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Andy Burnham 'out of his depth' as he inherits staggering £4.7bn defence bill

EXCLUSIVE: Tobias Ellwood said he saw little option but to raise taxes to pay for the military capabilities required.

The Guardian view on Labour’s next chancellor: send for Ed Miliband | Editorial

Andy Burnham needs the Treasury to serve devolution, raise living standards and renew the economy. The energy secretary meets that test There are few things on which this column would agree with George Osborne. Voting to remain in the European Union was one. Backing Labour’s Ed Miliband to be the next chancellor is another. Mr Osborne, whose austerity programme redistributed pain downwards while protecting privilege at the top, had only a week ago on his podcast, Political Currency, dismissed Mr

Reform UK-led council fails to attract any sponsors for union flag scheme

Party had justified plan to hang flags in Nottinghamshire on basis that local businesses would foot £75,000 bill A £75,000 scheme by a Reform-led council to hang union flags at sites across the county, which the party said would “not cost the taxpayer a single penny” as it would be sponsored by local businesses, has failed to attract a single sponsor, it has emerged. The plan to attach the flags to brackets on about 180 lamp-posts and other places was agreed in the autumn by Nottinghamshire’s co

Burnham’s Nationalisation Would Cost At Least £30 Billion for Thames Water Alone

Earlier Guido totted up the known ‘Burnham Bill‘ – what a Manchesterist administration would cost the British taxpayer. All likely to kick in come September… Burnham is a wild advocate of nationalisation. As Guido noted, his pet policy to bring the water industry into ‘public ownership’ would cost at least £100 billion according to the…

EXC: Andy Burnham Backed Campaign by His Policy Chief to Increase Benefits Spending by £90 Billion

Incoming PM Andy Burnham backed a campaign by his transition policy chief – then a think tank director – to hike benefits spending by £90 billion. Funded by massive tax increases… Andy Burnham’s transition policy chief Miatta Fahnbulleh made clear to Sky News that cutting welfare by reducing cash handouts or eligibility is off the…

Burnham says there is some room for movement on tax

But the likely next PM says he will stick to Labour's pledges to not raise VAT, income tax or national insurance.

Andy Burnham urged to end social care crisis with massive changes to council tax

Council leaders warn local services are in crisis,

Andy Burnham embarrassed as ‘tax plans’ shredded by bankers - 'economically disastrous'

Burnham’s Spending Commitments So Far Add Up to More Than £250 Billion

Guido has done cost estimates of Burnham’s spending commitments and inherited black holes so far. It’s not pretty: Defence Investment Plan: Budget allocated-spending and unallocated efficiency savings: £15 billion. “The biggest council house building programme since the postwar period.” Late 1970s benchmark was circa 40,000 council house completions per year. Annual cost now: £8 –…

Andy Burnham says Labour manifesto has room for ‘movement on tax’ – UK politics live

The Labour MP hinted that he’s open to flexibility for some taxes that could aid high street businesses Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of UK politics. Andy Burnham, the lead contender to succeed prime minister Keir Starmer, has hinted at some of his tax proposals as he draws up plans to revitalise Britain’s high streets. Continue reading...

Team Burnham Suggests Large Spending Increases to Avoid Cutting Welfare Bill

Andy Burnham is setting out his stall on welfare in more detail. Spend more taxpayer cash… He said on last night’s 15-minute Andrew Marr softball interview: “I’m not going to go with the crude cuts to benefit levels that then just put people who are struggling in even worse poverty, and that often creates the…

Far from waging war on the south, Burnham could improve the lives of Londoners. Here’s how | Polly Toynbee

The right wants to paint Manchesterism in terms of north v south – but poverty everywhere is solved by prioritising the public purse over private pockets When the “king of the north” called London “the world’s greatest capital city” this week, it didn’t reassure those who fear that Andy Burnham represents that old national grievance, the north-south divide. The right warned southerners that he was coming to tax their extravagant properties until the pips squeaked. The idea that London is reviled