PM Andy Burnham pledges 15% salary to fight homelessness

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged 15 per cent of his salary to charities tackling homelessness. The move underlines his push to end rough sleeping while projecting action in his first month in office.Image used for representational purposes onlyBritish Prime Minister Andy Burnham has marked his first month in office by pledging to donate 15 per cent of his salary to charities working to tackle homelessness, as part of his wider push to end rough sleeping across the country.Burnham, who took charge at 10 Downing Street from Keir Starmer on July 20, has also used social media over the past month to highlight measures taken by his government on the cost-of-living crisis and other public concerns.Speaking to the Big Issue, a weekly magazine sold to raise funds for homeless people, Burnham said he would continue a practice he had followed earlier in public office. "For the best part of nine, almost 10 years, I donated 15 per cent of my salary as mayor of Greater Manchester to tackling homelessness in Greater Manchester," he said.He added that he would now do the same with the additional salary he receives as prime minister. "I'm donating part of my constituency MP salary to local organisations, but the extra bit that comes with being prime minister." He said: "I wouldn't want to ask anybody to do anything that I'm not prepared to do. I want to lead from the front. This issue matters massively to me." Burnham said he did not want to live in a country where walking past people sleeping rough on street corners becomes "commonplace". "There are things that we can do. We proved it in the pandemic. We should do it again now and it should just be what we do all the time," he added.It is estimated that Burnham would donate more than 26,000 pounds to local causes in his Makerfield constituency and to homeless charities. Big Issue founder Lord John Bird said, "The prime minister is leading by example by donating 15 per cent of his salary to the fight against homelessness. This gesture reminds us that homelessness is all our problem and everyone will need to put their shoulder to the wheel to eradicate it." As an MP, Burnham had already been donating to local causes in Makerfield in northern England. Since becoming prime minister, he has taken a direct approach in addressing the public through social media. He said that within his first month in office he had already cut tax on electricity bills, capped bus fares at 2 pounds in England, made subscriptions easier to cancel and cracked down on fake discounts.He also highlighted a focus on technical education, opening 159 new mental health centres, support for farmers affected by the recent heatwave-driven drought, and cuts in business rates for pubs, clubs and music venues. The Labour leader said he was in the middle of delivering the "biggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation"."It's a start, but I'm not complacent. I know that people need more and I promise that I will do everything I can to make yours and your family's lives better. We're doing things differently to give people more breathing space and bring back hope," he said. Burnham is currently on a nationwide "listening" tour across the UK to hear concerns over the cost of living and everyday financial pressures, which he said would help shape a 10-year economic and social plan to be released by the end of the year.Burnham's first month in office has combined a personal pledge on homelessness with a broader effort to present action on living costs, public services and local economies, while he gathers public feedback for a long-term plan.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 22, 2026 16:22 IST