Britain's new Prime Minister to cut taxes on electricity bills

The government of new British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will cut taxes on electricity bills, Downing Street said in a statement on Tuesday, as he attempts to deliver on ‌his promises ⁠to ⁠ease a cost-of-living crisis.

The British government is planning to remove the value-added tax (VAT) from domestic electricity bills from October 1, the statement said.

Read more: What is Andy Burnham's policy approach for Britain?


The cost of this action for this financial year will be funded from the cancellation of the ⁠government's £1.8 billion ($2.42 ‌billion) digital ID programme, Downing Street said.

Burnham's office had said earlier ⁠that one of his first moves as Britain's ​next leader will be to scrap ​government plans for a digital ID scheme.

The digital ID programme is a plan for all employees to hold a digital identity document, a scheme designed to tackle illegal migration ‌but deemed a "fiasco" by a cross-party committee of lawmakers.

As Britain's new Prime Minister, ​Burnham wants ​to move quickly ⁠to show British politics can work and improve living standards after years of stagnation.

Read more: Andy Burnham becomes Britain's 7th prime minister in a decade after Starmer resigns

"Westminster has not been ​working for people for too long, with families struggling with the cost of living," Burnham said.

"That needs to change," he added.

($1 = 0.7442 pounds)