For a man who couldn’t wait to get hold of the reins of power, Andy Burnham seems remarkably keen to hand them over to foreign governments.
Restating his enthusiasm for surrendering the Chagos Islands to Mauritius was an unusual curtain-raiser to his first big day on the international stage. But he completed a double whammy by bringing up the soul-sapping spectre of Britain rejoining the European Union.
Even at this early stage in his premiership, Mr Burnham – who previously claimed there had been ‘ten years of political turbulence since Brexit’ – is sounding like a broken record on the subject.
His outlandish claims about ‘outside forces’ manipulating the result of the 2016 referendum betray an unhealthy obsession shared by many on the Left. It would be better for all concerned – not least British taxpayers – if the PM simply got on with taking advantage of the many freedoms arising from the Leave vote.
For a man who couldn’t wait to get hold of the reins of power, Andy Burnham seems remarkably keen to hand them over to foreign governments
Besides, there is no reason for any sane administration wanting to sign us up again with the EU. Figures show growth in the eurozone running at the same sluggish rate as it is under Labour – while it is even slower in major member-states such as France and Germany.
Nor, clearly, has the PM thought through the obstacles involved in hammering out a re-entry deal. Even at the best of times, Brussels has never been an arena associated with sensible negotiation. Does Mr Burnham really think the Eurocrats would allow us back into their precious club without imposing unreasonable and humiliating demands?
A decade on, it is time for Labour to get over Brexit. It is also time for the PM to stop insulting everyone’s intelligence with cryptic remarks suggesting that shadowy influences led the electorate astray in 2016. Whether he likes it or not, voters were fully aware of the mandate they were giving.
It remains to be seen whether Mr Burnham ever receives a democratic mandate for No 10. But if he is unable to accept the expressed will of the British people on Brexit, perhaps he ought to ask himself whether he should be in politics at all.
Feeling the pressure
With just five weeks to go until John Healey announces his Budget, the arithmetic is getting more worrying by the day.
Figures show that the public sector borrowed £18.3billion last month – an increase of around a fifth on August 2025 – as tax revenue failed to keep up with the Government’s outgoings.
It hardly needs spelling out in block capitals that the most significant element of the problem is the ruinous hand-outs culture nurtured under Labour. Data from the Office for Budget Responsibility illustrates how £331billion was raised in income tax during the last financial year, but £333billion of public money went on welfare payments.
Yet nothing we have seen or heard since Mr Burnham’s elevation to Downing Street suggests that he is in any way serious about reducing the benefits burden. All the signs point to further tax increases principally affecting the hard-working individuals who keep Britain ticking over.
It was impossible not to be struck by the observation from Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, who remarked: ‘The PM and Chancellor will be feeling quite claustrophobic today as the walls close in around them.’
The rest of us know only too well how that feels.
