UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to visit Wales on cost-of-living tour
Andy Burnham will head to South Wales on Thursday as he continues his summer tour of the UK.
The prime minister is expected to spend the morning talking to Welsh workers and apprentices as part of a "listening tour" that has seen him travel the country to speak to voters about the cost of living.
The tour has already seen him accelerate plans to tackle "everyday frustrations" such as subscription traps, after he made tackling to cost of living a key priority on entering Downing Street last month.
Later in the week, No10 said he would set out action on "rogue operators causing misery to millions of people across the country struggling with rip-off prices".
The prime minister said: "I am in South Wales today because the answers to the UK's challenges will not come from an echo chamber. They will come from the places that know their own strengths, and from a government willing to listen and then act.
"Good jobs in every community, in every part of the UK. That is what I want every leader in this country signed up to."
Thursday will also see Burnham announce plans to bring together the leaders of the UK's devolved governments to discuss efforts to increase growth across the country.
He is expected to convene the first ministers of Wales and Scotland along with the first minister and deputy first minister of Northern Ireland at a meeting in October.
He will also bring together another meeting of the National Economic Council, a Gordon Brown-era body Burnham revived in his first week in office, to discuss stronger collaboration between Westminster and the devolved governments.
But Burnham has faced criticism from the SNP for not including Scotland in his summer tour.
Although the prime minister visited Glasgow in his first week in office, he has yet to visit the country as part of the "listening tour" that he began earlier in August.
Scottish First Minister John Swinney said he was "surprised" by the omission, adding Scottish people would want to tell the prime minister they are "deeply concerned" about rising energy bills.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said Labour's "tax hikes and red tape have hammered businesses and sent prices soaring for hardworking families".
He argued "action on rogue operators won't address that underlying cause" of the cost-of-living crisis, adding: "The Conservatives are the only party with a plan to cut taxes, bring down bills and get Britain working again."
Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Wales David Chadwick argued "Wales doesn't need another Labour listening exercise, Wales needs action".
The MP for Brecon, Radnor & Cwm Tawe added: "Labour ran Wales for 26 years until May. In that time, wages remained the lowest of the UK nations, child poverty was the highest, and Labour utterly failed to build the prosperous Welsh economy it repeatedly promised.
"If Andy Burnham is serious about easing the burden on Welsh families, his government must deliver: fixing our broken energy market, standing up for our farmers, properly funding rural services and giving Wales its fair share of infrastructure investment."
By Christopher McKeon, Press Association Political Correspondent
Press Association: News
source: PA
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