Rabbit in headlights Burnham spends his time meddling in minor issues rather than tackling Britain’s gargantuan problems

Time to act, PM 2 comments 2 Next NEWS that Britain’s debt has ballooned to over £3trillion, borrowing is out of control and inflation is soaring should alarm each and every one of us. Public finances are in a calamitous state and the Government’s tax-and-spend splurges are making them worse. Rabbit in headlights Burnham spends his time meddling in minor issues rather than tackling Britain’s gargantuan problems Credit: EPA At such a precarious moment, a wise PM would order his Chancellor to CUT taxes and spending in next week’s Budget Credit: PA Advertisement We are paying a heavy price. The markets are punishing the UK with higher interest rates, hitting businesses and households with extra costs. All the while, Andy Burnham resembles a rabbit trapped in the headlights. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. He refuses to take the difficult decisions needed to solve our gargantuan problems — slashing the grotesquely bloated welfare bill, for example. Instead, our TikTok PM meddles in minor issues: promising fines for loud music on trains, restrictions on bran flakes, even a ban on VAR in football . What next ? A cones hotline? READ MORE ON ANDY BURNHAM 'BAD NEWS' PM's ally warns against raising taxes on business & more borrowing in Budget FARM PLEA Clarkson's pal urges PM to axe family farm tax as he blasts 'clueless' Whitehall At such a precarious moment, a wise PM would order his Chancellor to CUT taxes and spending in next week’s Budget to nurture the economy, create jobs and turbocharge growth. But we won’t hold our breath. Licence to drill THE decision to approve drilling at the crucial Jackdaw gas field in the North Sea is a welcome outbreak of common sense in Downing Street. The case for granting the licence was obvious to all bar the dimmest eco-zealot. Exploiting the vast hydrocarbon reserves will support tens of thousands of skilled jobs, generate billions for the economy and may bring down bills . Advertisement Most read in The Sun DEATH RIDDLE Woman, 36, dies after being found unresponsive in home - as cops probe death CONTINENT CHAOS Cops & left-wing protesters clash in Spain after 'apocalyptic' France riots VLAD THREAT Putin 'sends fishing boats to spy on Britain' as tyrant targets undersea cables SKILLS LOST Navy 'lost its ability to fight beneath ice cap & is leaving seas to Russians' And at a time of global volatility, anything that makes our energy supply more secure is a good thing. Of course, we should not abandon green power . But fossil fuels will be needed to heat our homes , keep the lights on and drive industry for decades to come. With depressing predictability, many Net Zero-obsessed Labour MPs are threatening a revolt if Burnham goes further and authorises production at the North Sea’s Rosebank vital oil field. He must face them down. Don’t be a fuel JOHN Healey says his Budget will offer families and businesses “breathing space” from the crippling cost of living . Hiking fuel duty — or reversing the 5p-a-litre discount on it — would do the very opposite. Motorists are already feeling eye-watering pain at the pumps, with the Iran War sending the price of petrol and diesel to a four-year high. Advertisement They can ill afford to lose yet another few quid to the Treasury every time they fill up their vehicles. Raising fuel duty would clobber household budgets, white-van tradesmen and women AND the wider economy. The Chancellor must know it would be political suicide. 2 comments 2