The former Cabinet Secretary has urged Andy Burnham to call a snap general election and “be honest with the public” about the difficult choices facing Britain.
In his first major interview since leaving Government, Lord Case warned the expected next Prime Minister would face “a very difficult tightrope” after entering Downing Street without being elected by the public.
Speaking to The Telegraph, Lord Case said Mr Burnham should seek a fresh mandate from voters rather than attempt to govern without one.
Asked whether an early election was inevitable, he replied: “I think so.”
Mr Burnham is expected to become Prime Minister by July 20 after Sir Keir Starmer’s departure, with no Labour MP expected to challenge him for the leadership.
The former Cabinet Secretary, who served six prime ministers, said the more honest Mr Burnham was about the difficult decisions ahead, the harder it would become to justify avoiding a public vote.
Mr Burnham is due to outline his economic vision in a major speech on Monday, with further devolution expected to feature prominently.
His advisers have reportedly examined raising capital gains tax to help remove green levies from household energy bills, while Mr Burnham is also understood to favour replacing council tax and stamp duty with a land value tax.
Those close to the incoming Prime Minister have argued he must level with voters about the fiscal trade-offs required to deliver his agenda, including the possibility of scrapping the pensions triple lock despite it not featuring in Labour’s 2024 manifesto.
Lord Case also criticised what he described as the culture of “cakeism” in British politics.
He said: “People associate the phrase ‘cakeism’ with Boris Johnson.
“He told people what they wanted to hear and didn’t really want to unveil uncomfortable choices.
“But I think cakeism applies much more broadly now to the political arena, so we’re in the age of cakeism.”
He warned that politicians too often avoid telling the public difficult truths, arguing the trend has helped erode trust in politics.
Lord Case also drew comparisons with Gordon Brown, whose popularity faded after deciding against calling a snap election following Tony Blair’s resignation.
He suggested Mr Burnham could avoid a similar fate if he sought public backing early and delivered meaningful change.
The former Cabinet Secretary was also critical of Sir Keir, describing him as “fundamentally a public servant” who entered Downing Street without a clear vision for Government.
Lord Case’s intervention comes after a recent YouGov poll found Britons back holding a general election following Sir Keir’s resignation on Monday.
The survey found 48 per cent support an early general election, echoing calls from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
The Clacton MP demanded a general election moments after Sir Keir announced his resignation timetable on Monday morning.
In an essay published on Substack, Mr Farage said the Labour Party would “try their very hardest to hold off on a general election”.
He wrote: “This is how the uniparty operates. The truth is that they are frightened of us.
“That’s why they band together at every by-election to attempt to block us from victory, why they tried to cancel the local elections and why they’ll try their very hardest to hold off on a general election for as long as possible.”
The YouGov poll found that 35 per cent of Britons oppose a general election, while 17 per cent said they “don’t know”.
