Nearly half of voters believe Andy Burnham should call a general election to secure a mandate for his government, according to a new poll.
A Find Out Now survey for the Mail on Sunday found that 47% of people think Burnham should face voters after becoming Labour leader without a contest. Just 31% said an election was unnecessary.
The findings come as Burnham prepares to enter Downing Street today - despite having never faced the British public as a candidate for Prime Minister.
This is particularly alarming because, beyond his enthusiasm for higher taxes, voters still have no idea what Burnham actually believes or what he intends to do in office. Reform UK has identified a possible £38 billion-a-year tax raid from policies previously backed or floated by Burnham. The only consistent feature of his programme is that somebody else will have to pay for it.
This new poll has also found that the public has no appetite for these tax hikes. Just 18% said that Burnham should raise taxes, while 55% said he should cut government spending instead.
Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has still refused to demand that Burnham seek the public’s approval. In an interview with The Sunday Times last weekend, Badenoch said she did not believe Burnham needed to call an immediate election. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that it was “truly remarkable” that “Kemi Badenoch has said Andy Burnham doesn’t need to call an election. What a coward.”
Farage said: “Conservative MPs are happy to watch Labour destroy Britain for three more years so they can keep their jobs a bit longer.”
Farage, meanwhile, has made repeated calls for a general election as soon as possible, as Burnham’s government has “literally no mandate at all” to govern the country.
Reform UK is the only major party that has demanded an immediate general election. The others - like the Tories - would rather keep Burnham in Downing Street than risk facing the British people.
A Find Out Now survey for the Mail on Sunday found that 47% of people think Burnham should face voters after becoming Labour leader without a contest. Just 31% said an election was unnecessary.
The findings come as Burnham prepares to enter Downing Street today - despite having never faced the British public as a candidate for Prime Minister.
This is particularly alarming because, beyond his enthusiasm for higher taxes, voters still have no idea what Burnham actually believes or what he intends to do in office. Reform UK has identified a possible £38 billion-a-year tax raid from policies previously backed or floated by Burnham. The only consistent feature of his programme is that somebody else will have to pay for it.
This new poll has also found that the public has no appetite for these tax hikes. Just 18% said that Burnham should raise taxes, while 55% said he should cut government spending instead.
Despite this, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has still refused to demand that Burnham seek the public’s approval. In an interview with The Sunday Times last weekend, Badenoch said she did not believe Burnham needed to call an immediate election. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said that it was “truly remarkable” that “Kemi Badenoch has said Andy Burnham doesn’t need to call an election. What a coward.”
Farage said: “Conservative MPs are happy to watch Labour destroy Britain for three more years so they can keep their jobs a bit longer.”
Farage, meanwhile, has made repeated calls for a general election as soon as possible, as Burnham’s government has “literally no mandate at all” to govern the country.
Reform UK is the only major party that has demanded an immediate general election. The others - like the Tories - would rather keep Burnham in Downing Street than risk facing the British people.
Photo: “Kemi Badenoch MP (North West Essex, Conservative)” by House of Commons, © House of Commons, licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
