The prime minister has come under fire for his recent decision.
Andy Burnham has come under fire on TalkTV (Image: Getty)
Andy Burnham has been criticised for taking a holiday after just two weeks in office, with former Tory MP Nick Fletcher branding it “disgraceful”. Burnham took over from Keir Starmer as prime minister on July 20, but confirmed he would be taking a break from his day-to-day duties to spend time with his family.
Allies of the Labour leader insisted the government would continue operating as normal during his absence, with No 10 saying he would remain in direct contact with officials and hold meetings during his overseas trip. On Tuesday (August 4), Labour MP Graham Stringer branded Burnham’s decision a “mistake” and said he believes the prime minister will come to regret it. Discussing the update on TalkTV with Kevin O’Sullivan, Fletcher hit out at the Labour leader for leaving the country while illegal immigration remains a major problem.
He 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 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!”
Burnham was also slammed by Reform UK Chairman Lee Anderson, who argued the move suggests he is not serious about leading the country.
He said: “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.”
It comes after the government’s early prison release scheme sparked widespread outrage following the discovery that the killers of PC Andrew Harper would be eligible for early release.
His killers, Albert Bower and Jessie Cole, were sentenced to 13 years in prison for manslaughter in 2020, but could be released from prison after serving just six years.
Burnham announced that prisoners convicted of rape, grooming, and serious child sex offences will be excluded from the scheme, however, violent killers will still have the chance to be freed early.
The mother of PC Harper said her family is “paying the price” after learning her son’s killers remain eligible for early release.
The 28-year-old police officer sustained fatal injuries while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire, in August 2019.