The prime minister has refused to rule out tax rises in his autumn budget saying he "won’t be unrealistic", as he spoke exclusively to ITV News in Ukraine.
Andy Burnham, who is currently on his first official visit to Kyiv, said the public need to understand that "we are in a challenging position".
"I won’t take risks with people’s jobs or livelihoods or their family finances and I will try to help them in whatever way I can," Burnham said.
"I will do what I can, but I won’t be unrealistic and people really need to understand that. We are in a challenging position."
The government is due to set out the budget on October 28, when new Chancellor John Healey will explain his financial plans for the country.
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