Andy Burnham, the newly confirmed Labour leader and incoming prime minister, outlined five key promises during a speech at a special conference at the Trades Union Congress headquarters in central London. The former Greater Manchester mayor, who returned to Westminster after winning the Makerfield by-election last month, will replace Sir Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street next Monday.
One Labour Team
Burnham insisted he wants to end factionalism within the party. “I will work relentlessly to build a culture of one Labour team, because change starts with us,” he said. “We won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions. That is, and always has been, an indulgence that falls heaviest on the people who need Labour most. Fighting to eradicate it, and the insidious briefing culture that goes along with it, will characterise my leadership.”
Build a New Politics
The new Labour leader pledged to “build a new politics”, stating: “The country is crying out for it. We might enjoy the point scoring against others. The public don’t. How can politicians point fingers when living standards are falling and politics as a whole isn’t working for them? It infuriates them and makes them switch off. In Makerfield, I decided to make a break with this. I said we hadn’t been good enough. I told people what I would do to fix it. And you know what? People started to listen again. They gave us a fair hearing, as the great British public always do, and then another chance. But let’s be honest, everybody: this is a last chance to change, and we must take it together, united together.”
Direction Will Be Distinctively Labour
Burnham vowed to set a political direction that is “distinctively Labour”. He said: “Yes, we will work with other parties where we can, but in doing so have the clarity of knowing exactly where we stand. As your leader, I will set a direction that is distinctively Labour. We won’t try to out-Green the Greens or out-Reform Reform, or doing what we’ve done in the past of wearing too many Tory clothes. Let me tell you, I’m quite happy that Kemi [Badenoch] doesn’t approve of my wardrobe choices, because I’m not keen on theirs either. From here, we do it differently. We win by being us, boldly, confidently, authentically us. Labour. That’s how we win.”
A Leader for the North, South, East and West
Mr Burnham said: “I will be a leader for the North, the South, the East and the West, for Scotland, Wales and for Northern Ireland.”
Devolution
The former Greater Manchester mayor repeated his promise to devolve power away from Westminster. “We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall, and give it to the place where you live – more power over life’s essentials, so you can make them work better and more affordable for people,” he said. “We want to give your area more power to build the council and social homes that you desperately need for those families I was talking about a moment ago, more power to improve your high street, backing local businesses such as the pubs and the shops that bring them to life. And make no mistake, everybody, I will be a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester. We turn places round together.”
