Andy Burnham has been accused of hypocrisy after it emerged that the man positioning himself as the champion of young people locked out of the housing market has been renting out a London flat that was partly funded through parliamentary expenses — as the would-be Labour leader also faces fresh pressure over his Brexit position.
The two-bedroom flat in Kennington, south London, was purchased by Burnham in 2005 and has since doubled in value to approximately £480,000. Parliamentary records show that the then MP used taxpayers’ money to cover mortgage interest payments on the property under an expenses allowance that was abolished in the wake of the 2009 expenses scandal. The arrangement came to light previously in 2015, when it was revealed that the then shadow health secretary was renting out the former council flat while simultaneously claiming around £17,000 a year from taxpayers to rent a separate nearby property. Though within the rules at the time, the arrangement drew criticism for showing a “lack of judgement.”
The revelation has resurfaced as Burnham campaigns in the Makerfield by-election on a platform that includes bringing housing back under public control and addressing the struggles faced by young people trying to get onto the property ladder. Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake seized on the contradiction, telling the Sun on Sunday: “The self-styled King of the North, it turns out, has kept a rather comfortable foothold south of the river. Bought thanks to expenses, doubled in value, rented out for profit — despite cries of unfairness against the landlord class he is a part of. There is a certain whiff of hypocrisy.” A spokesman for Burnham declined to comment.
The housing row is not the only front on which Burnham is facing uncomfortable questions. The Greater Manchester Mayor, a prominent Remain supporter seeking to win a seat in heavily pro-Brexit Makerfield, has been pressed to clarify his position on EU membership — particularly in light of reports that the government is advancing proposals to align the UK more closely with EU regulations as part of its ongoing Brexit reset talks. Britain’s chief negotiator Michael Ellam is said to have offered regulatory alignment with the EU to facilitate free trade in goods, while Brussels has reportedly responded by floating the possibility of the UK rejoining the customs union or reinstating freedom of movement — both positions explicitly ruled out in Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto.
Burnham attempted to sidestep the issue last week, acknowledging there was a “long-term” case for rejoining the EU but saying he would not be making it “in this by-election.” That answer has satisfied nobody. Conservative trade spokesman Andrew Griffith said on Saturday night that Burnham owed voters a straight answer. “Whether Burnham likes it or not, Brexit is the elephant in the room in this by-election,” he said. “On something as profound as to whether the Parliament he wants to be elected to should decide our own laws rather than hand them to Brussels, he must get off the fence. No supposed ‘straight talker’ can fudge this for the next four weeks.”
The twin controversies add to the political complications facing Burnham as he seeks the Makerfield seat — a contest widely seen as the launchpad for a potential Labour leadership challenge against Sir Keir Starmer. A win would make him eligible to trigger a formal challenge, which polling suggests he would win comfortably. But the gap between his public positioning and his private financial arrangements, combined with his reluctance to spell out his European ambitions, risks undermining the plain-speaking, anti-establishment image that is central to his political brand.
