Burnham too influenced by ‘vested interests’ to offer change, Polanski says
Exclusive: Green party launches pushback against idea that next PM will have more left-leaning agenda than Starmer
Andy Burnham is “too in hock to vested interests” to offer real change, Zack Polanski has said as the Greens launched a pushback against the incoming prime minister, portraying him as cautious and weak on such areas as wealth taxes, Gaza and rent controls.
Under Polanski’s leadership the Green party in England and Wales has more than tripled its membership, and is closely tracking Labour in opinion polls, with much of the new support coming from former Labour voters disenchanted with Keir Starmer’s approach.
The Greens are planning a media blitz before Burnham replaces Starmer in Downing Street on Monday, aimed at countering the idea that Burnham will offer a notably more left-leaning agenda, arguing he has gone quiet on several policies he previously supported.
In a social media post on Thursday, Polanski said the reported decision by Burnham to install Shabana Mahmood rather than Ed Miliband as chancellor showed he was “subservient to the City of London” and not up to the task of delivering change.
A Green plan, seen by the Guardian, to highlight what they see as weaknesses for Burnham focuses on a series of policy areas in which, as they portray it, “semi-skimmed Andy” offers only verbal support for policies, while the Greens propose “full-fat” implementation, which they say is backed by polling data.
These areas include rent controls. As Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham supported the idea, but has not committed to anything in No 10, whereas the Greens are pushing to impose them.
On a wealth tax, the Green document says Burnham seems likely to “fudge the issue” by changing capital gains tax thresholds, by comparison with their proposals for a separate wealth tax, an idea the party says is backed by 81% of 2024 Labour voters.
Burnham, in one of his few policy interventions since returning to parliament last month, apologised for Labour’s initial response to Israel’s military action in Gaza under Starmer. The Greens plan to contrast this with policies which include a ban on all UK arms exports to Israel and wider sanctions.
Other areas to be highlighted include the nationalisation of the water industry – Burnham has talked instead of “public control” – and a proportional voting system, with the new PM ruling out any change until after the next general election.
The Greens also say Burnham appears weak on climate action, an increasingly salient issue given this summer’s heatwaves, pointing to comments in which he said he had “something of an open mind” on further drilling for fossil fuels in the North Sea.
The UK was, Polanski said, “at breaking point” as a result of high rents and water bills, the impact of extreme heat, and anger over Gaza.
He said: “The status quo is intolerable – and all the signs so far indicate that Andy Burnham will fail to challenge it. He is rumoured to have dropped his plans to make Ed Miliband chancellor because bankers in the City of London told him to.
“He won’t take real action to lower rents, because at every level of government the Labour party enjoys a cosy relationship with big landlords, lobbyists and property developers. And his party is too in hock to vested interests to challenge the oil and gas companies profiting from climate breakdown.
“Only bold action will lift this country from this slump. Rent controls would keep money in people’s pockets, wealth taxes would move money from the multimillionaires into our schools and libraries, and by cutting off all arms sales and logistics support to Israel we would finally take a proper stand against the genocide.
“And ultimately to help protect everyone in this country from the impacts of the climate and nature crisis, we need to end oil and gas drilling in the North Sea for good.”