Andy Burnham has given his first speech as Prime Minister at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on September 29. During the address, the new Labour leader broke down in tears while speaking about his late father, Roy, who died earlier this month. He also discussed Brexit and outlined how the UK might face up to the threat of Iran and Russia.
The new PM said he believed he could turn the country round, stating: “Where I can’t agree with others, I will fight hard for what I believe to be right and what I believe to be in the best interest of this country.”
EU relations and Brexit
Burnham said he would set out “options” on UK-EU relations later this year, telling the conference that Britain needed to decide on its “long-term relationship” with the bloc. He said: “Later this year, there will be a UK-EU summit where one of the issues on the agenda will be how we best work together on immigration.”
He added: “I will take the opportunity around the summit to lay out to you – to lay out to the country – what I believe the different options are for Britain’s long-term relationship with our European partners.”
“Brexit has done more harm than good,” Burnham said, telling the conference the UK has “lost some of the control” over the economy and immigration as a result. He said: “Brexit hasn’t given us control. We’ve lost some of the control we had over our economy, as a decade of low growth has put us in a weaker position. And we’ve lost some of our control over immigration.”
Turning Britain around
Burnham said he believes he can “turn Britain around” and try his best to find common ground. He said he was determined to prove wrong the claim that he would be the UK’s last prime minister, made by Scotland’s First Minister on the day his father died.
He said he was not looking to “seek sympathy” or criticise John Swinney. “Anyway, my dad Roy would have been the first to defend his right to say it. I relay it because I want you to know how it made me feel. Utterly determined to prove him wrong.”
Standing up to Iran and Russia
Burnham said he will “stand up to” Russian and Iranian “threats”, adding that his economic and social plans will improve the UK’s security. He told the conference: “A country which invests in people’s success, rather than abandoning them and paying for failure.”
He continued: “I will be steadfast in my support for Ukraine and stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere.” He also said the UK would be “principled” in securing a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine.
Triple lock and AI revolution
Burnham said the Government would tweak the triple lock on pensions to help pay for his social care plans. Pensions would rise either by CPI inflation or a minimum of 2.5%, generating “significant savings” and removing the link to average earnings. He said low-income pensioners would not have to pay income tax during this Parliament.
On AI, Burnham said Britain could lead the industrial revolution of AI, reaffirming his commitment to devolution. He said: “When Britain takes the presidency of the G20 next year, I will show our newfound confidence as a country and I will show it to the world by putting AI centre-stage.”
