Andy Burnham is gearing up to face his first rebellion from Labour MPs over “punitive” benefits cuts.
During his first days in No10, the Prime Minister suggested his Government would review the ballooning £333billion bill in a bid to drag down excessive welfare spending.
As part of the reforms, he pledged to review “changing the nature of the support” available, meaning awards are much harder to get.
But left-leaning factions of Labour have threatened to make Mr Burnham’s life much harder by opposing such reforms.
“If the new leadership believes it can revive the failed politics of welfare cuts instead of asking the wealthiest to pay their fair share, it will be repeating not only Keir Starmer’s mistakes but 14 years of Tory austerity,” Kim Johnson, the MP for Liverpool Riverside, told Bloomberg.
“If the first instinct of a new leadership is to target disabled people and low-income families rather than challenge the wealth and inequality at the top of society, then nothing has been learnt.”
Ms Johnson, with Jeremy Corbyn’s ex-Shadow Chancellor in tow, John McDonnell, have warned Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden against the changes.
Mr McDonnell said reforms must “be based upon a strategy of providing positive support to people rather than punitive sanction”.
Beloved UK coffee shop chain blames Labour policy for sudden closure of ALL locations after 60 years
West Yorkshire coffee shop chain Merrie England has blamed soaring costs and Government policy for contributing to trading troubles as it shut its doors after 60 years.
The group, founded in 1966, has closed all six of its sites in Huddersfield, Halifax and Brighouse, saying it faced a “sustained increase” in costs, including energy, business rates and staff wages.
This was combined with fewer customers visiting its cafes and spending less, with the firm saying it had to increase prices to offset the cost hike.
It comes after businesses have been hit hard by last year’s increase in national insurance contributions, which has taken its toll on hospitality firms in particular.
In a message on its website, the group said: “This has been an incredibly difficult decision, reached after facing a sustained increase in the cost of goods, business rates, energy costs, and the wider rising costs associated with staffing and government policy.
“Alongside these pressures, we have also seen a reduction in footfall and customer spending, with many people understandably unable or unwilling to pay the prices that businesses now need to charge in order to survive.”
It added: “After 60 years of serving our customers, we want to express our heartfelt thanks to everyone who has supported us over the decades.”
UK Government demands ‘full context’ from French authorities after ’17 shots fired at Chris Philp’
The UK Government has demanded the “full context” from French authorities after Chris Philp shared a video where “17 warning shots were fired” while he was aboard a ship in the English Channel.
A spokesman confirmed they were investigating the matter, adding: “We are in contact with the French authorities to understand the full context of this incident.”
Grooming gang survivors demand ‘urgent action’ from Andy Burnham to block perpetrators from early release scheme
Two grooming gang survivors have called on Prime Minister Andy Burnham to take “urgent action” to block serious offenders from being eligible for the early release prison scheme.
Speaking to GB News, Sarah Wilson and Jade Belgrove declared that the Labour Government “must stop” offenders including sexual abusers to be released early.
Having sent a letter to Mr Burnham calling for him to take action, Ms Belgrove told GB News stressed that survivors and victims “cannot risk having these people released back into the community”.
She said: “I wrote the letter because it needs to be addressed and it needs to be urgently put into place as soon as possible. We can’t risk having these people back into the community.”
Andy Burnham facing ‘defining moment’ as Prime Minister with early release prison scheme decision
Andy Burnham is facing his “defining moment” as Prime Minister with his decision on the early release prison scheme, Matthew Stadlen has claimed.
Speaking to GB News, the political commentator stressed that although the prisons crisis is a “legacy problem”, it has now become “Labour’s problem”.
Following controversy over the release of grooming gang perpetrators and the eligible release of two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers, Mr Burnham has paused the scheme pending an “urgent review”.
The Prime Minister has assured that “no prisoners will be let out under this policy until we have conducted an urgent review and done everything we can to minimise risk to the public”.
French warship ‘fires 17 warning shots’ at Chris Philp as Tory MP monitors small boats in Channel
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was in the Channel when ‘warning shots’ were fired by the French | X / CHRIS PHILPShadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has accused a French warship of firing 17 warning shots at him while he was monitoring the small boat crisis in the English Channel.
Reporting on Britain’s migrant crisis, Mr Philp captured the shocking moment the French navy appeared to open fire nearby.
In footage shared on social media, the Tory MP said he felt the shots were “warning shots” or “attempted intimidation”.
