Chancellor urges Labour leadership candidate to prepare detailed plan

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said Labour leadership candidate Andy Burnham should enter Downing Street with a worked-through plan because governing is hard and shocks will arrive quickly. Reeves spoke to BBC One's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. She said Burnham should stay focused on the priorities that first drew him into politics.

Leadership contest numbers Burnham's bid has support from 322 of Labour's 403 MPs, one short of the number that would make a contest mathematically impossible. If no other candidate enters, he is expected to become Labour leader on 17 July and prime minister on 20 July.

Economic outlook Reeves said Burnham would inherit stronger economic foundations than the current government received two years ago. She added that families' disposable income is falling and that public debt is projected to be higher by the end of the parliament than when Labour took office.

Reeves rejected the idea that removing the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners had caused internal party problems. She said she wants Burnham ready for the role and that it is reasonable for people to have ambition.

Personal reflection Reeves described her lowest moment in office as crying during prime minister's questions last year and then seeing the images on newspaper front pages the next day.