Talking Politics

Can Burnham stop the UK heading for another financial crash?

September 2, 2026·26 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

The autumn Budget is looming, but rising borrowing costs could already be eating into Andy Burnham’s financial headroom. With the money available to deliver the 'radical' agenda he promised shrinking, the new PM and his Chancellor face tough choices: tax rises or spending cuts.Can Burnham make those difficult choices and take on some of Labour’s most politically sensitive commitments, including the welfare bill and the pension triple lock, or will his tendency to ‘people please’ hold him back?And with war in Iran continuing, driving up oil prices and impacting the health of the global economy, is Burnham’s biggest challenge the markets rather than his own MPs?Tom Bradby and Robert Peston discuss on this week's Talking Politics.

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