Andy Burnham has vowed to 'put hope in every heart' as he gave his first speech after being confirmed as the new leader of the Labour Party. The Makerfield MP will succeed Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister on Monday after he took the governing party’s reins at a special conference at the Trades Union Congress headquarters in central London.
Key Promises in Acceptance Speech
In his acceptance speech, Mr Burnham said he would offer 'hope' and promised to 'get the country pulling together again'. He said: 'I want people to say once again that Labour are ‘for us’. I want that to just fall off people’s tongues – and we can do it. We can be that party, the party that puts more power in people’s hands, drives good growth in every postcode and puts hope in every heart. That gets the country pulling together again and moves beyond the divisions of recent years, all people and all places, public and private sectors, in a new sense of unity and common cause. That’s my mission as your new leader, to bring back hope. I believe in all of you, and I am confident we can do it.'
Devolution and Local Power
He also repeated his pledge to devolve power away from Westminster, giving people 'more power over life’s essentials'. He said: 'We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall, and give it to the place where you live – more power over life’s essentials, so you can make them work better and more affordable for people. We want to give your area more power to build the council and social homes that you desperately need for those families I was talking about a moment ago, more power to improve your high street, backing local businesses such as the pubs and the shops that bring them to life. And make no mistake, everybody, I will be a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester. We turn places round together.'
Economic and Educational Reforms
He also reiterated his promise to ensure parity between academic and technical education and 'reindustrialise' Britain. Mr Burnham said the country 'needs a new path to the one that we’ve been on for the last 40 years' and vowed to make an 'economy and a country that works for all people and places'. He said: 'That is why this change today is the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years. It will take us to a country where life is more affordable and all people and places are lifted from where they are now.'
National Leadership and Unity
And he sought to counter criticism of him being too focused on Manchester by insisting he would speak up for all parts of the UK. He said: 'I will be a leader for the north, the south, the east and the west, plus Scotland, Wales and for Northern Ireland. Yes, the north of England has given me so much, everything, in fact. And in return, I have sought to give it the strongest voice I could. That was my job, but now I do the same for everywhere, because I see the same challenges everywhere I look.'
Political Change and Personal Style
Describing this as Labour's 'last chance to change' he also pledged to 'build a new politics'. 'The country is crying out for it,' he said. 'We might enjoy the point scoring against others. The public don’t. How can politicians point fingers when living standards are falling and politics as a whole isn’t working for them? It infuriates them and makes them switch off.' But while he vowed to change the Labour Party, he insisted he would 'always stay the same'. He said: 'I know what I believe after 25 years as an elected Labour representative, and I know what I want to do working with you all. 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.'
