Andy Burnham has ruled out three major tax rises if he becomes Prime Minister, providing a boost for UK households. The Greater Manchester Mayor, widely anticipated to succeed Sir Keir Starmer after his resignation on Monday, could enter Number 10 as early as mid-July.
Tax pledges and fiscal rules
Burnham has stated his support for Chancellor Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules and Labour's pledge not to raise income tax, VAT, or national insurance, effectively ruling out these increases. This commitment aligns with the party's current fiscal stance.
Campaign for change
Presenting his campaign for Makerfield, Burnham framed the vote as a chance to “change the Labour Party” and potentially lead the country. In a speech after his win, he said: “Everyone knows that politics isn’t working. Everyone can feel that the country isn’t where it should be. Tonight could, just could, be the turning point.”
He added: “I do say to my own party: this is a final chance to change. This is what people said directly to me on the hundreds of doorsteps that I stood on. We must hear it, we must act upon it and we must get it right. There will be no second chance.”
Public ownership stance
While ruling out tax rises, Burnham has expressed support for public ownership of some utilities. At the start of June, he stated: “Public ownership is absolutely an option. I would say for Thames Water, that is what should be done.”
He told The Guardian earlier this month: “If you look at water as an industry as a whole, it’s run predominantly in the private interest rather than the public interest, or in other words, it’s an industry where the shareholders can never lose and the bill payers never win.”
EU relations under scrutiny
David Frost, Boris Johnson’s former Brexit negotiator, has urged Burnham to ditch much of Starmer’s reset with the European Union if he becomes PM, speaking at a conference this morning.
