What could Andy Burnham do as PM to improve daily life?

[Seasidecatlady]

There are some negative threads about Andy Burnham this morning so I wanted to have something a bit more positive and look at what he could do, if he becomes PM, to help improve our daily lives.

For me it would be:

• re-nationalise water and utility companies and trains
• reverse the national insurance hike for businesses so they can start hiring again and do more to support small businesses in general
• a one off wealth tax to add funding to the defence budget
• reform the student loans system, improve access to apprenticeship and also do more to help job seekers over 50.

So any new leader wanting to change the direction of travel would need to call a general election

or what?

party manifestos aren’t worth the paper they’re written on

Sure.

In your world the PM and leader of the Labour Party and their ministers have no influence on policies and the direction of the country.

I’m delighted he’s won by such a huge majority OP 🙌

So heartening to see decent people standing up to the toxic Reform nonsense.

Next stop number 10 🎉🎉🎉

Huh?

What?

Thanks! Thought it was just me!🤣🤣🤣

Yes - all of that plus some radical infrastructure and public services reforms and spending.
But he won't, because he can't, any more than Starmer has been able to.
We at last have a serious PM who is respected on the international stage and who has been steadfastly pursuing the UK's best interests and what do we get? - media-generated back-stabbing and machinations.

It is pitiful.

''@OctaviaLemon · Today 08:27
OP: None of those proposals were in the Labour Party Manifesto on which the party was elected by the people of the UK.''

Starmer and Reeves implemented policies and initiatives that were not in their manifesto: ID cards, national insurance increase, extending the freeze on tax thresholds, winter fuel payment changes...

Also as the economic and political keeps changing I don't see anything wrong with new policies being put in place to address that.

You could do it if you replaced stamp duty with a land value tax. But that would also be controversial
You could lower income tax a bit if you raised capital gains tax. Basically it's weird that passive income is taxed less than income gained through work.

Those are both left wing friendly ways of fixing the problem that don't rely on fantasies that there are huge pots of money being mispent on welfare/elsewhere that could be freed up with noone really noticing ill effects

All excellent suggestions! Can we add:

boost ofcom and ipso to force likes of daily mail/express and GB News spouting nonsense

deport little twatty Robinson

return all schools to local authority rule

school curriculum restored to include vocational and art subjects

boost SEND provision

one off voluntary vehicle tax to repair roads

investigation into Farage’s “business” ventures

big drive to wind and solar power

return to EU

stop holidays costing more in school holidays

Start the ball rolling for Leveson 2 and this time include all forms of media

He’s more left wing than Starmer, we live it hope that things will improve but only for a select minority I feel.

Yes, getting us closer to the EU is also a great idea.

I also forgot mentioning looking at what happened to our tax payer money during the Covid period. Starmer made a big song and dance about clawing that money back yet we have seen nothing done about the likes of Michelle Mone or a proper look into what happen to the funds allocated to the failed track and trace system.

I agree with what you're saying but I can see how it's confusing- when you log into Government Gateway it tells you how many more years of contributions you need to make to be able to claim state pension.You can see why people feel it's 'earned' in that sense.

Call a general election so we have a chance of getting this party out. That's the only good thing he could do.

The state pension is a social contract. People pay in and the money goes to pensioners alive now. You are correct there is no pension pot as such but people pay with the social contract that they will get it when it is their turn. People getting pensions now, planned on the promises they were given.

To renege on that contract is at the very least immoral. We should absolutely remove the triple lock, there is argument for pension reform and perhaps a cap. But a blanket statement that it should be removed overlooks political and practical realities.

The irony of pointing out someone else’s misunderstanding when you clearly have no idea how devolved nations are financed.

Apologies, that was a different poster.

As an aside, I despair about the political understanding on this thread, and the U.K. in general.

Sack Sadiq Khan - ffs
We elect parliaments not parties or prime ministers, the fact you don’t understand that is your issue, stop displaying your ignorance like it’s a badge of honour.
Free everything, no more taxes = economic illiteracy.

And who would you have in their place? The conservatives tackled none of these issues when they had the power to do so, and Reform are abhorrent so who does that leave us?

Reduce the benefits bill and make the workshy earn a living and pay tax. Increase benefits for the disabled and those who really need it. I’m sick of paying taxes to fund lazy people.

But he won’t do it.

Call an election and get rid of a party you don’t like - and then what?
Is there a coherent plan after that?
Who governs then?
This type of comment is like a toddler throwing a toy away and the crying cos they don’t have a toy.

The next GE is likely to result in a hung parliament - do you know what that could mean? Do you think that would result in a focused government, with a plan? It just took Denmark 3 months to put together a coalition.
I would be happy to move toward a system of coalition governments, and I understand the implications. Do you?
Or do just not like this and think something else would be better - that’s not even primary level politics.

reverse the national insurance hike for businesses so they can start hiring again and do more to support small businesses in general

What would you do to replace this government income OP?

Renationalisng water is the only way forward. Profits need to be reinvested in the infrastructure, not given out to investors. It was a completely ridiculous idea in the first place.

Ed Davey

Ed Davey - who I have some time for - not a massive success when he was in government. Students loans anyone?