Burnham stands by claim UK is ‘in hock’ to bond markets

Andy Burnham said his comments last year were intended to highlight how vulnerable the UK was to global price fluctuations. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Andy Burnham has said he still believes the UK is far too exposed to global shocks, defending comments last year when he said the UK should be less “in hock” to the bond markets.

He said the comments had been deliberately misinterpreted by the former prime minister Keir Starmer and his advisers and said his aim was not more borrowing and spending but a far more resilient economy.