Kemi Badenoch criticises Andy Burnham's economic plans

Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservative Party, has launched a blistering attack on Labour's Andy Burnham over his economic proposals, warning that Britain is heading for a 'summer of chaos' if he becomes prime minister. Speaking after an introduction from Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride, Badenoch accused Burnham of failing to grasp the country's fiscal realities and allowing damaging speculation to undermine business confidence.

Badenoch claimed that under the current Labour government, borrowing has soared and the tax burden has reached a historic high. She argued that Burnham's plans for more borrowing and higher taxes would only deepen stagnation and debt. She also criticised his devolution agenda, saying it was 'stripped of private enterprise and ownership' and would create more government, not growth.

The Conservative leader called on Burnham to end the uncertainty by immediately naming his cabinet and setting out his plans to Parliament, rather than taking a three-month summer holiday to 'work out what he thinks'. She warned that markets and businesses were already reacting to rumours of tax rises, and that the economy could not afford a repeat of the chaos seen before Rachel Reeves' last budget.

Badenoch's speech comes as Burnham prepares to announce his own economic proposals, which she dismissed as 'old hat' and rooted in a mistaken belief that government, not business, creates growth. She argued that the real solution lies in lower taxes, simpler regulation, stable government, and cheaper energy.