Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first speech outside Downing Street to promise a new era of stability and unity, vowing to win over voters disillusioned with politics. Speaking without the traditional lectern, he announced a ten-year plan to be unveiled later this year and immediate measures from Tuesday to tackle the cost-of-living crisis, offering citizens “breathing space now.”
Ending Rough Sleeping and Shifting Power
Burnham’s first specific pledge as PM was to “end rough sleeping in our country.” Earlier on the same day, he visited The Passage homelessness charity in London’s Victoria. He also promised to devolve power from Westminster, giving communities greater control over “life’s essentials.”
A Call for Unity
Addressing supporters who cheered him on Downing Street, Burnham acknowledged being the sixth prime minister in ten years and the seventh since 2016. “It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge,” he said, adding that Britain must “show the world that we can regain our stability once again.” He urged the nation to “pull with me” to build “a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity.”
Handover of Power
Burnham became PM after “kissing hands” with the King in a private ceremony. His predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, formally resigned earlier and said in his final Downing Street address that “my work is done,” leaving the country “stronger and fairer” than two years ago. The handover was notably quieter than Starmer’s resignation announcement last month, as a Metropolitan Police ban prevented protesters from playing loud music outside.
Burnham’s speech marked a shift from the confrontational style of recent years, focusing on collaboration and problem-solving over point-scoring. He concluded by calling for a “circuit breaker for Britain” with the biggest transformation in 40 years.
