Andy Burnham says Budget was ‘radical within what we could do’ as he gives France riots warning

Andy Burnham said he and Chancellor John Healey were careful to avoid the kind of volatility which led to riots in France – and revealed he has been in contact with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves since becoming PM

Andy Burnham has said this week’s Budget was “radical within what we were able to do” as he defended measures announced by John Healey.

In an interview with ITV, to be broadcast next week, the PM also admitted Labour’s last manifesto would be different if he’d been in charge in 2024. But he doubled down on his insistence that there would be no snap general election.

He also revealed he has been in touch with Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves since taking the top job in July.

The PM said he Mr Healey had been careful to do anything that would cause the kind of volatility which led to riots in France. Asked if the Budget had been radical, he said: “As we were going through, the numbers were changing a lot because of what was going on in the world. So, to come to your question, the room for manoeuvre wasn’t what I would have hoped it to be. I guess then the question is radical within what we were able to do.”

He insisted the government had “stayed a course through very difficult times”, saying: “Obviously in other countries we’ve seen some of the protests, in France particularly. What we didn’t want to do is create an extra sense of uncertainty or volatility. That was the worst thing we could have done.”

Referring to new taxes on banks and £100 payments to help millions with energy bills, he said: “It was quite a big call to ask the banks to repay the help they had off people 20 or so years ago.

“And a payment – ok, you’d like it to be more – but a payment to 20 million households is quite a significant, significant step. And the way we’ve done it gets help to people who in past budgets would probably have felt that they haven’t been seen and not supported.”

Pressed on whether it was the Budget he wanted to deliver, Mr Burnham said: “I don’t think any Prime Minister and Chancellor would say that, because a Budget is by definition a very difficult thing.

“In the times that we’re currently in, I feel that the volatility of things means you just can’t necessarily deliver the Budget that in an ideal world you would want to deliver.”

He admitted Labour’s 2024 manifesto would have been different with him in charge, but insisted: “Many of the things that I am taking forward are in the manifesto.”

But he said: “If you’re asking me a very direct question, if I had held the pen on the current Labour manifesto, would I have written it exactly like it is? Well, no. Is the answer to that question.”

Mr Burnham insisted he will not be calling an election next year, stating: “I said yesterday, no election in 2027. I said that really, really plainly yesterday. I’ll say it again today to you.”

He said welfare reform is coming, but declined to say how much he wants to reduce spending by. Addressing Tory claims that they could save £36billion a year, Mr Burnham said: “They’re putting a number before people.”

He went on: “You don’t make the saving just to go to brutal cuts, because if you just go to brutal cuts, as you just said you will leave people in absolute crisis and then they will be going into other services in a chaotic way.

“So I’m pioneering a different approach and, you know, I’m going to stick to my guns on it. I’m going to stick to my guns on everything that I believe.”

He was also asked if he had been in touch with his predessor, Mr Starmer, recently. The PM siad: “Yes, we’ve exchanged messages, and, you know, we’ve always had a good working relationship.

“We obviously had differences at times for certain. But, yeah, I do keep in touch with people. And, you know, I sent a message to the (former) Chancellor in the last few days with the Budget process that we’ve been we’ve been going through.”