Burnham wants to deliver improvements in living standards after a decade marked by unprecedented political instability, during which Britain had seven prime ministers and households saw little improvement in their spending power. He plans to ban retailers from making misleading claims to shoppers about discounts, which make savings look larger than they really are. The government will launch a consultation ⁠to assess whether tactics such as fake claims about ‌previous ​prices, invented discounts and misleading recommended retail prices should be added to the list of ​practices banned under ‌existing legislation. However, the British Retail Consortium, which represents most major retailers, including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Marks & ​Spencer, played down the extent of the current problem. New rules from January 2027 will mean businesses will need to provide clearer up-front information, regular reminders and a much easier exit to contracts.