DAILY MAIL COMMENT: The real test begins here for the man with no mandate

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 19:02 EDT, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 19:02 EDT, 31 August 2026 The phoney Burnham premiership ends today. What the real one will look like is still something of a mystery, as the new PM came into Downing Street with minimal scrutiny and no mandate.In the past six weeks, he has been on an extended publicity tour, donning an apron at a London soup kitchen, flashing his Colgate smile in a northern bus garage, serenading bemused Ukrainian soldiers on his guitar.True, there have been a few policy announcements – a bus fare cap here, a microscopic cut in energy bills there – but all strictly small beer.As Parliament reconvenes, Mr Burnham must now address the big issues facing Britain – our towering national debt, runaway welfare costs, illegal migration, defence, the crumbling criminal justice system.Will he do the right thing and reduce debt and stimulate the economy by cutting the size of the state and curbing welfare? Or will he peddle the failed Labour fantasy that we can tax and spend our way to growth?The omens so far are not good, especially for anyone who owns their home, has savings or a private pension fund, hopes to leave a legacy for their children, or happens to live in the South.If the rhetoric of the salivating class warriors around Mr Burnham is anything to go by, Labour is about to go to war on self-reliance, entrepreneurship and aspiration.Wealth taxes, pension raids, death taxes, property taxes, windfall taxes, hikes in capital gains and inheritance taxes are all said to be under consideration. Andy Burnham pictured on August 21 Labour MPs, especially those from northern constituencies, display special contempt for the southern middle classes and seem hell-bent on fleecing them.What they don't appear to realise is the people of London and the South East contribute 45 per cent of all income tax revenues and more in corporation tax. The PM should thank them, not punish them.Personal and business taxes are already higher than at any time since the 1940s, yet Mr Burnham is being advised to increase them further. Can't he see what growth-crushing folly that would be?The markets certainly can. UK bond yields – which dictate the cost of government borrowing – have reached their highest level in nearly 30 years.Our national debt is approaching £3trillion, yet the reckless spending continues. In the past financial year public sector net borrowing was £12billion and total debt repayments more than £100billion.International lenders and analysts fear such fiscal irresponsibility is unsustainable, so demand higher interest rates to cover the risk of default.Another tax raid in the forthcoming Budget without spending restraints will validate those fears.Mr Burnham famously once said Britain was too much 'in hock' to the markets. The truth is we are too much in hock, period.If we continue to spend beyond our means we will run out of money and credit as we did under a previous Labour government in 1976, when the IMF had to bail us out and the country was plunged into genuine austerity.As leader of the opposition, it's Kemi Badenoch's job to hammer home these facts of economic life and challenge Mr Burnham when he tries to ignore or flout them.She has grown steadily in stature since taking up the reins, and the bold reshuffle of her top team yesterday shows she is up for the fight. Let the battle of ideas commence!