Andy Burnham has finally made his pitch to London. Let’s have a look at his big answer to the pressures facing our city.
His three-point plan talks about new structures, new offices, new systems and redistributing power. He calls it “rewiring Britain”. But to Londoners who are struggling to pay the rent, waiting too long for services, worried about crime on their streets and wondering whether their children will ever afford to live in the city they grew up in, it sounds like another Labour politician promising to move the furniture around while the house is on fire.
What Burnham Forgot: Migration, Crime and Labour's Record
Because here are the three things Andy Burnham forgot: migration, crime and Labour’s record.
First, migration. You cannot talk seriously about London’s affordability crisis while refusing to talk about the pressure mass migration places on housing, schools, the NHS and public services. Londoners know this because they live it every day. They see housing lists grow longer. They see rents rise. They see councils stretched to breaking point. They see families who have worked, paid taxes and built their lives here being pushed further and further back.
Yet Burnham’s plan has nothing meaningful to say about it. That is not an accident. It is Labour’s blind spot. They want to discuss affordability without discussing demand. They want to promise more homes without admitting why the pressure has become so intense. They want Londoners to believe the crisis can be solved by another committee, another mission board or another slogan. It cannot.
Crime: A Central Issue Ignored
Second, crime. Burnham says he wants to revive high streets and regenerate places. But how can London’s high streets recover if people do not feel safe walking down them? How can small businesses thrive if theft, antisocial behaviour and violence are treated as background noise? How can families enjoy their neighbourhoods if parents are worried about their children travelling home after dark?
Crime is not a side issue in London. It is central to whether people feel their city is working. A serious plan for London must start with public safety. It must back visible policing, restore confidence in law and order, and make clear that the rights of victims and law-abiding citizens come first. Burnham’s plan does not do that.
Labour's Record: A History of Failure
Third, Labour’s record. This is the part Labour politicians always want Londoners to forget. Labour has run City Hall since 2016. This is not a party arriving from the outside with fresh answers. This is the political machine that has already had years to fix London’s problems.
And what do Londoners have to show for it? A city that feels less affordable, less orderly and less confident. A city where people pay more, wait longer and feel less safe. Labour cannot campaign as the solution to problems Labour helped create.
Now Burnham wants to lecture London from Manchester, while preparing his “Number 10 North” project. London does not need to be governed by remote control. It does not need another Labour experiment dressed up as national renewal.
London needs leadership that is honest about the pressures we face. Honest about migration. Honest about crime. Honest about Labour’s failures. Above all, London needs a Mayor who will put Londoners first.
