Watch the moment GB News host Alex Armstrong repeatedly presses a Labour MP on whether Andy Burnham will raise taxes for Britons, demanding a “yes or no” answer.
Speaking to GB News Breakfast, Cabinet Office Minister Sally Jameson assured that the Prime Minister will be “sticking to our manifesto commitments”.
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Highlighting Mr Burnham’s pledged spending commitments ahead of his first Prime Minister’s Questions today, Alex told Ms Jameson: “I’m sure the Prime Minister and the Chancellor are panicking about this £14billion black hole again in our public finances, it seems, but you want to create devolution that’s going to cost billions.
“You want to buy up national utilities billions, you want to enact social care changes billions, you want to up defence to three per cent, goodness knows how many billions that is.
“Bus fares, a new pay deal for Avanti West Coast train drivers, all of these things are costing British taxpayers a lot of money.
“You’ve now got a potential £14billion black hole. Could you write off now that you’re not going to raise taxes any any time in this Parliament?”
Ms Jameson responded: “Andy Burnham’s been clear that we’ll stick to our manifesto commitments on tax, and in the Budget that’s coming forward in October as well.”
Interjecting the MP, Alex pressed further: “How are you paying for all of this?”
She told GB News: “The spending commitments that have been made already have been fully costed and fully funded.
“We’ve been very clear that we’ll be rigidly sticking to the fiscal rules, but will also be a pro-business Government to make sure that British businesses can grow and will act in their interests.
“The two are not mutually exclusive, and actually countries across the world are facing similar problems to us.
“It’s not unique to Britain, but we absolutely must meet the moment, and that means being fiscally responsible and sticking to our fiscal rules, but also making sure we’re creating the conditions for business to grow.”
Ms Jameson explained that part of that growth nationally will involve “devolution” and “giving areas the discretion and the ability to make economic decisions”.
She argued: “So this is, yes, about being fiscally responsible, but also about being ambitious for our country, ambitious for growth, ambitious for business, and ambitious for giving control back to people about what they want to see in their area.”
Hitting back at Ms Jameson, Alex urged the Labour Minister to give him a “yes or no answer” as to whether the Prime Minister will raise taxes for Britons in this Parliament.
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Ms Jameson responded: “Andy Burnham has been very clear, he will be sticking to our manifesto commitments on tax.”
Asking a third time, Alex pushed back: “Yes or no… so it’s a no?”
Ms Jameson said: “Yes, we’ll be sticking to our commitments on tax.”
Turning to the markets, host Ellie Costello questioned Ms Jameson on Lord Jim O’Neill’s assessment of Mr Burnham’s speech to MPs, arguing that it was “the last thing that investors in this country wanted to hear”.
Ms Jameson told GB News: “I don’t agree with that analysis. I think he’s been really clear, as is the Chancellor, that we will be sticking to the fiscal rules, and we do take public spending incredibly serious.
“And we know that needs to be to be managed properly, but I think what the Prime Minister did do yesterday was set out, frankly, a plan of optimism, optimism in what our businesses can do, optimism and making sure we can get control back in our public services and life essentials and optimism on regeneration, frankly, in communities up and down the country.”
She concluded: “We’re absolutely committed to the fiscal rules, we absolutely know we need to get that spending down.
“But part of that is growing the economy as well and investing in our future and making sure that local areas and businesses have the conditions to grow.
“And that’s what’s really going to transform the chances of this country and transform our economy as well.”
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