Hard to see how Andy Burnham can avoid general election soon – Nicola Sturgeon

Lucinda Cameron, Press Association Scotland

Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said it is difficult to see how Prime Minister Andy Burnham can avoid holding a general election soon.

Ms Sturgeon said that while Mr Burnham has a lot of goodwill at the moment he has “no political mandate for the big reforms he wants to make”.

It comes after Mr Burnham last week ruled out holding an early general election, insisting there would not be a vote “any time soon”.

Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme Ms Sturgeon said she did not see how he can avoid one in the “relatively near term”.

Ms Sturgeon also said that she wants Mr Burnham to do well because “the entirety of the UK needs that to happen”.

Speaking on the programme she said: “Burnham’s got a lot of goodwill right now. I think people are giving him the benefit of the doubt, but they want to see him start to deliver on the promises that he made.

“This is a Prime Minister who came to office promising the end of neoliberalism.

“You know, these weren’t small promises. He said he wants to reform social care, you know, sort out the relationship with the EU. He’s got to start delivering, and I think one of the issues is he’s got very, very limited, almost no fiscal room for manoeuvre.

“But he also has no political mandate for the big reforms he wants to make.

“And I find it really difficult to see how he avoids a general election in the relatively near term.”

Ms Sturgeon also said that she wants Mr Burnham to do well.

She said: “You know, I’m not a Labour politician, I think everybody knows that, but I find myself wanting him to do well, wanting him to succeed because I think the entirety of the UK needs that to happen, and he’s got this enormous stock of political capital and goodwill.

“He needs to get on and use it because, you know, I know political capital dissipates quickly, and you find yourself then looking back thinking, ‘Oh, I wish I’d done more with it’ sometimes. So get on and and do these things.”

In a post on social media marking his first 100 days in office last month, Mr Burnham said: “100 days ago, I promised to do things differently.

“From cutting everyday costs to handing power back to communities, change is already underway.

“But I know there’s much more to do – this is just the beginning.”