Prime Minister Andy Burnham has faced intense criticism for taking a holiday just two weeks after taking office, with former Tory MP Nick Fletcher branding the move "disgraceful" on TalkTV.
Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer on July 20, confirmed he would take a break from his duties to spend time with his family. Allies insisted the government would continue operating normally, with No 10 stating he would remain in contact with officials and hold meetings during his overseas trip.
Criticism from all sides
On Tuesday, Labour MP Graham Stringer called the decision a "mistake" and predicted the Prime Minister would regret it. During a TalkTV discussion with Kevin O'Sullivan, Fletcher attacked Burnham for leaving the country while illegal immigration remains a major issue.
Fletcher fumed: "Our Prime Minister going on holiday within a fortnight is absolutely disgraceful. When you take that job on and the country is in the state that it's in, you cannot go on holiday. It's an absolute joke!"
He added: "He needs to get back here, he needs to sort this crisis out and he needs to make sure that these people are deported immediately. That's all those that are already in these hotels, HMOs and all these different camps because it's not fair to the English taxpayer. It's not on, it's not right and it needs to stop!"
Reform UK Chairman Lee Anderson also slammed Burnham, saying: "Two weeks into the job and Andy Burnham has already had enough. After dropping a number of unfunded commitments and overseeing over 2000 illegal migrants breaking into our country he’s bunked off for a jolly abroad. This isn’t a Prime Minister that’s serious about leading."
Prison release controversy
The backlash comes amid widespread outrage over the government's early prison release scheme, after it emerged that the killers of PC Andrew Harper would be eligible for early release. Albert Bower and Jessie Cole, sentenced to 13 years for manslaughter in 2020, could be freed after serving just six years.
Burnham announced that prisoners convicted of rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences would be excluded from the scheme, but violent killers would still have the chance for early release. The mother of PC Harper said her family is "paying the price" after learning her son's killers remain eligible.
PC Harper, 28, sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.
