Andy Burnham’s “bounce” in the polls has been brutally dismissed by Lee Anderson as a “sigh of relief” from Britons.
Speaking to GB News, the Chairman of Reform UK declared it is an “anybody but Sir Keir Starmer bounce”.
A new poll by Find Out Now has placed Labour hot on Reform UK’s heels at 21 per cent, with Nigel Farage’s party sitting at 24 per cent, down three percentage points from last week.
The Conservatives remain unchanged in the poll, flatlining at 18 per cent.
Reacting to Andy Burnham’s surge in the polls, Mr Anderson told GB News that he “isn’t worried” about the growth in popularity.
He said: “Let’s be honest, I don’t think it is a Burnham bounce, I think it’s an ‘anybody but Sir Keir Starmer’ bounce.
“I think if GB News’s Christopher Hope had marched into No10, there’s probably going to be a 20 point rise in the poll. So no, I don’t think it’s Andy Burnham.”
Taking aim at Mr Burnham, the Reform MP criticised Mr Burnham for being “treated like a Messiah” during his visit to Westminster on Monday.
He swiped: “He’s a popular Labour politician, yes. He was sworn into Westminster on Monday morning like the Messiah.
“They were all waiting for him in Westminster Hall to take the selfie, but actually, does the public know what he stands for?
“Do they know what his policies are? Do they know what his manifesto would be if he had won?”
Mr Anderson argued that the increase in polling is down to a “sigh of relief” from the electorate in light of Sir Keir Starmer’s departure.
He said: “Let’s remember, he wasn’t even an MP at the last general election and he’s just sworn in, assuming he’s going to take the reins.
“But this bounce in the polls for the Labour Party is probably a sigh of relief from the electorate that Starmer’s going because, let’s face it, he’s been absolutely awful, the worst Prime Minister.”
Mr Anderson added: “And I was thinking about it this morning. I’ve been in Parliament for six and a half years, and this will be our fifth prime minister in six and a half years. It’s incredible.”
Questioned on reports that Energy Secretary Ed Miliband could be chosen as the new Chancellor under Andy Burnham, Mr Anderson warned that we need to keep “as much distance as we possibly can between Ed Miliband and the Treasury”.
He said: “We’ve seen what he’s done as the Energy Secretary, businesses in this country are terrified. That man is killing us with the Net Zero madness.
“We had yet another debate in the House yesterday on climate change and net zero. Again, the Labour backbenchers couldn’t answer simple questions from from me and Richard Tice. This Net Zero nonsense is killing people.
“And this is a legacy, actually, not just of Ed Miliband, but of Boris Johnson and Theresa May, but he’s sort of turbocharged it. Ed Miliband is a very dangerous man, I think, and he should be kept well away from the Treasury.
“But let’s see what Andy Burnham does, because a week is a long time in politics, and people don’t know what Andy Burnham’s quite about yet.”
