Andy Burnham releases Labour leadership manifesto

Andy Burnham today claimed to offer the “most radical and far-reaching Labour vision for the country since the 1945 post-war Attlee Government” as he published his Labour leadership manifesto.

The manifesto pledges to scrap tuition fees in England and Wales and replace them with a new graduate tax, while creating new “university-style” support for young people seeking apprenticeships.

Burnham vowed to address housing problems by freeing councils to build new homes and introducing regulation of the private rented sector.

The manifesto also promises to abolish the youth rate of the National Minimum Wage, ban zero-hour contracts and establish a living wage.

Burnham says he would re-nationalise the rail industry and re-regulate buses. Finally, he pledges to further integrate social care into the English NHS.

On the economy, Burnham says: “It is essential to have a plan to reduce the deficit. But the Tory Government’s approach of doing so almost exclusively through spending cuts will destroy the fabric of our communities and hurt the most vulnerable.

“Instead, I will bring forward a balanced Labour plan for a sustainable economy, based on growth and investment, fair pay, a re-balanced tax system and a labour market that works for all.

“Alongside it, I will promote an industrial strategy for Britain, devised and delivered in partnership with both business and trade unions, and with government investing for the future in infrastructure and the green economy.”

Beyond the five key points, Burnham also promises to oppose the Welfare and Work Bill and the Trade Unions Bill, introduce a moratorium on fracking, campaign to stay in the EU, scrap employment tribunal fees and launch an urgent review of civil legal aid.

He also pledges that, if elected leader, he will call for an exemption for public services from the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal between the EU and the US.