"Starmer is understood to be furious at Burnham's admission, in several interviews, that he would seek to challenge the prime minister for the leadership if there was a path to do so. Cabinet ministers explicitly criticised comments from Burnham in a New Statesman interview published on Wednesday, in which he criticised the economic approach of the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. We've got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets, he said. The remarks have incensed those in government."
"Burnham has proposed a slew of policies, and told a Guardian documentary that the two-child benefit limit was the worst of Westminster. The line prompted disdain from within government because Burnham abstained on the legislation that introduced the cap. He said he had fought hard at the time to find a way to oppose the bill through an amendment but the nuances of that debate just got lost."
Labour leadership and cabinet ministers clashed with Andy Burnham after he dismissed the influence of bond markets and criticised the chancellor's economic approach. Keir Starmer reacted angrily to Burnham's admission that he would pursue a leadership challenge if a path existed. Ministers compared Burnham's stance to Liz Truss's cavalier fiscal approach and warned that ignoring market reactions could trigger a Truss-style economic meltdown. Burnham proposed higher council tax on expensive properties, increased council housing investment, a 50% top income tax rate, and nationalisation of water and utilities. Colleagues noted his abstention on the two-child benefit cap despite calling it the worst of Westminster.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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