As incoming prime minister Andy Burnham prepares to take office, his policy agenda is becoming clearer despite limited scrutiny during the leadership transition. Burnham has outlined a distinctly leftwing vision while also promising to be pro-business, but details remain sparse in several areas due to the absence of hustings or probing interviews.
Public Control of Utilities
Burnham has pledged to take more public control of key utilities such as water, likely beginning with Thames Water, Britain's largest water company serving 16 million customers. The firm has been on the brink of collapse for years and will be put into a special form of administration until a buyer is found, according to the Sunday Times.
He is also considering radical plans to cut household energy bills by £130 a year, making heat pumps cheaper than gas boilers. This would change household gas charging and remove policy levies from bills at a cost of £3.2bn annually to taxpayers. On transport, Burnham has cited the transformation of Greater Manchester's bus network—taken back under public control from private operators—as a model for national policy.
Drilling in the North Sea
Speculation is rife that Burnham will announce fresh plans for North Sea drilling. While Labour's 2024 manifesto pledged to honour existing exploration licences but not issue new ones, tieback arrangements—connecting new fields to approved facilities via pipelines—could allow new drilling without technically breaching that commitment. The Guardian understands this approach may anger some backbenchers and climate campaigners.
Immigration Changes
Burnham has signalled support for Shabana Mahmood's controversial immigration changes. In the House of Commons, he voted for legislation tightening the asylum system and reshaping appeals processes, despite dividing Labour MPs. While avoiding specific policy details, he has said net migration needs to fall further and noted that voters in Makerfield raised concerns about immigration.
Digital ID Scrapped
Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer's plans for digital ID cards, redirecting resources towards tackling the cost of living. The proposal, announced last September to combat illegal working with a 2029 introduction, attracted about 3 million petition signatures opposing it.
Whitehall Shake-Up and AI Minister
Burnham's team has asked officials to draw up plans to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), handing much of science and technology policy to a more powerful business department led by chief whip Jonathan Reynolds. Despite backlash from MPs and officials, the new cabinet is expected to include a minister for artificial intelligence for the first time.
Social Care Reform
Burnham has vowed to “grasp the nettle” of adult social care reform, a priority he first tackled as Labour's health secretary in 2009. He then proposed a levy on estates for universal social care; now he talks about replacing inheritance tax with a progressive “care levy” to fund a national care service. Speaking to the Guardian on the campaign trail, he said: “I personally would look at all of the kind of implications of that in relation to inheritance tax and care charges and everything. I wouldn’t flinch from it.”
Council House Building
Burnham wants his government to “oversee the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period.” He links the loss of almost 1.5 million council homes since the 1980s to the number of families on social housing waiting lists nationwide reaching a similar level. He has also noted that high housing costs have a “ruinous impact” on government finances, with record taxpayer support flowing to private landlords.
