Andy Burnham, the likely successor to Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, used over £16,000 of taxpayer money to purchase a flat in London during his previous tenure in Government, according to reports. The former Manchester Mayor, elected as MP for Makerfield last month, bought a two-bedroom flat in Kennington, south London, in 2005 while serving in Tony Blair's Government.
Details of the Expenses Claim
Burnham and his wife acquired the £215,000 flat after the luxury Dolphin Square complex was sold, with residents receiving payouts that many MPs handed to Parliamentary authorities. However, Burnham negotiated a deal to add nearly £18,200 to his second home allowance, enabling the purchase and renovation of the property. He reportedly submitted an expenses claim of £16,644 to cover the purchase, along with stamp duty, legal fees, and the cost of installing a new kitchen, thereby avoiding thousands in capital gains tax.
No Investigation by Standards Commissioner
Despite pressure to repay the funds, Burnham was not investigated by the Commissioner for Standards because he was judged to have "saved thousands of pounds for the taxpayer" with "no personal gain." Burnham defended his actions, stating: "It is complete nonsense to suggest that I set out to avoid capital gains tax. My file shows I made arrangements to pay over this money in full to the fees office, and all arrangements were signed off by them. At no stage did I make any personal profit on this transaction."
Scrutiny Over Second Home Claims
Burnham also faced scrutiny for retaining the Kennington flat after the 2009 MP expenses scandal, which banned mortgage interest claims on second homes. He rented the property out privately while claiming £17,000 a year in parliamentary expenses for another flat near Westminster. In 2012, he justified keeping the flat, explaining that changes to expenses rules meant he "could no longer afford" to live there alone and had little choice but to rent it out.
Political Aspirations and Promises
Burnham is expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July and has promised the public he is "going to do things differently." In a speech in Manchester on Monday, he outlined his vision, pledging to take "greater public control of essential services" and deliver the "biggest council house building programme since the post war period." He added that the Westminster system was "broken" and "as a result, the country isn't where it should be. It is stuck in a rut, and clearly we can't go on like this."
