Badenoch ally attacks Burnham’s ‘hope hard enough’ economic message as ‘absolutely mad’

BIRMINGHAM, England — One of Kemi Badenoch’s most senior frontbench colleagues has branded Andy Burnham’s conference speech last week as “absolutely mad.” Speaking to POLITICO, Helen Whately, the shadow work and pensions secretary, argued that a “very different view of the country” will become clear at the Conservative Party conference this week. “I see Andy Burnham saying, look, if we just hope hard enough, everything will be fine, and let’s achieve growth by taxing more and spending more, and more public ownership and more regulation,” she said. “To me, as a Conservative, that is absolutely mad. That is how you make our economy worse, and that is how you make people poorer.