Sir John Major has voiced significant reservations about the prospect of Andy Burnham becoming the next prime minister without facing a leadership contest, warning that the former Manchester mayor’s local government experience may not sufficiently prepare him for national and international leadership.
In a recent interview marking ten years since the EU referendum, the former Conservative prime minister questioned whether Burnham’s tenure as mayor equips him to handle the complexities of governing the United Kingdom and managing relations with global leaders such as China’s Xi Jinping, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, former US President Donald Trump, France’s Emmanuel Macron, and Germany’s Olaf Scholz (mistakenly referred to as “Merz” in some reports). Major highlighted the stark differences between managing municipal issues and navigating high-stakes diplomatic and national security challenges.
Major expressed concern about the possibility of Burnham’s policies going unchallenged if he were to assume the premiership without undergoing a thorough leadership contest. He argued that robust scrutiny and debate are essential to refining policy proposals and revealing potential shortcomings. “It’s when you’re questioned and pushed about them that you realise the fallacy, and what you have to do, because people will point out the defects,” he said.
The former PM also cautioned that a Burnham-led government could veer further left than the current Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, potentially leading to increased taxation to fund expanded benefits and defence spending. Major warned that Britain’s financial constraints would make such policies difficult to sustain. He credited Starmer with having been thwarted in efforts to curb welfare spending by resistance within Labour ranks, underscoring the political challenges confronting any party leader.
Major took a critical tone towards Labour’s leadership selection process. He noted that Burnham, who until recently was not even a sitting member of Parliament, is being positioned for leadership despite the presence of hundreds of Labour MPs. “There are 400 Labour MPs, and out of those 400 MPs, they cannot find a leader. That’s a remarkable reflection upon the calibre of people in the Labour Party,” he remarked.
On the Conservative side, Major endorsed his successor as party leader, Kemi Badenoch, despite their ideological differences on issues like Brexit and the European Convention on Human Rights. He suggested that Badenoch has potential for growth and could become an effective leader, even as the party continues to struggle in opinion polls.
Major also supported Badenoch’s criticism of Labour’s education policies, specifically her comments on Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson’s proposal to impose VAT on private school fees as a revenue-raising measure. He described the move as “spiteful,” noting that many families paying private school fees are not wealthy but often rely on both parents' incomes to afford education costs.
Additionally, Major reaffirmed his position that the UK should aim to rejoin the EU single market within the next five years, arguing that closer ties with Europe are essential for the nation’s future economic prosperity.