𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Top of his list is a dramatic shake-up of business rates, the levy long blamed for hollowing out the nation’s high streets, with the Labour frontrunner pledging to scrap them entirely for high street firms. He said: “There’s two things I am going to do to help small businesses. Firstly, have a look at business rates.

“It is not fair that high street businesses pay a huge amount of their turnover in business rates when some of the big players, the warehouse operations, don’t pay their fair share.

“So we are going to change that to cut business rates for pubs and lift high street business out of business rates altogether.”

His second pledge was an overhaul of public procurement, the billions the state spends on goods and services every year, to put British firms first.

“There is so much more we can do to support British industry and small business through our approach to public procurement,” Mr Burnham said.

“Making sure that wherever possible we support British businesses and give them the backing they deserve.”

The intervention comes as high streets up and down the country battle soaring costs, shuttered shopfronts and the relentless march of online giants.

Business groups have long complained that bricks-and-mortar traders are clobbered by rates while warehouse-based online operations get off lightly.

Mr Burnham, who is widely tipped to replace Sir Keir Starmer in No 10 within weeks, now faces pressure to spell out exactly how the changes would be paid for, and whether the Treasury is on board.

It marks one of the few occasions the former Greater Manchester Mayor has announced policies ahead of his expected move to Downing Street.