Shabana Mahmood's Stance on Tax Resurfaces
Shabana Mahmood, the Birmingham MP, has previously backed a 50% HMRC income tax rate, reigniting debate as she emerges as a frontrunner for the role of Chancellor under incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Her past comments from a 2014 House of Commons debate have resurfaced amid intense speculation about the new cabinet.
2014 Debate: Mahmood Criticised Conservative Tax Cuts
During the 2014 debate, Mahmood argued it was "unfair and wrong" for the Conservatives to reduce the additional rate of income tax from 50p to 45p. She stated: "It would be right for the next Labour Government to raise it to 50p again." She also claimed there was "no justification for giving a huge tax cut to the richest in our country," adding that "ordinary working people" had paid the price.
Frontrunner for Chancellor Amid Cabinet Briefing Wars
Mahmood has emerged as the leading candidate to become Burnham's chancellor, following a fierce briefing war over the prospect of Ed Miliband being appointed to the role. Burnham's team has insisted that claims about the cabinet are speculation, noting that he is keeping decisions "very tight," with only Louise Haigh and James Purnell, his chief of staff, believed to be in the loop.
One source commented: "We're in a world where people are being briefed into or out of jobs, by people who say they know but probably don't."
Internal Reactions and Support for Miliband
An MP who is a close supporter of Burnham said: "Not appointing Ed I think would show that Andy is less rooted than we believed him to be, that he is too susceptible to pressure even when he is not in the job yet." Another senior MP added: "Ed is the mainstream choice in the parliamentary Labour party because he has the experience and the vision to drive a credible progressive agenda through HM Treasury. Also we have one budget to get this right and we need a big hitter with economic experience to get in there and deliver."
A third MP remarked: "It's a litmus test: if you're serious about rolling back 40 years of neoliberalism and you want someone who's intellectually in tune with that and capable of doing it, Ed's your candidate."
