Overview
- No 10 announced a £340 million package to buy 1,200 homes and provide intensive support for at least 3,000 long‑term rough sleepers over five years as a central early pledge of the new government.
- The prime minister also rolled out consumer‑facing cost‑of‑living measures, including removing VAT on household electricity, reinstating a £2 bus fare cap for next year, and cutting business rates for pubs and live venues.
- He opened a No 10 North base in Manchester on Friday, using it to press a devolution agenda that reports say may include proposals to give mayors a share of income tax revenue.
- Independent analysts and opposition figures have challenged the plans’ funding, with the Resolution Foundation estimating the week’s pledges could cost more than £2 billion in 2029/30 and critics calling for full published costings.
- Charities welcomed the homelessness focus but warned that ending rough sleeping requires prevention, new affordable social homes and joined‑up health and recovery services, while local counts show sharp rises in some places such as Liverpool.