Andy Burnham promised a new path for Britain in his first speech since being officially named leader of the Labour Party. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who takes over as prime minister on Monday, pledged that his government will have the courage to fix the big things politics has neglected.
Flanked by senior party figures, Burnham arrived in London to hear the result of Labour’s leadership contest — a formality, since he ran unopposed. He was greeted warmly by former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, a nod to the long political journey that brought Burnham to this point.
“I believe Labour can win next time, but let’s be under no illusions, it’s going to be a long road back,” Burnham said.
Third Time’s the Charm
It is third time lucky for Burnham, who first sought the Labour leadership in 2010 and tried again in 2015, losing both bids. His party’s overwhelming turn to him now comes down to one thing: his victory in the Makerfield by-election a month ago, where he held off Reform UK on the right and the Greens on the left even as Labour trails in national polls.
Burnham thanked his predecessor, Keir Starmer, but made clear to party activists that he intends to govern differently.
“As your leader, I will set a direction that is distinctively Labour. We won’t try to out green the greens, or out reform, reform, or doing what we’ve done in the past of wearing too many Tory clothes,” he said.
He was equally direct about what he sees as the root of the country’s problems.
“I am clear Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s. Political power was centralised and economic power was privatised. The country surrendered control of the essentials – housing, water, energy, transport – and left people exposed to higher costs. That, in turn, led to the concentration of more wealth and power in the hands of fewer people and fewer places,” he added.
To skeptics who question his readiness for office, Burnham offered a simple answer.
“I have a plan. And what I also want you to know is that I won’t change. I have a style, it’s my style. I will always stay close to the ground, close to The People,” he said.
Assembling a Government
Burnham’s most pressing task now is choosing his top team; his Cabinet picks will become clear once he formally takes over as prime minister on Monday. But lawmakers won’t get an early chance to weigh in — the day of Burnham’s confirmation as leader also marked the first day of Parliament’s summer recess,
Britain’s equivalent of school holidays, so MPs across the House of Commons won’t be able to challenge or scrutinize the new government until September. That hasn’t stopped expectations of a wave of policy announcements in the meantime.
Starmer, for his part, is preparing to leave Downing Street after two tumultuous years in office. Burnham’s allies insist his arrival will mean more than a change of personnel — they are promising a clear change in direction.
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