Andy Burnham to become Labour leader and will promise to ‘fix things politics has neglected’
What we heard in Andy Burnham’s first speech as Labour leaderpublished at 12:57 BST
Jenna Moon
Live editor
Image source, PA Media
Andy Burnham took the stage as Labour’s new leader and PM-in-waiting to a raucous standing ovation. “What a moment,” he said, before adding: “I’m ready.”
And after thanking outgoing PM Keir Starmer for his leadership, Burnham launched into what can be expected from him as he heads up the party.
He pledged to do five things as leader:
Build a “one Labour team”: Decrying the party’s history of infighting, Burnham said that factionalism has “bedevilled” Labour, adding a divided party can’t “beat Britain’s new right if we are infighting”.
A new type of politics: Claiming the public is “crying out” for change in politics, Burnham said voters were switched off. He said he gained ground in the Makerfield by-election because he was honest about the need for new politics – but added: “This is our last chance for change.”
Refining the party’s political direction: While Burnham said he would work with other parties, he added that Labour would now be “boldly, confidently us”, rather than adopting other parties’ politics.
A leader for the whole UK: Burnham promised that he would be “a leader for the north, the south, the east, the west, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland”. He pledged to unite the country to a common cause.
Decentralising Whitehall: Echoing his previous commitment to devolve government from Westminster, Burnham said that he wanted to give power back to areas around the country.
We got a few glimpses of the policies that a Labour Party under Burnham would adopt: The new leader promised new council homes, reinvigorated high streets and improvements to education. Despite speculation, Burnham said he is yet to decide who will be in his top team.
Our political correspondents will continue to digest what we heard this afternoon – stay with us here for more analysis to come.
