Guido has updated this video once again – watch above for the definitive starmer resignation special edition. Subscribe to Guido Fawkes on YouTube by clicking here. Never miss a scoop…
In light of the media’s abject failure to properly scrutinise Labour prior to Starmer’s historic landslide – the results of which have been plain to see this week – Guido has published a handy guide for journalists. Questions that Burnham must answer prior to his ascension to the top of government…
The ex-mayor is doing a series of speeches and events to flag his agenda. He may also choose to give more interviews. After all he is meant to be gifted at comms…
- Will you change the definition of the “fiscal rules” in any sense from the last Reeves alteration?
- Can you name the fiscal rules now?
- What is your exact definition of “working people” seeing as you have signed up to the Labour manifesto which says taxes will not be raised on them?
- Which taxes do not impact “working people“?
- Which taxes do impact “working people“?
- Does the overall welfare bill need to come down? If so, by how much?
- Will you rule out borrowing outside the “fiscal rules” to fund increased defence spending?
- Will you change Starmer’s Defence Investment Plan?
- Will you reach 3% defence spending by 2030?
- Will you rule out compensating the WASPI women?
- What is a woman?
- Do you agree the UK should transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius?
- Will you ban social media for under-16s?
- Is China a national security threat?
- Was the government right in its approach to US military action against Iran?
- Will you nationalise Thames Water in this parliament?
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In January 2021, you tweeted: “Any UK politician who gave Trump the time of day should be ashamed right now.” Do you stand by your claim?
- Do you support mandatory Digital ID to work in the UK?
- Will you rule out calling a general election before 2029?
- Do you support this government’s current Net Zero commitments?
- Do you support a ban on new North Sea oil and gas exploration licences?
- Do you support the current government’s approach to immigration policy? If not, how?
- What should the net immigration level be in the UK?
- How will you reduce the number of small boats ferrying migrants across the Channel illegally?
- Do you support the pension triple lock?
- What specific policies will you pursue to reform the benefits system?
- Will you, as new head of the OBR Professor Haskell has suggested, commit to not increasing business taxes further during the life of this Parliament, including capital gains tax?
- The Labour manifesto said: “We will publish a roadmap for business taxation for the next parliament which will allow businesses to plan investments with confidence.” This has not been done. Would your administration publish this plan?
- Will you commit to preserving people’s ability to withdraw 25% of their pension as tax-free lump sum and to preserving the current value of pension contribution allowances?
- Do you commit to cancelling the increases in fuel duty that are planned for 2027?
- Will you commit not to extend further the freeze on tax thresholds?
- You earlier suggested an additional 10% inheritance tax levy. Can you now rule that out?
- Given that taxes on banks are already far higher than those in competing countries, will you pledge that bank taxes will not be increased anymore?
- Rumours have already started that you will impose an exit tax. Given that such rumours push entrepreneurs to abandon Britain, can you firmly rule this out now?
- Can you rule out joining the European Union at any point in your premiership?
Without clear answers from Burnham the media risks letting another Labour politician get away with it, blow up, and waste years of voters’ time. Not to mention billions of pounds of taxpayer cash…
According to the National Education Union’s polling of its members, 0% of them think Bridget Phillipson is doing a very good job as Education Secretary. The NEU is scathing about a politician who has gone out of her way to appease the unions…
A survey of over 4,000 members of the NEU was conducted by Deltapoll. 72% believe that Labour has done ‘fairly badly’ or ‘very badly.’ Only 9% think Phillipson is doing well… 
Bridget is less popular than Keir – who has just resigned…
UPDATE: A Labour source responded to the NEU leadership: “For classroom teachers, Bridget has meant a near 10% pay rise in two years – she’s delivering a far better deal for them than teaching union leaders more interested in cuddling up to Zack Polanski than changing children’s lives.”
The Cabinet Office has spent £1.58 million of taxpayer cash advertising Labour’s Digital ID consultation.
Labour spent a total of £1,578,482 on paid advertising and promotional activity to promote its public consultation on Digital ID, according to documents uncovered by Guido’s FOI Unit. The main consultation is for over-18s despite Labour lowering the voting age to 16-year-olds…
Social media was the single biggest line of spending at £422,616, routed across Meta, Reddit and TikTok. Digital display advertising came second at £367,351 on Google, The Trade Desk and verification firm DoubleVerify…
Out of home posters cost £247,263 and radio advertising came to £245,309, spread across a wide roster of broadcasters including Bauer, GB News and Global Media Group.
The full breakdown by channel: Social £422,616, Digital Display £367,351, Out of Home £247,263, Radio £245,309, Digital Audio £167,360, Video £128,229, Search £354. All of the spending was routed through the Government Communication Service’s central campaigns budget. All for a hated policy – will Josh Simons push it through under Burnham?
Reeves has announced Professor Jonathan Haskel is her nominated candidate for the Chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility:
“Professor Haskel is a Professor of Economics at Imperial College London. His research focuses on productivity and growth, and he has held senior roles across academia, public policy and independent oversight.
He served as an External Member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee from 2018 to 2024, a non-Executive Director of the UK Statistics Authority from 2016 to 2022, and an External Member of the Reporting Panel of the Competition and Markets Authority from 2001 to 2009.
The Treasury Committee approves all appointments to the Budget Responsibility Committee, including the Chair. Professor Haskel will appear before the committee for a pre-appointment hearing in due course and it is anticipated he can could take up his post in good time to oversee the OBR produce its forecast alongside the Budget later this year.
In the interim, Budget Responsibility Committee members Professor David Miles and Tom Josephs will continue to lead the OBR. “
Again – just before a (likely) new Chancellor…
Haskel has long argued against Brexit. In 2019 he said 70% of any post-referendum fall in UK business investment was caused by Brexit, and later in 2023 made a big fuss of his calculation that Brexit has dealt the UK economy a “productivity penalty” of £29 billion. Not a surprise appointment…
Speaking at his speech on how to achieve “progressive capitalism” Wes Streeting fired a dig and Andy Burnham:
“Bond markets are not bond villains and fiscal rules matter.”
