Prime Minister Andy Burnham promised to win over voters “fed up with politics” and show the world that the UK can once again be a source of stability. In his first speech as Prime Minister in Downing Street, Mr Burnham pledged to take power out of Westminster and give the public greater control over “life’s essentials.”
Key Promises in Maiden Speech
Speaking without the lectern used by his predecessors, Mr Burnham said he would set out a ten-year plan later this year, and, starting on Tuesday, measures to address the cost-of-living squeeze and give people “breathing space now.” In his first promise as Prime Minister, he said he would “end rough sleeping in our country.” Just hours before his maiden speech, he visited the homelessness charity The Passage in London’s Victoria.
Mr Burnham, who was met with cheers by supporters in Downing Street, said: “I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh prime minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution. It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again.”
Transformation and New Political Model
The Labour leader pledged to “make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain” – the biggest transformation in the last 40 years, with “a new political model and a new economic model.” He said: “We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point-scoring, and will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more, and in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again, reindustrialising Britain using public procurement to back British industry.”
Additional Commitments
The new UK leader also promised to help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, build more council homes, and create a more “preventative state,” investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure. He said: “That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.”
Call for National Unity
Mr Burnham concluded his speech by urging people to “pull with me” to “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,” he said.
Handover of Power
Mr Burnham became Prime Minister after “kissing hands” with the King – the private ceremony by which he accepted the invitation to form a government. The carefully choreographed handover of power came after Sir Keir Starmer had his own audience with Charles to formally resign. In his final appearance in Downing Street, Sir Keir said “my work is done” and he was leaving the country “stronger and fairer” than when he took office just two years ago.
The speeches by the incoming and outgoing prime ministers were quieter than Sir Keir’s announcement that he would be resigning last month, as a Metropolitan Police ban prevented protesters, including anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray, from playing loud music outside Downing Street to drown out his words.
Supporters and Next Steps
Mr Burnham was flanked by a crowd including his long-term friend and ally, Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram; former footballer Peter Reid, who played for Mr Burnham’s favourite team Everton; and Josh Simons, who stood down as Makerfield MP to allow Mr Burnham to return to Westminster and challenge Sir Keir. After his speech, Mr Burnham received hugs, applause and a kiss from his wife Marie-France van Heel, before the pair entered the black door of No 10 to be greeted by Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo and clapped in by staff.
Among his first tasks is the selection of his new Cabinet. Attention has focused on who he will choose as his chancellor, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood widely seen as the frontrunner.
Reactions from Other Leaders
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch sent a letter welcoming the Prime Minister and urging him to commit to spending cuts and rule out tax rises. She also urged him to grant licences for the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jackdaw and overturn the ban on new oil and gas licences. Green Party leader Zack Polanski called on Mr Burnham to impose rent controls, take the water industry into public ownership and introduce wealth taxes.
