Andy Burnham made his first speech as Prime Minister outside No10 on Monday, after accepting the King's request to form a government at Buckingham Palace earlier that day. The former Manchester mayor, accompanied by his wife Marie-France van Heel, addressed a crowd just hours after Sir Keir Starmer's final speech. Greeted with applause and cheers, Burnham announced plans to “make politics work” and “make it work better.”
Ten-Year Plan and Cost-of-Living Measures
Burnham promised to set out a ten-year plan later this year, alongside immediate measures to address the cost of living. He stated, “I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living, and I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them.” The plan aims to help young people into work through education reform, increased mental health support, and building more council homes.
A Call for Unity and Political Reform
The new Prime Minister acknowledged public frustration with politics, saying, “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 described his premiership as a “circuit breaker for Britain,” proposing the biggest changes in 40 years, including a new political and economic model. Burnham criticized the 1980s for centralizing political power, privatizing economic power, and deindustrializing large parts of the country, which he said still haven't recovered.
Ending Rough Sleeping and Building a Preventative State
Burnham announced his first instruction as PM would be to end rough sleeping in the country. He emphasized a shift toward a more preventative state, “investing in people’s success rather than paying for failure.” He concluded by urging, “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.”
