Andy Burnham kicks off cost-of-living tour with reheated Labour pledge to crack down on subscription traps

ANDY Burnham will kick off his cost-of- living tour tomorrow with a reheated pledge first announced by Labour in 2023. The PM is promising to end so-called subscription traps that lure customers into costly and hard-to-cancel online plans for the likes of streaming services. Back from his holiday, Mr Burnham will accuse Westminster of “telling people that everyday hassles like this are just part of life” for too long. But the crackdown on subscription traps was first unveiled by Sir Keir Starmer three years ago and started in April before his resignation. It will force companies to give customers clearer information when subscriptions are automatically renewed at a higher cost, and impose a 14-day cooling-off period allowing them to cancel after a trial. Like Sir Keir — who was seen playing football yesterday in an Arsenal strip — Mr Burnham claims this will save an average £14 a month for every unwanted subscription, ending an estimated total of £1.6billion a year being wasted. READ MORE ON BURNHAM The only difference in the cut-and-paste policy appears to be the PM bringing forward the date from spring next year to January. Mr Burnham is also announcing plans to end rip-off discounts whereby sellers deliberately raise their prices before slashing them to give the impression of a bargain. He will launch a consultation to see whether such practices should be banned by law. Tory Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: “Burnham has already run out of ideas. Most read in The Sun “Labour’s tax hikes have sent costs soaring for hardworking families and destroyed jobs. “Consultations and reheated measures won’t make up for that.”