CloseRachel Reeves is set to cut food costs and offer free children’s bus fares in a fresh batch of measures aiming to ease the cost of living crisis and impact of the Iran war on the UK.Staples such as biscuits, chocolate and baked beans could become cheaper as the government slashes import tariffs on more than 100 types of product, in a move which could save consumers a combined £150 million per year.However, health experts have warned the government should incentivise healthier foods, rather than lower the costs of biscuits. The chancellor will also announce on Thursday a “Great British Summer Savings” scheme, including free bus travel for children in England during the school holidays in August.“My number one priority is protecting households from rising costs,” the chancellor said, although the government is not expected to announce immediate help with rising energy bills.However, Reeves has ruled out making “massive unfunded spending commitments” to provide universal support with energy bills. There had been speculation over whether the government could cap supermarket food prices, but these suggestions were met by heavy opposition from the industry and from Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey, who said it would be “unsustainable”.Holly Evans21 May 2026 11:57Starmer ally says government has already introduced wealth taxes One of Sir Keir Starmer’s key Cabinet allies has said the Government has already introduced wealth taxes when questioned on plans announced by potential leadership challenger Wes Streeting.Following a speech in London on planned local government reforms, Communities Secretary Steve Reed said: “I haven’t had the chance to sit down and listen to comments everyone is making, but the Government, of course, has already brought in wealth taxes.“The non-doms changes, for instance, was one of those. I think in total it has raised around £8 billion, not just from that one intervention but across a range of approaches that is now being spent on improving public services on the front line.”Holly Evans21 May 2026 11:47Diabetes expert says we should increase the cost of less healthy optionsNaveed Sattar, professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, suggested the government should incentivise healthier foods.The professor who focuses on diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease told the Independent: “Improving health outcomes may require a dual approach: incentivising healthier, fibre‑rich foods (e.g. fruit and vegetables) while increasing the cost of less healthy options.“Such measures could help nudge individuals towards better dietary patterns, particularly if healthier choices become more affordable.”Rebecca Whittaker21 May 2026 11:20Andy Burnham says politics is in a 'dangerous place' Andy Burnham has said that country has been “on the wrong path” for four decades, which he believes began with the deindustrialisation of large parts of Greater Manchester. The mayor, who is standing in the Makerfield by-election and is widely seen as a threat to Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership, has stated that privatisation, deregulation of buses and the austerity of the 2010s are all responsible for today’s economic situation. He said: "I think it's taken us to a point where people in this country cannot have a good life. They cannot afford the basics, they can't afford a few pints the weekend, they can't afford a holiday. They can't afford to buy presents for the kids."This is this is a dangerous place. And I think we've got to kind of learn from what we've done here in Greater Manchester."Be proud of that. And what we've done here should now help change the country as a whole."Andy Burnham has said the country has been on the ‘wrong path’ for 40 years (Reuters)Holly Evans21 May 2026 11:13Documents on Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor's role as trade envoy released In other news, the government has released the first batch of documents relating to the appointment of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor as trade envoy in 2001. He was appointed to the role during the Tony Blair administration, with his role coming under scrutiny upon the release of the Epstein files. This came in response to a request by the Liberal Democrats earlier this year.Holly Evans21 May 2026 11:04Burnham calls for change of politics 'at the national level' In an interview ahead of the upcoming Makerfield by-election, Andy Burnham said “we need to change politics at the national level” to make life more affordable. Andy Burnham was asked about why he wanted to be an MP, rather than being Greater Manchester's mayor. He said:He said: "But I think we need to change energy, we need to change housing, and we need to change so many facets of life to make life more affordable for people again."Holly Evans21 May 2026 11:00Starmer says government is 'delivering' in promise to 'control our borders'Sir Keir Starmer said his Government is “delivering”, after new figures showed UK net migration had dropped to an estimated 171,000 last year.In a post on X, the Prime Minister said: “I promised to restore control to our borders. My government is delivering.“I know there’s more to do, we’re introducing a skills-based migration system that rewards contribution and ends our reliance on cheap overseas workers.”Holly Evans21 May 2026 10:46Dietitian says changes to help food costs need to also boost healthRegistered dietitian Duane Mellor has said the government needs to be careful when reducing tariffs as a vehicle to reduce food prices as it may have “unintended consequences.”“Although it seems like a good idea to reduce the cost of food, it is important that policies to help manage food costs should improve health,” he told The Independent.“This could be achieved by using existing tools such as VAT alongside price reductions to incentives healthier foods to make them cheaper to help support affordable healthy choices this could promote uptake of foods such as vegetables (which could include seasonal and even UK grown foods which could help support the UK farming and food economy at the same time).”Rebecca Whittaker21 May 2026 10:34Number of people claiming asylum in the UK is fallingThe number of people claiming asylum in the UK is falling, with 94,000 people making a claim in the year ending March 2026, according to Home Office statistics published this morning. This is 12 per cent less than the previous year.Just over half of asylum seekers arrived through illegal entry routes, such as small boats, while 39 per cent of claimants had previously arrived in the UK on a visa or with other leave.The asylum grant rate is falling, and was 39 per cent in the year to March, down from 49 per cent in the previous year.More people are receiving initial asylum decisions as the Home Office speeds up decision-making. Some 128,000 people received an initial decision in the year up to March 2026, up 32 per cent on the year before.Holly Bancroft21 May 2026 10:28Cleverly takes aim at Braverman and Jenrick as he claims credit for migration figures dropTory former home secretary James Cleverly has taken credit for the massive drop in net migration to the UK and made a barbed attack on two of Reform’s most prominent defectors from the Conservative Party.With net migration falling to 171,000, Sir James tweeted: “Some people talked about reducing net migration, I did something about reducing net migration.”The reference was to him replacing Suella Braverman as home secretary in 2023 after migration spiked under her despite her strong anti-migrant rhetoric.At the time her immigration minister was Robert Jenrick with both now defectors to Reform which continues to rely on an anti-migrant campaign message.Sir James also noted that while Labour is now taking credit for the fall the biggest reason was because of visa restrictions he introduced “which at the time Labour opposed.”David Maddox21 May 2026 10:26