When & how will Burnham’s honeymoon come to an end?

[Theblueyonder]

Burnham’s leadership has been relatively free of drama, so far, and certainly when compared to his hapless predecessor.

What do we think will represent Burnham’s first real test? The budget, or something else?

Please learn some manners, and link your own data.

I brought this to the threads attention, in the first place.

Or accounted for the over valuation of her share of the house purchased for her son's trust.

According to Reuters it’s FT speculation. Given that the government has managed to avoid the leaks that have preceded the last couple of budgets it’s probably better to wait and see.

The FT said Healey could still opt for a smaller increase in capital gains tax, which is currently charged at 18% for basic-rate taxpayers and 24% for higher-rate taxpayers, compared to income tax rates of 20% and 40% paid by basic and higher-rate taxpayers.

www.reuters.com/world/uk-will-not-raise-capital-gains-tax-same-level-income-tax-ft-reports-2026-10-13/

And what will you post if Healey does not subsequently increase CGT at the budget? Will you make excuses for him, or simply remain silent?

No excuses would be necessary. He’s not obligated to conform to speculation in the FT. What will you say if he does increase it?

Insert a laughing emoji here.

You will find it funny if CGT is increased? Now that does surprise me.

The head of MI5 has warned against fuelling Russian propaganda efforts, after Andy Burnham said Moscow had attempted to interfere in the 2016 Brexit vote.

Sir Ken McCallum, the Security Service director-general, warned that revisiting the debate on Moscow’s influence on the EU referendum risked empowering Russia.

Yes, be quiet Burnham, you fool.

Edit: Come to think of it, didnt a bunch of Labour activists fly to US in an attempt to influence the last presidential election? Funny old game ain’t it?

Yeah and Barak Obama came over here to try and influence the Brexit vote too. They are all at it, trying to exert uncalled for influence the power, and for Burnham to blame the Russians for anything is hypocritical in the extreme.

That's a very selective quote to share, given he also said that what the Prime Minister said about the Russians attempting to interfere in the Brexit vote was completely true. So, I hope those in Reform and the Conservative party who called him a liar and sought to play politics over the matter will retract MI5 chief lists Iran, Russia, AI and terrorists among threats to UK | Reuters.

I mentioned the FT which was more than you produced.

Do you not know that it is common for party staffers from the UK to travel to the US during election campaign?

McCallum confirmed that Burnham was correct on the Russian interference.

Reread my previous posts.

I await your apology.

Farage probably had orders to call Burnham a liar.

His wording here

Sir Ken, speaking at the agency’s Thames House headquarters on Tuesday, said it was “up to us how far we allow our adversaries to divide us”.

He said: “I’m a little bit worried that [if] we all stay in this debate for another few days, the Russian trolls who didn’t appear to do all that much at various points over the years, they’ll be delighted they are front page news once again despite the comparative unimpressedness of what they do at all points along the journey.”

No, but this IS funny.

Louis Haigh, the two GCSEs, pink-haired, never-had-a-real-job MP said she thinks CGT and income tax should be equalised.

Tells you all you need to know.

Yes, but again that’s a selective quote. He also said it was "a matter of public record" that there was interference in the referendum by online trolls and bots. Which is the factual statement the Prime Minister made. So, anyone who called the Prime Minister a liar should apologise.

And in my opinion, using Sir Ken McCallum’s words - which are clearly not party political - to continue to attempt to score party political points- as some in the opposition and in sections of the press seem to be doing - appears to me to be doing exactly what he was warning against: which is continuing the debate, in a way which sows the kind of division the Russians will delight in.

He also.said

"There is a really important difference between interference attempted and outcome swayed … It’s quite important to focus on the difference between what may have been attempted and what actually resulted.

It is a matter of public record including in select committee reports published in 2019 – the DCMS [digital, culture, media and sport] committee did a bit and the intelligence and security committee did a bit also – that in 2016, before you even get to any secret intelligence … it is openly on the record that Russia Today and Sputnik and other Russian media organisations came in pretty strongly around the referendum.

And it is also a matter of open source record that there was a certain amount of interference attempted through trolls and bots and so forth.

I agree strongly with what the prime minister said yesterday, we did see a hack and leak thing inside the 2019 general election campaign".

All of which originated from Burnham’s comments.

His motive for making them is clear to most of us - in the context of his putsch to rejoin the EU.

Michel Barnier said this evening that it would be possible for the UK to rejoin the EU and keep the pound.

We are not rejoining the EU, there would be mass civil unrest if they attempted it.

I doubt it. Most leave voters who are still alive are too old to get out of their chairs unaided now.

Just in time as most of Europe moves right - doubt Burnham would be able to secure a good deal, even if he had a mandate.

And this belief that rejoining the EU is a panacea to all of the UK’s ills - how utterly naive.

Really? Do you watch PMQ?

I don't think attempting to rejoin would accomplish anything more than another decade of bitterly divisive argument. And I am not convinced that the game is worth the effort. The EU accounts for a shrinking proportion of the global market: it was about a third, and is now only about a quarter. Sorry, I can't remember where I read that, but probably either the Times, FT or Telegraph, sometime earlier this year. It was a relatively current estimate.