Labour is descending into all-out civil war. The Deputy Leadership race is raging, the PM’s chief of staff is fighting for his political life, and Andy Burnham is angling for Starmer’s job. God only knows which mad Lefty faction will triumph in this fight to the death. But one thing we do know is that Burnham as Prime Minister would be a disaster for the country.
As part of his shameless pitch for power in Number 10, Burnham has said Labour should “roll back the 1980s”.
He’s called for nationalization of housing, water and energy firms and a massive increase in borrowing. In other words, an even more bloated and inefficient state hoovering up more of your money. He is also open about his desire to hike taxes – even more than Rachel Reeves has already done.
It’s not clear what planet Burnham is on. Anyone who understands how business works knows how dire the situation already is.
Our economy is flatlining. We’re on course for the highest inflation in the G7, and unemployment keeps going up and up.
The welfare bill is spiraling as millions are out of work, and borrowing is totally out of control, exceeding forecasts by an unbelievable £11 billion.
The warning lights are on and yet Labour are doubling down, with more crippling tax rises and more borrowing on the horizon. Yet Burnham wants to go further, faster. He’s made it his mission for many years to undo the legacy of our greatest peacetime Prime Minister. So it’s worth remembering what Thatcher faced when she took office, and how she turned the ship around.
In the late 1970s, Britain was a total mess thanks to the socialists. The unions were running riot and rubbish was piling up on the streets. Taxes were eye-watering and huge state-run firms were failing. Britain was uncompetitive and inflation was high.
So voters made a big call – the right call – and chose the strong-willed woman who took on the unions, overthrew the failed post-war consensus and saved our economy.
One of the great lessons of that time is that we absolutely have to live within our means. The country is like the home – it cannot survive by spending more than it brings in. Yet by 2030, we will be paying more than £130billion in debt interest alone – every single year. And amazingly, Burnham seems to see no problem with it. In fact, he wants to borrow an additional £40billion to fund his council house plans.
His time as Mayor of Greater Manchester gives further reason for alarm. He has asked the government to let him suspend Right to Buy, denying hard-working families the chance to own their own home. And he has increased premiums on council tax for residents, squeezing more money out of ordinary people. He’s also called for revaluation of homes, which would see some people pay significantly more council tax.
He’s also always been a close friend of the unions. Anyone living in London will know how they brought the capital to a standstill earlier this month. We can expect even more of that if Burnham gets anywhere near No10. This all sounds a lot like recreating the economic disaster Thatcher had to fix.
So Labour’s civil war is really about which one of them will take us back to the 1970s the fastest. Only the Conservatives will restore fiscal responsibility to government, ensure we live within our means and free businesses to grow our economy.
