Burnham must bring obscene £1billion a DAY welfare bill under control or cripple Britain for good

Listen to voice of common sense, PM LORD Jim O’Neill is not some remote economist who lives in an ivory tower. He was educated at a comprehensive school and got a degree from Sheffield University. Prime Minister Andy Burnham must listen to the advice given to him Credit: Getty On our staggering £3trillion debt Lord O’Neill is crystal clear Credit: ROGER HARRIS What’s more he is a native Mancunian who has backed Andy Burnham’s devolution plans. So when he talks the PM should listen. Because the advice is coming from someone who understands his plans for Britain. And it could not be more straightforward. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Don’t bring in a wealth tax. Cut welfare spending. Encourage business enterprise. On our staggering £3trillion debt Lord O’Neill is crystal clear: “If the country wants to have better longer term growth performances we have got to deal with those things.’’ It is not rocket science. But the Left-wing Labour backbenchers who sabotaged Sir Keir Starmer’s attempts at welfare reform will fight it in every way possible. As Mr Burnham puts together his first budget he must remain firmly committed to curbing public sector waste. After another week of economic gloom in which it was revealed that we spend £1billion a DAY on welfare, he must find ways of bringing this obscene splurge under control. Most read in The Sun Any other path would not only lead to the economics of the madhouse. It would also cripple Britain for good. The drive to succeed IF YOU want an example of how Covid chaos is still throttling our economy, then look no further than the ludicrous waiting time for driving tests. In 2020, learners waited just over a month for a test slot. Six years later it has ballooned to a grotesque 21 WEEKS. The consequences of this mess are enormous for jobs, growth and the generation of Neets who cannot get work. Unsurprisingly the delays have had a devastating effect on the number of young people who can actually get a booking and pass their tests. The proportion of 17 to 20-year-olds holding a full car driving licence in England has almost halved in 30 years. How the hell will that help almost a million young people get into a workplace where two in three jobs such as plumbing require a driving licence? Successive governments have done nothing to clear this backlog. Andy Burnham says he wants to make a difference to people’s lives. The PM should start by making this crisis a top priority. Comment now