Could Andy Burnham introduce a universal basic income?

“That’s what this new era is going to be all about: a sense of hope, of possibility, that things are achievable that you might not have thought were before,” said Andy Burnham when making his case to be prime minister. 

That begs the question of what exactly could be possible in the future. Could Burnham change Westminster’s mind on rent controls? Could he finally unlock the homes needed to address Britain’s housing crisis? Could Manchesterism shift the dial on nationalising water companies?

One area where Burnham has previously maintained an interest is a universal basic income.

Often dismissed in Westminster as too expensive, a basic income can take many forms but a universal version would give cash to everyone, creating an income floor that no one could fall below. The idea would be to utilise the tax system to claw back money from people already on higher incomes who do not need it.

It’s a different approach to the means-tested benefits system currently operated in Britain.

So far, there have been plenty of basic income trials, including for people experiencing homelessness, but the idea of a universal basic income is untested.

Critics argue that the idea is unproven, expensive and is unlikely to encourage people to work.

But supporters believe the opposite: that the time has come to rethink the welfare system and work in the face of a jobs market being disrupted by the rise of artificial intelligence.

UBI Lab Manchester’s Sam Gregory explains why Burnham has previously supported the idea of a universal basic income and why he believes the new prime minister should consider adopting it while in power.

Universal basic income

The incoming prime minister has recognised the need for fundamental change in this country to tackle the most pressing challenges we face – to “rewire Britain”, as he puts it. If he’s to achieve this, there’s no better idea to start looking at seriously than a basic income.

At UBI Lab, we believe basic income has the potential to fundamentally rebalance economic power towards ordinary people. After the scandals and justified cynicism of the past decade, rebuilding our democracy from the ground up will be essential if Andy Burnham’s mission is to succeed. Proper income security of the kind only a basic income can offer would empower each and every one of us to participate more fully in civic life. A basic income can provide much-needed resilience in the face of increasingly frequent and severe disruption, whether from AI, climate breakdown or a global pandemic.

As part of our campaign for basic income pilots in England, we’ve worked with Burnham many times in his role as Greater Manchester mayor. He even delivered the keynote talks at our Basic Income North events in 2022 and 2023. Our aim at UBI Lab Manchester is now to design and build a basic income pilot for Greater Manchester.

Read more:

• We must trust our universal basic instinct
• What is a universal basic income and why is it being trialled in the UK?
• How Love Island links to a universal basic income

We believe it’s crucial that towns and cities have the ability to test innovative ideas that could tackle urgent problems like poverty, inequality and the breakdown of social cohesion. We want to test whether unconditional cash payments can be an effective way to give individuals and communities more agency over their lives. This fits in with Burnham’s focus on greater devolution, and his belief that we should give communities the power to be creative when it comes to tackling inequality and kickstarting inclusive growth.

We hope that in his new job, Burnham will ensure civil servants remove the barriers that currently prevent our towns and cities from experimenting with ambitious and exciting ideas to tackle inequality, such as a basic income.

Do you have a story to tell or opinions to share about this? Get in touch and tell us more. 

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