Former British Prime Minister Sir John Major has sharply criticized the nominee for the next prime minister, Andy Burnham.
In an interview with the British publication The Independent, Major expressed serious skepticism about Burnham's capacity to lead the country's foreign policy. According to him, Burnham's successes as mayor of Manchester are local and do not give him the necessary experience for the global political scene.
Major emphasized that managing local issues and bus routes is fundamentally different from confronting leaders such as Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The former prime minister has expressed concern that Burnham lacks scale, while also criticising the Labour Party's fiscal policies, which he says are driving business out of the country.
The criticism comes at a crucial time as Andy Burnham prepares to take over after Keir Starmer's resignation. Burnham is expected to officially become prime minister by mid-July, but his lack of diplomatic experience is already a major topic of debate on the island.
Andy Burnham has dismissed Sir John Major's criticism of his lack of experience, saying his work outside London is an asset in tackling the failing status quo in Westminster, Sky News reported. Despite pressure for an early election and warnings from Major about Labour's economic policies, Burnham plans to decentralise power and promises not to raise income tax.