Andy Burnham has responded to selected questions from the public in an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit on Friday.
He said he would not call a general election if he becomes prime minister, but revealed he will try to persuade Labour to put electoral reform in its next manifesto.
The Makerfield MP is considered the prime minister-in-waiting as the only Labour politician to have put themselves forward to replace Sir Keir Starmer as party leader.
It is the first time the former Greater Manchester Mayor faced questions from the public since his by-election win.
For someone who could be in No 10 on 20 July, Burnham has received little scrutiny over his policy platform.
He refused to take questions from journalists following his one major speech of the leadership campaign so far and has given only one interview, on Thursday evening with LBC.
Reddit’s “Ask me anything” sessions are a popular tool used by celebrities and politicians to reach younger audiences, in which they reply to questions left by commenters with written answers.
The questions ranged from his stance on the triple-lock for pensioners, Britain’s relationship with Europe, student loan repayments and electoral reform.
His responses on Reddit gave some insight into how he might lead the country from behind the door of Downing Street.
Burnham was also questioned about his lack of media interviews by the conservative leader Kemi Badenoch who accused him of “running away” from media scrutiny.
The opposition leader wrote in an online Reddit forum: “Hi Andy, Kemi here.
“Whilst you’re answering softball questions on Reddit, I’ve been in Yorkshire answering questions from the press.
“You’re going to be prime minister soon so it’s time to start acting like one.
“Come out from hiding, face a proper press conference and submit yourself to scrutiny and some tough questions.
“Are you up for it?”
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!”
One user asked the MP: “I assume you’re going to call an election? If not, why not?”
Mr Burnham replied: “No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I’m going to work to the 2024 manifesto.”
But one of the most frequently asked questions was on the widely debated issue of the triple lock.
Reddit user Masam10 asked: “Is it time to abolish the triple lock? Or at least have that discussion?”
The Makerfield MP replied: “I appreciate there’s a lot of debate about this, but it is important that the commitment in the manifesto stands.”
Labour’s manifesto commitment to the triple lock protects the rate at which the state pension rises.
Burnham was also asked by a Reddit user what his stance was on electoral reform.
He answered: “I am a strong supporter of electoral reform, partly because I believe it will enable the change to a more collaborative politics, and one that is less about point-scoring and more about problem-solving.”
The soon-to-be leader of the Labour Party added that he will try to persuade his party to campaign for electoral reform at the next general election.
He has previously expressed support for replacing Britain’s first-past-the-post system with a form of proportional representation.
Labour’s party conference voted to support moving towards a proportional representation voting system in 2022.
The party’s 2024 manifesto instead focused its electoral and constitutional changes on extending voting to 16 and 17-year-olds and House of Lords reform.
On the issue of defence spending, Andy Burnham said he will ensure the defence investment plan is “fully funded”.
He was asked for his thoughts on the defence funding blueprint, which led John Healey to resign as defence secretary.The Makerfield MP said: “The world is changing fast and the challenges are multiplying.
“The defence investment plan represents a step change in Britain’s response to this new reality and I will ensure that it is fully funded.”
Andy Burnham also faced questions about how he would deal with foreign policy as prime minister.
He said he would “100%” give the same level of support to Ukraine as Sir Keir Starmer had and suggested he wanted to continue with the outgoing Prime Minister’s efforts to broker a closer relationship with the EU.
And answering a lighter question about his top four favourite films, Burnham replied: “Goodfellas, The Big Short, Brassed Off, Pride.”
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