Andy Burnham has revealed his plans for specific tax increases if he were to become Prime Minister, saying that 'there's room for movement'. The Makerfield MP, who looks set to become the UK's next Prime Minister, said there was room for movement in an interview with LBC, despite pledging to keep Labour's 2024 manifesto commitments not to increase workers' income tax, national insurance or VAT rates.
Tax on Warehouses to Support High Street
He told LBC there was room within the manifesto's restrictions to increase taxes on warehouses to help high street businesses such as pubs. This comes after the former Mayor of Greater Manchester answered questions yesterday in an Ask Me Anything (AMA) question and answer session on social media site Reddit.
Reddit AMA Insights
During the AMA session on Reddit, the new Makerfield MP answered a variety of questions, including whether he would call a general election, if he's hiding from the press and what indie band he is listening to at the moment. He also said he wouldn't renege on Labour's manifesto pledge to maintain the 'triple lock' on pensions. 'I appreciate there's a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands,' he wrote.
Foreign Policy and EU Relations
The likely next prime minister also hinted at how he might govern in the realm of foreign policy. He said he would '100%' give the same level of support to Ukraine as Sir Keir Starmer had, and suggested he wanted to continue with the outgoing Prime Minister's efforts to broker a closer relationship with the EU.
Limited Scrutiny and Policy Platform
For someone who could be in No 10 on July 20, Mr Burnham has received little scrutiny over his policy platform, and has given only one interview, on Thursday evening with LBC. His responses on Reddit gave some insight into how he might lead the country from behind the door of Downing Street. One user asked the MP: 'I assume you're going to call an election? If not, why not?' Mr Burnham replied: 'No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I'm going to work to the 2024 manifesto.'
Pensions and Electoral Reform
He similarly suggested he would stick to the 2024 Labour manifesto when asked about whether he would scrap the pensions triple lock, which protects the rate at which the state pension rises. 'I appreciate there's a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands,' Mr Burnham said. Elsewhere, Mr Burnham suggested he was still a strong supporter of reforming how Britain's electoral system works. He has previously expressed support for replacing Britain's first-past-the-post system with a form of proportional representation.
Electoral Reform Commitment
Asked about his opinion on electoral reform on Reddit, he said: 'I am a strong supporter of electoral reform, partly because I believe it will enable the change to a more collaborative politics, and one that is less about point-scoring and more about problem-solving. I will seek to persuade my own party of the need for a manifesto commitment to it in the next manifesto.' Labour's party conference voted to support moving towards a proportional representation voting system in 2022. The party's 2024 manifesto instead focused its electoral and constitutional changes on extending voting to 16 and 17-year-olds and House of Lords reform.
