Andy Burnham gave his first speech as Prime Minister outside Number 10 Downing Street on Monday, July 20, 2026, calling for unity and positivity. Speaking without notes, teleprompter or lectern, he acknowledged that politicians 'need to do better' and promised a new approach under his leadership.
Address Without Notes
Burnham arrived in a police-escorted Range Rover with his wife Marie-France van Heel and greeted supporters, including Liverpool city region mayor Steve Rotherham, former Oldham mayor Arooj Shah, and Everton legend Peter Reid. He made his way along the crowd, giving handshakes and hugs before stepping to the iconic doorway with only a pair of microphones.
He began by acknowledging the frequent changes in prime ministers in recent years. 'I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk up this street,' he said. 'The seventh Prime Minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.'
Promise to Improve Politics
Burnham stated that Britain needs to show the world it can regain stability. 'That is our challenge. To make politics work. To make it work better,' he said. 'I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you and I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be.'
He pledged that his appointment would be 'a circuit breaker for Britain' and laid some blame for the country's problems on 'wrong turns' taken in the 1980s, including deindustrialisation. 'Political power was centralised, economic power privatised,' he said. 'Many people feel as though their areas are still in decline and they don't have the ability to turn things around.'
Plans for Change
Burnham promised to change politics to be more collaborative and problem-solving. 'We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land,' he said. 'In doing so, we will build a new economy where we put life's essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again.'
He announced a ten-year plan later in the year outlining goals including backing British industry, ending rough sleeping, helping with the cost of living, supporting young people into work, building more council homes, and honouring defence commitments. 'We will help people to live well,' he said, 'by building a more preventative state, investing in people's success rather than paying for failure.'
Call for Unity
Burnham ended his speech on a personal note: 'I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do. I will give this my all and I ask you all to pull with me. Let's build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again - the moment we bring back hope.'
