader cost-of-living support targeted towards those most in need.
Explained simply
Andy Burnham leads the government and has announced a £2 cap on single bus fares across England from January to help households manage transport costs. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has dismissed the plan as insufficiently ambitious for a national government, creating a debate about different political approaches.
The disagreement reflects broader questions about how governments build public support. Some argue that practical policies delivering immediate, understandable benefits to daily life can be highly effective, whilst others contend that governments should prioritise larger-scale transformative reforms. This echoes historical precedent, such as Ken Livingstone's popular bus fare reductions in London during the 1980s.
Burnham's background as Greater Manchester mayor reflects the government's broader aim to shift power away from London. The contention here is that tangible, visible policies can establish political credibility that supports larger ambitions rather than limiting them.
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