Your burning questions answered on Andy Burnham as he becomes PM | Politics | News
Andy Burnham vowed to win the support of voters “tired of politics” as he became Prime Minister today. The so-called King in the North has moved into No 10 Downing Street after becoming the sole candidate to replace Sir Keir Starmer in the Labor Party leadership race.
The former Greater Manchester mayor has been accused of dodging scrutiny since returning to Parliament after winning the Makerfield by-election and little is known about his plans.
The Daily Express asked our Premium readers to send their burning questions about Mr Burnham to our political editor Martyn Brown for answers.
You can see their answers below:
Starmer’s cabinet clearly failed, hence why he left, hence what is the point of keeping the same failed MPs in the cabinet in different jobs when they have so much to choose from. I’m reminded of the shuffling of deck chairs on the Titanic.
Rachel Reeves, Steve Reed, Peter Kyle and David Lammy have already been sacked. This tells me Andy Burnham will also throw most of the sun loungers overboard.
Will Burnham develop the backbone Starmer lacks and confront his militant supporters over the bloated welfare bill?
I certainly hope so, for the sake of the nation. The welfare bill has ballooned to over £330 billion, a completely unsustainable figure. Keir Starmer was poor at countering backbenchers, changing direction like a weathervane depending on which way they were flying on a given issue. Burnham is known to be a political chameleon, so she’ll need to change and confront them if she wants to survive.
Will he save money to reduce tax levels and stop borrowing?
I was excited by a conversation I had just had with the new Prime Minister in the garden at Downing Street, and Andy was already giving strong signals that he might borrow more and reintroduce the 50p tax rate.
Why don’t you have policies on any major issues of the day?
I think you were asking Burnham, not me! But you’re right to say that he’s been very reserved about what his policies might be. Other than tackling homelessness and scrapping Keir Starmer’s hated digital identity, we know little else. I suspect he’ll be handing out more policies on Tuesday, but that’s not exactly a big bang, is it? He has no authority and the public deserves to know what his plan is.
Why do you avoid scrutiny and what are your policies on the big issues rather than Manchester, the North and the glorious 70s which I think are a joke?
Manchester is a great city but Burnham should be Prime Minister of the country, not just the Mayor or the North. As for the 1970s, I was born in that beautiful decade and some good things came out of it!! But it took Maragret Thatcher to pull the country out of the malaise of the 1970s instilled by the Labor Party and transform it. Burnham needs to get her mind off the past and stick to the present.
Why doesn’t he call a general election? Is this what the Conservatives wanted when they changed prime ministers?
There are two schools of thought on this subject. The first is that it is madness for some Labor MPs, particularly in Red Wall areas, to call a snap election because Reform faces a real threat from UK. Burnham, on the other hand, will never be more popular than she is now, and there are big questions about Nigel Farage’s financial affairs. If Farage defeats Count Binface next month, he could face a second by-election in the autumn, which could decide his political future. If Reformation’s popularity declines further, Burnham may decide it’s time to strike.
You plan to make the biggest changes in politics in 40 years. What authority do you have to do this? And shouldn’t the people have a vote to say whether this is something they want or think will work?
I definitely think there is an argument for holding a general election. He is not known as the “Messiah Without Authority” for no reason. No one voted for this two years ago, so why not make your plan public?
What is his plan to combat illegal immigration?
Honestly I have no idea. This is one area where Burnham says next to nothing.
Both net migration and illegal small boat crossings decreased last year.
This is largely down to Home Affairs Minister Shabana Mahmood’s tougher policies.
But by the time you read this, he will probably be the new Chancellor, replacing Rachel Reeves.
If that’s the case, it will be crucial for her to take her place in the home office.
While the numbers are falling, there is still a long way to go to fully solve the country’s immigration crisis, and if they start rising again, that could be an issue that could come back to haunt Burnham.
How will Burnham ensure that both unemployment and immigration to the UK are reduced?
Unemployment has risen steadily since Labor came to power two years ago. If we do not want to return to the 1970s, the new Prime Minister must take up this matter as soon as possible. This means reviving the crumbling economy by lowering taxes. But as I said before, this doesn’t seem very likely anyway.
