Andy Burnham pledges HMRC income tax protection for 1 group of earners if he becomes PM

Andy Burnham has pledged to shelter a particular group of earners from any income tax changes should he become Prime Minister. The newly elected MP for Makerfield has sought to safeguard so-called middle-earners from significant tax increases if he takes up residence in Downing Street.

With Mr Burnham widely regarded as a frontrunner to succeed Sir Keir Starmer as PM, economists have cautioned that the former Greater Manchester Mayor will struggle to avoid burdening middle earners if he needs to generate substantial revenue.

Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress, warned on Thursday that "the wealthy and powerful - and their backers in the rightwing press - are trying to water down the agenda of any future prime minister."

Ruth Curtice, head of the Resolution Foundation, acknowledged the fiscal challenges facing any incoming administration. "Even though the overall tax burden is at postwar highs that doesn't mean there aren't ways of raising more revenue," she said. "The problem is the manifesto constraints mean there are few ways of doing this without worsening the distortions in the tax system."

Critics have questioned whether ambitious tax reforms can be realised. "I would love to think a new prime minister would do things to boost growth such as looking at corporation tax and making VAT less complicated but I fear all we will see is more moving of the deckchairs," said Neidle.

While he has pledged to adhere to Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules and refrain from raising income tax, National Insurance or VAT, Sarah Coles, head of personal finance at AJ Bell, noted that he has repeatedly demonstrated an enthusiasm for revisiting wealth taxes and taxes on higher earners.