Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has urged Prime Minister Andy Burnham to focus on reducing the benefits bill and rule out additional tax rises as he assumes office.
In a letter addressed to the new Prime Minister, Badenoch warned that Britain risks becoming "a welfare state with a country attached" if the benefits system is not addressed. She expressed disappointment at indications from Burnham that he plans to increase the nation's tax burden further. Burnham has hinted at seeking a small tax increase from citizens, though specifics have not been provided. Reports suggest he is considering raising capital gains tax and has previously favored replacing council tax and stamp duty with a land value tax, a move that could impact middle-class families. He has also signaled a potential "death tax" to fund social care.
Badenoch implored Burnham to immediately reject any new tax increases. She stated that the Prime Minister's vague plans risk another "damaging summer of speculation," which could affect business investment, homeowners, and family finances. She also called for clarity on how Burnham intends to fund a series of new policies, including proposed cuts to energy bills and the nationalization of Thames Water. "Given taxes are already too high, and we are already borrowing far too much, you must commit to making spending cuts and to addressing our debt burden," she wrote.
Badenoch, however, welcomed signals that Burnham may loosen the previous administration's stance on the Net Zero agenda, characterizing his predecessor as a "one-man deindustrialisation machine." She argued that Burnham must go further than simply approving licenses for the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas fields in the North Sea, urging him to overturn the ban on new licenses, which she described as "unilateral energy disarmament."
In recent media interviews, Badenoch criticized Burnham's pre-election announcements as "airy-fairy" and labeled him a "people pleaser" likely to yield to left-wing pressure within the Labour party. She also defended Margaret Thatcher's record, countering Burnham's assertion that she made "wrong turns" in the 1980s. Badenoch credited Thatcher with rebuilding Britain through enterprise, ownership, and personal responsibility, facilitated by reduced regulation and lower taxes.