'Come out from hiding': Kemi Badenoch duels with Andy Burnham on Reddit as she orders him to 'start acting like a PM'
Apologising to the public for 'crashing' Reddit, the responses follow Burnham's appearance on Tonight with Andrew Marr, which saw him tell LBC of his plans to shake-up the tax system
Kemi Badenoch has ordered Andy Burnham to 'come out of hiding' after the Tory leader questioned the PM-in-waiting as he answered questions on Reddit.
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Taking to the online forum on Friday, the soon-to-be PM took part in an AMA - or Ask Me Anything - where members of the public pose questions on the platform.
After apologising for 'crashing' the platform due to the volume of responses, Burnham answered questions from members of the public - including one message from the Tory leader, who told Burnham that if he's going to be PM, he ought to "start acting like one".
Her comments come just 24 hours after the Labour MP and prospective PM appeared on LBC, taking questions and outlining his plans to overhaul taxes on Britain's pub and high streets on Tonight with Andrew Marr.
Among the questions answered during the session, Mr Burnham insisted he would not call a General Election if he were appointed PM in July, alongside insisting money already pledged to support Ukraine would be honoured.
Read more: Andy Burnham pledges tax overhaul as PM-in-waiting sets sights on Britain's pubs and high streets
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"Hi Andy, Kemi here. Whilst you’re answering softball questions on Reddit, I’ve been in Yorkshire answering questions from the press," Badenoch wrote.
"You’re going to be Prime Minister soon so it’s time to start acting like one," Badenoch continued.
"Come out from hiding, face a proper press conference and submit yourself to scrutiny and some tough questions."
In response, Burnham responded: "Fair challenge, Kemi - but don’t forget it’s only two weeks since I faced questions from 74,000 members of the public in Makerfield!"
On Thursday, 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”.
Speaking with Andrew Marr, the MP took questions on a number of different topics - from the Defence Investment Plan (DIP) to further details on his plans for 'No.10 North'.
However, Mr Burnham told LBC that he remains “frustrated” by those criticising his economic policy, reiterating his "rock solid" track record in Manchester.
Among the questions faced by Andy Burnham from other forum members, one asked how he would deal with foreign policy as Prime Minister.
Asked if he would provide the same level of support as Sir Keir Starmer had shown for Ukraine, Mr Burnham replied: “Yes 100%.”
He was asked by another user, with the name “LordRanger”, if he would continue with the Government’s attempts to reset the relationship with Europe, including whether he saw “scope for negotiating a more ambitious trade agreement than the one we currently have?”
He replied: “Yes, I will build on the good work the Government has already done in this area.”