Make-or-break Budget threatens to burst Burnham’s bubble and expose our new PM as all talk and no trousers

Comment now Next FOR the past three months, all we’ve really heard from our new Prime Minister is talk, talk, talk. Andy Burnham is in his element when speaking off the cuff, turning on the charm and offering sentimental recollections of the “good old days”. 8 Make-or-break Budget threatens to burst Burnham’s bubble and expose our new PM as all talk and no trousers 8 Burnham is in his element when speaking off the cuff, turning on the charm and offering sentimental recollections of the ‘good old days’ Credit: Reuters Advertisement But beneath all his long-winded monologues about doing things differently, there has so far been a distinct lack of action. He has promised us hope, yet all he’s delivered is hype. 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. Apart from his positive vibes and a few cheap giveaways — like the £2 cap on bus fares — we’ve seen nothing to confront the huge problems now facing the country. While Burnham was making rambling speeches in his socialist comfort zone last week, his Chancellor, John Healey , was thousands of miles away testing Thai snacks in a Bangkok tuk-tuk. Read More Opinions TONY PARSONS PM is turning into Councillor Cock-up and has been promoted beyond his ability JANE ATKINSON Trump was appalling for sharing tiger attack - but we're guilty for watching Meanwhile, there’s a war in Europe , our sluggish economy is stalling, fuel and energy prices are rocketing and the cost of living is hammering family budgets. The list goes on — £3trillion of UK national debt, rising unemployment, our threadbare Armed Forces , backlogs for NHS treatment, and the small boats crisis. Anything remotely difficult has been kicked into the long grass. Fixing social care, adjusting the pensions triple lock and constant chatter about rejoining the EU won’t be addressed until after the next General Election . Advertisement Most read in The Sun FATAL DRIVE First pics of man, 35, killed alongside boy, 6, after mum drove on soccer field NET ZERO REVOLT Andy Burnham faces Labour revolt over North Sea drilling ban and Net Zero THE SUN SAYS We cannot escape our need for fossil fuels - PM must put good of country first 8 In nine days’ time, Chancellor Healey will stand up to deliver his first Budget — and the PM’s fingerprints will be all over it Credit: Getty 8 Astonishingly, nearly two million people claiming sickness and incapacity benefits have not been re-assessed for over 18 months Credit: PA But next week we’ll get our first good idea of whether Burnham is a man of action or all talk and no trousers. In nine days’ time, Chancellor Healey will stand up to deliver his first Budget — and the PM’s fingerprints will be all over it. This isn’t just a test for the Treasury, it is the moment of truth for the man in No10. It will prove whether he has what it takes to lead our country through turbulent times. Advertisement Will he be the Messiah we hoped for? Or will he be exposed, like the Wizard Of Oz when the curtain is pulled back at the end of the film to reveal a short, middle-aged man frantically pulling levers to project a grand illusion of power? The signs are already ominous. The Treasury is busy briefing that it will be a dull and steady-as-she-goes Budget. Steady? We’re in stormy waters and another year of political drift is the very last thing this country needs. Britain is crying out for an economic rescue plan and it would be a total cop-out to deliver just a “nothing to see here” Budget. But every way the Chancellor looks, he is hamstrung by the PM’s indecision or fear of a backlash. Hard-working families are feeling the combined pinch of inflation , and rising petrol and diesel prices and household energy bills — set to double in the next six months. Advertisement 8 We need extra cash to rebuild our depleted Armed Forces and meet Nato commitments to spend three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030 Credit: Getty 8 Instead of opening energy fields, Burnham only succeeded in reviving fresh demands from the SNP for a second independence referendum Credit: Getty Labour came to power on a promise of a £300 cut to energy bills, but households are likely to see them rise by an average of around £1,000 by the end of next year. The Chancellor can ease the pain next week by removing some of the Net Zero subsidies that artificially inflate electricity prices. Blathering Burnham raised hopes he would give the go-ahead to drill for £40billion worth of oil and gas in the North Sea when he travelled to Lanarkshire on Friday. Advertisement But perhaps he thought he was going to Lancashire and had hopped on the wrong bus. For the only power he talked about was political power — and transferring more of it to local councils in Scotland. Instead of opening energy fields, Burnham only succeeded in reviving fresh demands from the SNP for a second independence referendum . We need extra cash to rebuild our depleted Armed Forces and meet Nato commitments to spend three per cent of GDP on defence by 2030. This is the very issue which prompted Healey to resign as Defence Secretary barely four months ago, but he’s unlikely to find the money now he’s running the Treasury. Advertisement The Chancellor is restrained over what he can do about unemployment, too. Britain faces the worst graduate recruitment crisis since records began and nearly a million under-25s are not in work, education or training. Working-age benefit payments are expected to rise by £30billion in this Parliament. But all we can expect in the Budget next week is “nothing to see here”. We’ll all have to wait for the outcome of yet another review. 8 Apart from his positive vibes and a few cheap giveaways — like the £2 cap on bus fares — we’ve seen nothing to confront the huge problems now facing the country Credit: Getty Advertisement 8 Burnham has suggested an airport expansion for his beloved Manchester Credit: Getty Nor will there be any attempt to tackle the bloated welfare bill — set to top £400billion by 2030 — and the critical issues exposed in an investigation by The Times last week. Astonishingly, nearly two million people claiming sickness and incapacity benefits have not been re-assessed for over 18 months. Healey wants to press ahead with a third runway for Heathrow Airport, which would create up to 100,000 jobs UK-wide and spread growth across the nation. Burnham wants to “hear the voice of the people there first”. Advertisement Is he seriously telling us he hasn’t made his mind up on this issue of national importance which has been rumbling on for decades? He suggests, instead, an airport expansion for his beloved Manchester. But millions of tourists and business people want to fly into London — and Manchester does not need the extra capacity. The PM swaggered into No10 with big ambitions and people are slowly beginning to ask if he’s got what it takes. Next week, we’ll find out. Or maybe he’ll be found out. Advertisement WOKE panto chiefs have ditched the happy ending where Sleeping Beauty is awakened by love’s first kiss because it is non-consensual. Whatever next? Cinderella’s two facially challenged sisters? I’m off to see Jack And The Beanstalk, starring a person of exceptional verticality. ANDY BURNHAM spent 16 years plotting to seize power. Now that he’s finally got it, he seems determined to give it all away. He’s spent his first few months as PM looking less like a man in charge than one desperate to hand over the controls to someone else. Advertisement Within days of his arrival at No10, he vowed to pass more authority to regional mayors and give back control to Brussels by unpicking Brexit . Last week, he was at it again – on a visit to Scotland, he offered to put decision-making in the hands of city regions and communities north of the border. He talks about putting “power in every postcode” but his mass devolution risks creating a postcode lottery where service quality will depend on where you live. The UK already has three devolved assemblies, 14 regional mayors, 382 local authorities and 305 arms-length bodies and quangos. RECOMMENDED STORIES If he gives much more power away, he’ll soon have nothing left to govern. Advertisement Or perhaps that’s part of his masterplan. If he doesn’t run anything, nobody can blame him when things go horribly wrong. Comment now