Andy Burnham's promises and inherited black holes to cost taxpayer more than £250 BILLION

Andy Burnham's policy agenda and financial burdens inherited from Sir Keir Starmer's government are projected to land British taxpayers with a bill exceeding £250billion.

The staggering sum represents enough money to finance 500 Greater Manchester mayoral elections, according to analysis conducted by Guido Fawkes.

Earlier this week, the Makerfield MP unveiled his decade-long strategy to overhaul what he described as a "broken" Westminster system whilst launching his so-called "devolution revolution".

The prime-minister-in-waiting, who currently faces no challengers for the Labour leadership following Sir Keir's resignation announcement, could enter Downing Street as early as July 20.

Yet the eye-watering price tag attached to his ambitious programme has drawn sharp criticism from Conservative opponents warning of fiscal consequences for ordinary workers.

The single largest expense stems from Mr Burnham's ambition to bring water companies into public ownership, with Whitehall estimates putting the nationalisation cost at £100billion.

His housing plans would also carry a substantial annual burden, with the proposed council house construction programme representing the most extensive such initiative since the postwar era.

Building 40,000 new homes each year would require between £8billion and £13billion annually.

Further pressure on the public purse comes from the potential reversal of Rachel Reeves's National Insurance Contributions tax changes, which Mr Burnham is reportedly considering.

Undoing the former Chancellor's raid would cost taxpayers somewhere between £16billion and £25billion every year, adding significantly to the overall financial commitment.

Smaller-scale commitments would still add hundreds of millions to the annual outlay, with restoring bus fare caps estimated at between £150million and £250million per year.

However, Mr Burnham's financial planning reportedly suffered a significant setback when Sir Keir failed to inform him about an additional £4.7billion requirement in his first Budget for the Defence Investment Plan.

Despite the enormous costs involved, the Makerfield MP has indicated he will not seek a fresh mandate from voters through a general election.

During a Reddit Ask Me Anything session on Friday evening, Mr Burnham confirmed he would not go to the country if he enters Downing Street.

"No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I'm going to work to the 2024 manifesto," he stated when asked whether he planned to call an election.

The likely next prime minister has faced criticism for avoiding traditional media scrutiny, having given just one interview since Sir Keir announced his departure, speaking to LBC on Thursday.

On the question of maintaining the pensions triple lock, Mr Burnham signalled he would honour existing pledges, saying: "I appreciate there's a lot of debate about this but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands."

He has also reaffirmed Labour's 2024 election promises not to raise income tax, VAT or personal national insurance contributions.

Tory shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride has warned that Mr Burnham's proposals risk creating a "tax bombshell" for British households, with further tax rises likely to follow.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch took the unusual step of posting directly on Reddit to challenge the incoming prime minister.

"Whilst you're answering softball questions on Reddit, I've been in Yorkshire answering questions from the press," she wrote, accusing him of "running away from being asked questions" by journalists.

She demanded he "come out from hiding, face a proper press conference and submit yourself to scrutiny and some tough questions."

Mr Burnham responded: "Fair challenge, Kemi but don't forget it's only two weeks since I faced questions from 74,000 members of the public in Makerfield!"

The former Greater Manchester Mayor also said the Martin Scorsese mob thriller Goodfellas is among his favourite films and he's currently listening to Wilmslow-based indie rock band Doves.

In an online question-and-answer session, one Reddit user asked: "Minor question first: What are your top 4 favourite films? Major question last: How will unite a more divided country with your premiership?"

The Makerfield MP responded: “First question: Goodfellas, The Big Short, Brassed Off, Pride.