Joined House of Lords: 20th January 2026
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These initiatives were driven by Lord Walker of Broxton, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.
Lord Walker of Broxton has not introduced any legislation before Parliament
Lord Walker of Broxton has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting
As a result of decisions taken in the Budget, the April price cap will fall by £117 to £1,641 per year for a dual fuel customer paying by direct debit. That is more than £200 lower than the same period a year ago.
Suppliers confirmed they will also be passing on the savings to fixed-rate customers.
The fares freeze is expected to save existing rail passengers £600m in 2026/27, putting money back in the pockets of hardworking people when they need it most. This will include savings of more than £300 per year for some commuters.
This is the first time in 30 years that passengers will benefit from a freeze, and this historic intervention recognises the importance of affordability for rail passengers. In addition to the fares freeze we are also reforming fares more broadly across the system, making it easier for passengers to feel confident they are buying the right ticket for their journey.
The Government recognises the serious harm that illegal money lenders can cause, particularly to vulnerable people. To help prevent people from turning to illegal money lenders, the Government funds specialist Illegal Money Lending Teams (IMLTs). These teams combine enforcement action against illegal lenders with prevention and victim support, including awareness-raising in communities, working with local partners to identify those at risk, and encouraging the safe reporting of illegal lenders. More information about the work of the IMLTs is available on the Stop Loan Sharks website.[1] The Government is also taking steps to ensure appropriate access to regulated credit through the Financial Inclusion Strategy.
Approved Mileage Allowance Payments (AMAPs) are used by employers to reimburse an employee's expenses for business mileage in their private vehicle. These rates are also used by self-employed drivers to claim tax relief on business mileage (simplified motoring expenses) and can be used by organisations to reimburse volunteers who use their own vehicle for voluntary purposes.
Employees can claim up to 45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles annually, followed by 25p/mile thereafter. An additional 5p/mile can be claimed for each passenger transported.
The Government recognises that, while AMAP rates have not changed since 2011, the motoring landscape has evolved significantly and it is an important issue for many people who claim motoring expenses. As the Chancellor announced in March 2026, the Government will review this issue and will consider this matter further as part of a future fiscal event.
Inflation fell to 3 per cent in January 2026. Wages rose faster than inflation in Q4 2025, indicating that real wages are growing, which will support household purchasing power and ease pressure on household budgets.
The Government welcomes the fall in inflation and is committed to improving living standards for everyone, in every part of the UK. We recognise that the cost of living remains too high, which is why, at the last Budget, we took action to bear down on prices and help ease the cost of living pressures for people by targeting everyday expenses. This includes taking on average £150 of costs off household energy bills from April 2026, expanding the £150 Warm Home Discount to 6 million lower income households, freezing rail fares and NHS prescription fees, and extending the 5p fuel duty cut until the end of August 2026.
In December 2025, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) at the Bank of England announced its decision to reduce the Bank Rate to 3.75%. The MPC has the government's full support as it acts to return inflation to the 2% target sustainably. This was the sixth interest rate cut since the election. Those interest rate cuts will save households over £1,300 a year on a typical new 2-year fix for a £215,000 mortgage over a 29-year term.
According to the British Retail Consortium Crime Report 2026, there were around 590,000 incidents of violence and abuse in 2024-25, down 20% from 737,000 in 2023-24 but still higher than an estimated 475,000 in 2022-23.
The levels of violence and abuse towards retail workers are unacceptable. We are ensuring the right powers are in place to tackle this.
Through our Crime and Policing Bill, this Government has introduced a new specific standalone offence of assaulting a retail worker to help tackle the epidemic of shop theft and violence towards shop workers that we have seen in recent years and protect the hardworking and dedicated staff that work in stores.
This bespoke offence will send a clear signal to perpetrators that assaults on retail workers are unacceptable and won’t go unpunished. It will also ensure that assaults on retail workers are separately recorded so that we know the true scale of the problem, enabling the police to respond accordingly.