Burnham rules out early UK general election if he succeeds Starmer

ISLAMABAD: (News Desk) Andy Burnham, Britain’s likely next prime minister, has ruled out calling an early general election if he succeeds Keir Starmer as Labour leader and prime minister later this month.

Burnham, currently the only candidate in the race to replace Starmer following his resignation last month, said he would govern according to Labour’s 2024 election manifesto. The next general election is not due until 2029.

During an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit on Friday, Burnham responded to questions on electoral reform, foreign policy and domestic policy.

Asked whether he would seek an immediate public mandate through a fresh election, Burnham replied, “No,” adding that he would “work to the 2024 manifesto.”

Labour secured a landslide victory in the 2024 general election on the basis of its 136-page manifesto, which included commitments on fiscal discipline and pledges not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT rates for workers.

Burnham said he would continue Britain’s support for Ukraine at the same level as the outgoing government, describing his commitment to Kyiv as “100 percent.” He also indicated that he would seek closer ties with the European Union.

In his first media interview since Starmer announced his resignation on June 22, Burnham told LBC Radio that Labour’s manifesto allowed some room to consider changes to warehouse taxes. He suggested that such measures could help provide additional support to high street businesses, including pubs.

The veteran Labour politician also reaffirmed his support for electoral reform, saying Britain’s first-past-the-post system should be replaced with a more proportional model.

“I am a strong supporter of electoral reform, partly because I believe it will enable the change to a more collaborative politics, and one that is less about point-scoring and more about problem-solving,” Burnham said.

He added that he would seek to persuade Labour to include electoral reform as a commitment in its next manifesto.