Chancellor Rachel Reeves has urged Andy Burnham to arrive in Downing Street with a “worked through plan”, warning that the incoming prime minister will be tested quickly by a range of “shocks and challenges”. In what could be one of her final major interviews from No 11, Reeves said Burnham should remain focused on the priorities that first brought him into politics.
Burnham Nears Labour Leadership
Burnham’s bid to become Labour leader and prime minister has been backed by 322 of the party’s 403 MPs, leaving him just one short of the number required to make it mathematically impossible for a rival to compete. If no one else enters the contest, he will expect to become Labour leader on 17 July and prime minister the next working day, 20 July.
Speaking to BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Reeves said: “It is important that when Andy walks through that door he has a worked-through plan, because governing is hard in Britain, and lots of challenges and shocks will come his way.”
Burnham’s Vision for Power
Burnham has already begun setting out his vision to transform the UK, centred around the “biggest rebalancing of power Britain has ever seen”. This includes a new No 10 North hub to oversee the distribution of power and resources from Whitehall across the country. In a wide-ranging speech last month, he said he intended to “lift the country back up” and revive hope among frustrated voters. Burnham has hinted at an early package of cost of living support once in Downing Street, accepting that “people can’t wait for ever for change”.
Reeves Reflects on Government’s Challenges
Reeves admitted that Starmer and his government had lost the confidence of Labour MPs and the public because “people are impatient for change”. “I’m impatient for change, and I totally get that people want to see their lives changed,” she said. She argued that Burnham would inherit stronger economic foundations than she and Starmer did after 14 years of Conservative rule: “Andy will take over an economy that is much stronger than the one I inherited from the Tories just two years ago.”
She acknowledged that if she could go back two years, there are choices she would make differently, but urged focus on the big picture: returning stability to the economy, enabling interest rates to come down, and seeing productivity growth at rates not seen for a long while.
Economic Progress and Criticism
Reeves appeared to rebut claims that the decision to take away the winter fuel allowance from millions of pensioners had caused problems within the party, instead highlighting economic progress. However, latest ONS figures show families’ disposable income is falling, and it is expected that by the end of this parliament, the country’s debts will be higher than when Labour took power.
Allies Confirm Burnham’s Long-Term Planning
Former transport secretary Louise Haigh said Burnham had been planning how he might succeed Starmer for at least a year. “He has been thinking about this and certainly planning for this, for this moment, for at least the last year,” she told Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson. Haigh, a key ally and leading figure of the soft left, said his route into No 10 and decision to run for a third time became clear after the party’s disastrous election results in May, stating “it couldn’t continue the way it was continuing”.
Reeves on Personal Low Point
Reeves said one of her lowest moments in office was when she was seen crying during a session of prime minister’s questions last year. “Don’t cry on national television,” she said. “That was probably my toughest moment or perhaps even tougher, seeing photos of me crying on national television on the front page of pretty much every newspaper the following day.”
