Andy Burnham has refused to rule out tax rises to fund higher public spending in the budget – although he has also played down the prospect of big changes.
In an article for the Times, Darren Jones, who was chief secretary to the PM under Keir Starmer but who left government when Burnham took power, has warned that higher public spending on its own won’t make Britain richer. He says:
Britain is poorer than we often think. We won’t get richer based on higher public spending alone, and we can’t tax billionaires who don’t live here.
We shouldn’t rely on public spending as a route to some romantic version of making Britain great again as we look in the rearview mirror for a great history that is no longer available to us. We must face the future, and I know my colleagues are up to the challenge.
Jones says that the chancellor should avoid big tax rises in the budget and that the key decisions will come in the spending review. He calls for a focus on growth.
Crucially, we must create the right conditions for a dynamic, thriving market. This includes getting ahead of what artificial intelligence will mean for our services-dominated economy.
Politically, we shouldn’t see conflict between growth and fairness, or business and workers, or the market and the state. These are false choices.
Economic growth is the foundation of a better life for the people we represent.
In his article Jones, who is seen as a Starmer loyalist, says Burnham has “done an impressive job this summer in cementing his positive ratings with the public and improving my party’s position in the polls”. But the article implies Jones is worried Burnham might cave in to pressure to embark on a leftwing spending spree.
