Six things we learned from Andy Burnham’s Press Gallery Lunch

Andy Burnham this afternoon became the third Labour leadership candidate to attend a Press Gallery Lunch to speak to Westminster journalists. He gave a short speech, followed by questions. Here are six things we learned:

1 – Free schools performing well would be brought into “local family of schools”

Burnham has made no secret of his opposition to the free schools policy over the past five years. But given that some free schools will have been in place for a decade by the time of the next election, a Labour Government could have a problem with what to do with free schools that are proving successful. The former Shadow Education Secretary hinted that he might support them being taken back into local authority control.

“This is a point of critique that the Tories and one of the candidates in this campaign have missed the point. I’ve nothing against good schools: they’re full of good people, they’re full of good kids, they’re full of good teachers who want to do the right thing.

“My issue is with the free school programme, because it feels to me as though that is leading to money being spent in areas that don’t need it, where there are sufficient places. It is allowing excessive experimentation in teaching through unqualified teachers and opting out of the national curriculum.

“Kids get one shot at education and I don’t believe should adopt that free-for-all approach to young people’s one chance at school. I think you need to have a much more structured regime and a fairer approach to these things that can be balanced out at a local level.

“So those good schools: I would want them to be brought back within a local family of schools. I don’t think it’s going to help anyone in the end to have essentially a market of free schools and academies in competition.”

2 – The welfare bill is currently “unsupportable”

Following the row over welfare in the party over the past couple of days, Burnham said that Labour should table their own amendment to the Welfare Reform and Work Support Bill. If that fails, they should oppose the “unsupportable” bill.

Speaking about the Shadow Cabinet meeting earlier in the day, he said:

“I told the Shadow Cabinet this morning that Labour should have a reasoned amendment against this bill, pointing out some of the things that we support, and in principle I am not opposed to a benefit cap – it is all about how that is done. But we should be clear that this bill is unsupportable”.

Adding:

“If that [amendment] fails, then Labour should oppose it.”

Asked about Harriet Harman’s remarks on the welfare bill over the weekend, he said:

“I don’t think Harriet did get it right on certain respects with the welfare reform bill and I’ve made my view very clear today in terms of calling for a reasoned amendment and if that falls, opposition to the bill.”

However, he said that she was not completely wrong:

“Where Harriet is right is saying that Labour can’t turn its face against welfare reform.”

3 – Being pro-EU is a “core part” of Labour values

While there are rumours that increasing an number of Labour MPs are toying with supporting an ‘out’ vote in the EU referendum, Burnham said he was “wholeheartedly” behind an ‘in’ vote.

“I am pro-European, I believe the best interests of our country lie in being pro-European. I think it is a core part of what it is to be Labour. Collectivist by instinct, ie. working with the rest of Europe, and internationalist in our outlook.”

However, he warned:

“That is not to say we don’t need some pretty big changes in Europe.”

“I was the first leadership candidate to call for the bringing forward of the referendum and I continue to believe that it should be in the autumn of next year”

But he concluded that “Labour should be wholeheartedly behind the campaign to stay part of the EU.”

4 – Labour lost because the offer was “too narrow” and didn’t appeal to older voters

On the subject of why Labour lost in May, Burnham said: “Our offer was too narrow, let’s be honest about that.”

He suggested that the party did not have anything to say to middle class voters, saying:

“The general rule of the election just gone was that the longer the drive you were walking down the less you had to say to the people at the end of the drive who opened the door. And I think that was true of older voters.”

He concluded:

“Labour will win again when it has the courage to speak for everyone and come up with an answer that helps people get the best quality care late in life.”

5 – Idea that unions might call illegal strikes is wrong

There have been suggestions in the press, but not confirmed by any trade union, that unions may call for industrial action that does not comply to new strike laws that the Conservatives are planning to bring through – therefore acting illegally.

Asked about his position on that, he simply said that “everyone should live within the law”.

However, he did attack the proposals being brought forward by the Tories:

“I do think this bill is entirely unjustifiable. it is part of a campaign of demonisation against trade unions that has been underway for at least five years.”

6 – There is no boycott of The Sun

Asked by The Sun whether he would commit to an interview with them before the end of the leadership contest, he replied:

“I’ve said I’ll speak to all newspaper as Leader of the Opposition. I’m not committing today to my precise details of my calendar, but I wouldn’t rule it out either. I’ve noticed the coverage isn’t overwhelming flattering.”