Matt Vickers has launched a scathing attack on Andy Burnham, as he warned the Downing Street hopeful is nothing more than a “shiny new face” for the “same old Labour”.
Speaking to GB News, the Shadow Illegal Immigration Minister hit out at the Makerfield MP and argued that even though he may have “nicer eyelashes and be a better communicator”, he is “still at the helm of the Labour Party”.
Mr Vickers said: “Well, the Labour Party has a new face. It might have a nicer voice, it might have nicer eyelashes, it might be a better communicator, but it is still at the helm of that Labour Party.
“That Labour Party that trashed our economy, that has increased unemployment by 19 per cent. That’s got businesses going at the wall at the fastest rate since the world economic crash.”
He added: “Over a million young people are not in education, employment and training, allowing that welfare bill to balloon out of all proportion on the backs of hardworking taxpayers.
“Those people who were going out there working hard every day know that this Government isn’t going to deliver, even if it’s got a new shiny face at the helm.”
The Tory MP criticised the Labour Government for showing a “united front” on several issues which resulted in U-turns as a result of public backlash.
He recalled: “They were pretty united when they walked through those lobbies and voted to remove the winter fuel from our pensioners, when they voted to do our veterans over and sent them through the courts and when voted to do our farmers over to batter them with that inheritance tax.
“They were united when they slammed small businesses across the country with increased business rates, with the National Insurance, with the employment rates bill that were united in all of those things.”
Mr Vickers argued: “The only time they became disunited, the only time they ever grew a backbone and were willing to stand up to that Prime Minister was when they saw those local election results come in and their jobs were on the line.
“It’s the same Labour Party in there with a shiny new face. It’s no good for Britain, it’s going to destroy this country, and it will continue to destroy this country.”
Pressed by host Anne Diamond on whether the Tories are “scared” that Mr Burnham’s leadership could encourage Labour to be “re-elected” at the next general election, Mr Vickers was quick to disagree.
He said: “No, we’re not scared. I think his eyelashes, his nice smile, his slightly more friendly voice, he will be a better communicator, but actually what it comes down to is what this Government is doing to this country.
“There are real challenges facing this country. The Secretary of State for Defence resigned because he thinks we aren’t protecting this country properly. We are paying record levels of tax.
“We’ve got less teachers in our schools, less police on our streets, and the only thing that’s getting bigger is the welfare bill.”
The Tory MP stressed: “It isn’t the Labour Party, it’s the Welfare Party.
“If those people who work hard and do the right thing, that people who work in a pay more and more in tax, the people who aren’t working are getting more and more in benefits, that’s because there’s 400 plus MPs in Westminster who believe that, and they’ll continue to vote that way.”
Mr Vickers concluded that Mr Burnham will “bend to his backbenchers” just like Sir Keir Starmer did.
He told GB News: “Andy Burnham is just going to appease them, he’s going to bend.
“We saw and we talked about Keir flip flop Starmer, we’re about to get Mr Flip Flop Mark two in there.”
