Recently elected Makerfield MP confirms he won’t call a general election if he takes over as prime minister
Stephen Dixon and Anne Diamond discussed Andy Burnham’s plans for government on GB News (Image: GB News)
GB News Breakfast presenter Stephen Dixon slammed Andy Burnham as the Makerfield MP confirmed he will not call a general election if he becomes prime minister. In a six-word swipe at the former mayor of Greater Manchester, the host declared: “That makes a mockery of democracy.”
Speaking after Mr Burnham took part in a Reddit Ask Me Anything session. Dixon pondered: “What’s going on with democracy? I mean … if you’ve got, if you’ve got the prime minister of the country, who has been parachuted into No 10 and has no mandate, I mean, really no mandate, and then you have number two in government being parachuted into the House of Lords, that makes a mockery of democracy, doesn’t it?”
His remarks came as speculation swirled that Good Morning Britain presenter Ed Balls will be elevated to the House of Lords so he can be a part of his cabinet if, as is expected, Mr Burnham takes over from Sir Keir Starmer.
The channel’s political correspondent, Olivia Utley, reflected on Burnham’s Q&A, telling the presenters: “He said that the Westminster bubble is getting obsessed with the personalities of who his cabinet will be.
“It’s not so much the personalities, it’s the only indication that we might have of what he believes and what he stands for. We don’t know,” she reflected.
“Trump has warned him off choosing Ed Miliband. I think there are other figures in the Labour Party, and outside of it, quite influential economic figures who have also warned him off Ed Miliband.
“Pat McFadden is a name that’s being circulated, considered a safe pair of hands, a bit of a Blairite. Angela Rayner would quite like the job, I think. Ed Balls is being mentioned as well and therefore could have quite a strange situation there.
Andy Burnham was slammed on GB News following a Reddit Ask Me Anything (Image: Getty)
Explaining what she meant she said: “There’s talk about David Miliband being made perhaps foreign secretary, being shipped in from America and elevated to the House of Lords, obviously big issues with democracy going on there.
“But also you’d have Ed Balls and Yvette Cooper, married couple, both in government, both survivors of the Blair/Brown era. You’d also have David and Ed Miliband, a pair of brothers both in government, both survivors of the Blair era.
“It would look as though the government is completely reliant on just two families.
“At the moment, obviously, we’re all speculating. We don’t know. In a few weeks’ time, I think we will find out some more.”