Renowned business journalist Chris Blackhurst answers your questions on Andy Burnham’s £38bn tax raid, the wealth tax he won’t rule out, his ‘King of the North’ label, and whether business-friendly socialism can survive contact with the bond markets
Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, Chris Blackhurst, columnist at The Independent, on the small matter of Britain’s new prime minister.
To see my questions and answers, scroll down – and don’t forget to press “load more” to catch the full Q&A.
Andy Burnham will be confirmed as Labour leader today unopposed, after nominations flooded in from almost all Labour MPs bar 26. He officially takes over as prime minister on Monday, with parliament conveniently in recess, meaning no scrutiny from the Commons until September.
In his first speech as leader, he’s set to declare that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s”, pledging to unpick the economic settlement Margaret Thatcher left behind. That’s a big claim from a man who has spent a decade proving his ideas work well in one city and is about to find out whether they work in 650 constituencies.
He’s reportedly eyeing an extra £38bn in tax and hasn’t ruled out a wealth tax, all while carrying the “King of the North” label into a job that requires him to answer for the South too. With the markets already jittery about UK borrowing costs, Burnham has inherited less room for manoeuvre than any incoming prime minister in years.
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