Labour's deputy leader Lucy Powell has blamed the media for what she called the "unedifying" briefing war over the likely candidates to be Andy Burnham's chancellor, ahead of Mr Burnham becoming the UK's new prime minister on Monday.
Powell's Criticism of Media Speculation
Speaking on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, Ms Powell said: "There's been a lot of speculation in the media about various individuals, which has been really quite horrible, to be honest, and unedifying." She suggested that political journalists, lacking the Labour leadership crisis story, were seeking other personalities and disagreements to report on.
"I know that, as political journalists, maybe you've not had the story of the Labour leadership crisis to write about for the last few weeks, because actually I'm really proud of the way in which the Labour Party has handled this transition and come together in a consensus around Andy Burnham being the next leader," she added.
North Sea Drilling and Energy Policy
On reports that Mr Burnham would announce new drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea, Ms Powell said there would be a "change of emphasis" but the party would stick to its manifesto. She described reports of allowing more drilling as "speculation" but noted Mr Burnham would take a "more pragmatic approach".
"We've been really clear that the way to achieve, in the long term, energy security and lower bills is by ensuring that we do have our own homegrown, clean, much cheaper energy. But we've been absolutely clear that North Sea gas and oil is an important part of that transition," she said.
Digital ID Scrapped
The deputy leader also addressed the decision to scrap digital ID, saying it is "not just about the money". She said the government was "laser focused on the cost of living, rewiring the economy, rewiring the political system in this country, and clearing the decks of all the other things that might distract".
Asked about the cost, Ms Powell said: "The OBR said it would cost, I think, £1.8 billion over the coming years. That's not an insignificant amount of money. That will obviously be reprioritised and redistributed in different ways." She stressed that the move was also about ensuring the government's focus remained on its core agenda.
