𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Andy Burnham’s first Budget was a flop with the public, who saw it as “tinkering” and do not believe it will help with the cost of living, cut their energy bills or provide enough funding for defence. And voters believe the Prime Minister is focusing on what is popular rather than what is right for the country.

The brutal verdict on last week’s Budget, the first since Mr Burnham entered No 10, was delivered in a new poll by More in Common. It found that six in 10 voters agreed the Budget “tinkers with small things around the edges” while just 14% said it dealt with big, structural issues.

While 38% believed the Government was bringing down energy costs, 40% disagreed. Just 27% believed Mr Burnham and Chancellor John Healey were cutting the cost of living, with 51% disagreeing.

And 24% said the Labour Government was improving Britain’s defence and security, with 42% disagreeing.

However, Luke Tryl, UK director at More in Common, said voters had been even less impressed by Budgets delivered by Mr Healey’s predecessor, Rachel Reeves. He said: “While we heard from voters that Starmer simply didn’t understand nor care about the pressures they face, Burnham has convinced voters that, at the very least, he is trying.

“But that might not be quite enough. Burnham has promised to radically transform the economy and, for many people, the Budget didn’t live up to those pledges.

“Most say this Budget was tinkering around the edges rather than delivering structural fixes, and far more see it as too short-term than too long-term. That’s not to say that the public don’t appreciate small, incremental changes: Britons want visible, near-term improvements, but they also want to see that there is a long-term plan to deliver change.”

Polling found that 46% said Mr Burnham tends to do what is popular even if it is not right for the country, and 34% said he makes difficult decisions even when they are unpopular.