Keir Starmer is facing serious pushback — this time from inside his own party. Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham broke ranks on Thursday, openly distancing himself from the prime minister's economic stance. Burnham may not have been on everyone's radar until now, but he's fast emerging as a potential new face of Labour — if his progressive, high-spending ideas can gain traction.
So, what is Burnham proposing? His boldest — and most controversial — idea is to limit the UK's reliance on bond markets and foreign investment. 'We've got to get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets,' he said. Economists have slammed the plan as unrealistic, warning that such financing is unreliable and risks further unsettling already fragile markets.
Secondly, the Mayor wants to increase taxes on those at the top. One of Burnham's headline policies is restoring a 50% top rate of income tax on the UK's highest earners. He argues this would boost public revenues and make the system fairer, funding investment in housing, welfare, and public services. Critics counter that it risks driving high earners — and their money — out of the country, shrinking the tax base instead of expanding it.
Quick Facts: Andy Burnham
- Full name: Andrew Murray Burnham
- Born: 7 January 1970 (age 55) in Aintree, Merseyside
- Education: Cambridge (Fitzwilliam College, English Literature)
- Party: Labour
- Political Career
- 2001–2017: Labour MP for Leigh
- Ministerial roles under Gordon Brown:
- Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2007–08)
- Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (2008–09)
- Secretary of State for Health (2009–10)
- 2017–present: Elected Mayor of Greater Manchester (re-elected in 2021)
A final policy push of Andy Burnham, that you should know, is his call to nationalize water and public utilities. He frames it as a way to lower bills, improve accountability, and end what he sees as profiteering by private companies. Opponents argue the cost of nationalisation would be enormous, requiring billions in public funds that could otherwise go to services — with no guarantee of better management.
EXCLUSIVE: ANDY BURNHAM’S PLAN FOR BRITAIN by @TomMcTague
— The New Statesman (@NewStatesman) September 24, 2025
Andy Burnham tells me that changing Westminster needs to be the focus of this year’s Labour Party conference. “The issue for the conference is: where is our plan to turn the country around?” Still, it is impossible to… pic.twitter.com/RIwDLytoFN
Taken together, Burnham's platform — from a 50% top tax rate to nationalising utilities — sets up a clear idealogical divide with Keir Starmer's fiscally cautious Labour. While Burnham insists he isn't challenging Starmer, his rhetoric and policy agenda position him as the party's loudest internal critic, and possibly its most serious alternative leader. Whether his vision gains traction or is dismissed as reckless will determine not just his future, but whether Labour's next big battle comes from outside — or within its own ranks.
