Andy Burnham pledges tax overhaul as PM-in-waiting sets sights on Britain's pubs and high streets
Burnham told LBC he is ‘frustrated’ by policy critics as he pledged to 'lift some high street businesses out of business rates altogether'
Andy Burnham has pledged to overhaul taxes impacting Britain's pubs and high streets, telling LBC he will stick by Labour's manifesto pledges if he comes to power.
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The MP for Makerfield sent a message to the City and UK business owners, suggesting that he could slash business rates for pubs and “prioritise the businesses that bring people together”.
However, Mr Burnham added that he remains “frustrated” by those criticising his economic policy, reiterating his "rock solid" track record in Manchester.
Speaking to Tonight with Andrew Marr, the effective Prime Minister-in-waiting vowed to stick to Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto and Chancellor Rachel Reeves' ironclad fiscal rules, but admitted there “is some room for movement on tax”.
Mr Burnham said: “I believe there is a case for higher business rates on warehouses and the major developments we see on the outskirts of our cities, so we can cut business rates for pubs - I proposed a 20 per cent cut - and lift some high street businesses out of business rates altogether.
It comes as the former Manchester mayor insisted he would "stick by the manifesto" pledges his party has already set out.
Read more: Andy Burnham is in campaign mode - and he’d like to keep it that way
“I say some and not all because I think it’s important to prioritise and reward the businesses that bring social benefit and the businesses that bring people together - the bars, the restaurants, the coffee shops, the hairdressers - because the High Street really needs to get more of our attention.”
He added that he has “strong business confidence” after making Greater Manchester the fastest-growing city region in the UK during his decade-long stint as mayor.
“Finances in Greater Manchester are rock solid and from rock solid public finances come business confidence that has helped us get the growth,” he told Andrew.
Mr Burnham added: “I actually get frustrated at the narrative that people try to put around about me. My record says otherwise.”
He insisted he does not lack discipline when it comes to public finances pointing out that he has previously held positions in the Treasury and that he ran the Department of Health.
"We had a very healthy – it was tight – but we had a very healthy set of finances.“
However, he refused to be drawn on who will include in his Cabinet should he become PM, as speculation mounts about who could be made his next Chancellor.Asked if he has chosen his chancellor yet, he said: “No, I haven’t made those decisions, and deliberately not.”
Speaking about the speculation around his likely cabinet, he said: “Westminster goes into its normal mode and it wants to endlessly speculate about personalities before policy and before direction.“I very deliberately have said ‘no, I’m going to set out a new direction for the country’.
“I think it’s really important that, firstly, people understand what is being proposed here, and then consider what their contribution to delivering that new direction would be.”