Andy Burnham has officially launched his campaign for the Makerfield by-election, setting out his vision for the future of the Labour Party and the UK. The Greater Manchester Mayor, widely seen as a potential challenger to Keir Starmer for the party leadership, used the launch to call for electoral reform and a new approach to social care funding.
Burnham proposed replacing inheritance tax with a 'care levy' to address what he described as a 'broken' care system overwhelming the NHS. 'It's not about asking people to pay more, it's just people paying in the most unfair way possible at this moment in time,' he said, adding that a fairer system would give people 'peace of mind while they're alive.'
The Labour candidate also backed reform of council tax, calling it 'highly regressive' and based on outdated 1991 valuations. He argued for a shift in taxation towards land and property, stating: 'I see a big case for land and property and business taxation to be changed.'
On housing, Burnham called for the biggest programme of council house building since the Second World War, aiming to ensure Wigan Borough builds more homes than it loses through Right to Buy. 'This country needs a new generation of council homes – homes that are cheaper to rent and cheaper to run,' he said.
Burnham also addressed the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's new guidance on single-sex spaces, urging a 'live and let live' approach. 'We need to stop arguing, find common ground and start pulling together,' he said, while acknowledging the need to implement the Supreme Court ruling on biological sex in 'the fairest and most compassionate way possible.'
The by-election, set for 18 June, will see Burnham take on Reform UK's Robert Kenyon. Despite the leadership speculation, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has confirmed he will campaign in support of Burnham.
