Andy Burnham has made it clear that he doesn’t much like free markets. And they are making it equally clear that they don’t much like him, either. Our new PM has spent every day this week announcing a new initiative to bring down the cost of living. But it has all been spoiled by the galloping price of oil. His £2 bus fares might soon come in handy – for motorists who would not normally dream of taking the bus.

Yesterday, Brent Crude reached $100 (£75) a barrel, returning to the levels last seen in May. The ceasefire between Iran and the US, which had brought oil down to $70 (£53), is well and truly over. With Donald Trump promising the biggest strikes yet in his war with Iran, it is quite possible that oil will go on to breach the peak of $120 (£90) it reached in the spring.

When you have made your main pitch the cost of living, results matter

When you have made your main pitch the cost of living, results matter

Burnham,........

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