Burnham in his first speech focuses on the economic recovery and the fight against the high cost of living

LONDON – In his first speech in Parliament since becoming prime minister, Andy Burnham today paid tribute to his predecessor Keir Starmer, who with a touch of malice chose the very day of his successor’s debut at Westminster to announce his resignation as an MP and his withdrawal from British politics.

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Burnham thanked Starmer for bringing the Labour Party back to victory in 2024 after 14 years in opposition and for always supporting Ukraine, reiterating that his Government will continue to do the same.

Burnham, prime minister for six weeks coinciding with the summer recess of Parliament, returned to Westminster after ten years of absence – a period spent serving as mayor of Manchester. In his speech, he touched on all the issues dear to him: his determination to lower the cost of living, his mission to give greater autonomy to local authorities, his belief that his success in Manchester in reviving the economy through close collaboration between public and private sectors can be replicated across the country.

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The prime minister also insisted on his program to bring essential services such as transport, energy, and water back under public control. “I have a credible and coherent plan to boost growth,” Burnham said. More than the content of his speech, what is different is the tone: a message of positivity and a sense of optimism that sets him apart from Starmer.

“I want to bring hope to every corner of the country,” Burnham said, and people seem willing to believe him. For the first time in over a year, Labour has surpassed Reform, the far-right party, in opinion polls thanks to the popularity of the new prime minister. A honeymoon that may not last, given the problems Burnham will have to face, from rising debt interest to defense costs, from thorny international issues to the dizzying increase in social care costs, from rising inflation to still sluggish growth. For now, however, the prime minister has the party and much of the electorate on his side, in stark contrast to his predecessor, who had become, much to his regret, the most unpopular prime minister in history.

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