Andy Burnham made his first appearance as Prime Minister in the House of Commons, where he pledged to extend devolution powers across England. His address drew a sharp five-word response from former Conservative chairman Kevin Hollinrake on BBC Breakfast.
Commons Debut and Devolution Pledge
In his first Commons speech since taking power, Burnham said "a series of wrong turns" since the 1980s had seen economic power in the UK privatised. He pointed to the water industry as "a leaking monument to that approach - a country run in the private rather than public interest."
He reiterated his belief that political power had been centralised and announced he would be making devolution powers available to more areas in England. He is now set to take part in his first Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday.
Five-Word Blow on BBC Breakfast
Reacting to the speech, Kevin Hollinrake appeared on BBC Breakfast and issued a five-word statement in what was described as a humiliating blow to the Labour leader. He declared, "we should all be worried" following Burnham's speech in the House of Commons.
