Andy Burnham’s new economics advisor oversaw an illegal sacking and an incident where police were called on his own staff, according to a trade union.

The Independent Workers’ of Great Britain (IWGB) union said Andy Haldane should not be “anywhere near a government that claims to stand for working people”.

Last week it was reported that Burnham was receiving advice from some “top economists” ahead of his Labour leadership run, including Haldane, a former Bank of England chief economist.

Haldane was the chief executive of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) from 2021 to 2025, where he oversaw a period of unrest, with staff taking strike action for the first time in the charity’s 270-year history after management refused to recognise their trade union.

Burnham’s appointment of new economic advisors is seen as an attempt to bolster his fiscal credibility. However, Haldane’s former staff have expressed concerns that his inclusion “points in the opposite direction” of a leadership that can “bring people together”.