Andy Burnham set to become UK prime minister, pledging stable politics and lower bills

Despite early predictions of a close battle with Reform, Labour on course to win first electoral test for new PM

Labour is on course to win the next election, according to new analysis.Labour is on course to win the next election, according to new analysis.However, the party would lose its huge Commons majority if the country went to the polls now.The findings, by UK Polling Report, come despite the fact that Reform UK are still more popular than the other parties.Nevertheless, the first-past-the-post electoral system would reward Labour for having a wider geographical spread of support, leaving them the largest party.According to an average of opinion polls, support for Reform is at just under 25%, with Labour on 22% and the Conservatives on 20%.When translated into seats, that would would leave Labour with 209 MPs, some 202 fewer than were elected in 2024 and 117 short of an overall majority.Reform would come second on 149 seats, with the Tories on 133 and the Lib Dems on 72.The SNP would win 44 seats, with the Greens on 7 and Plaid Cymru on 4."IF A GENERAL ELECTION WERE HELD TODAY" PROJECTION @UKLABOUR WINLAB: 22.1% (-11.6)REFORM: 24.8% (10.5)CON: 19.9% (-3.8)https://t.co/tifPgLf9hLpic.twitter.com/hqaPUceUdN— UK Polling Report (@PollingReportUK) July 25, 2026The findings are a boost for new prime minister Andy Burnham less than a week into the job.However, speaking to the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the PM ruled out calling an early election before 2029.He said: “There is no general election.“And the thing I would say to you is 20 million people voted for a manifesto. We’re in a parliamentary democracy, so that is what people voted for, and I will honour that manifesto.”Asked again if he was ruling out an early election, the PM said: “Well I’m going to rule it out. There’s no early general election. I don’t think people want it.“The opinion polls might say some people do, some people don’t. I just think what I most need to do is get Britain focused on getting the country back where it should be, getting it working.”Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.Related...How Andy Burnham Promised Labour Unity And Then Delivered A Cabinet MassacreAndy Burnham Rules Out Early General Election: 'I Don't Think People Want It'Andy Burnham Refuses To Say That He Trusts Donald Trump

It is hard to make the case for a 10-year plan in our political culture of constant campaigning frenzy – but the new PM will try It all sounded feasible but improbable. A few days after Labour’s disastrous performance in local and devolved elections in May, one of Andy Burnham’s allies confidently forecast for me the sequence of events that would convey the then mayor of Greater Manchester to No 10. A friendly MP would surrender a parliamentary seat. Keir Starmer would be persuaded to resign. Other leadership contenders would see the futility of resistance to the Burnham bandwagon. It would roll, unchallenged, up Downing Street. It was a plan with many moving parts, and a lot that could go wrong.That it all worked as predicted took more than luck. The Makerfield byelection was winnable for Labour only with the right candidate and a strong campaign. The scale of Burnham’s victory generated momentum sufficient to push other obstacles aside. The “Andy” brand was stronger than his party’s logo.Rafael Behr is an Guardian columnist Continue reading...

SINCE Brexit, political instability in the UK appears to be unending. Over the past decade, the country has had six prime ministers, yet the majority of the public remains despondent and views Britain as fractured. Now, Andy Burnham, the former mayor of Greater Manchester, has been appointed as the prime minister to help steer the country out of its current political turmoil with a complete reset of policies and governance. His pitch for the premiership is “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”. Andy Burnham humorously earned the nickname the ‘King of the North’, inspired by Game of Thrones, for his efforts to defend Manchester communities during the Covid pandemic. He took steps to bring the city’s transport under local control and championed the devolution of power from Westminster and Whitehall to regional authorities. This strategy is often referred to as ‘Manchesterism’, and ‘Burnhamism’. While Manchester’s economy has been the UK’s fastest growing in recent years, some argue that this success is not entirely Burnham’s doing. Deviating from the austerity policies pursued by successive governments over decades, Burnham, in his initial speeches, outlined his priorities rooted in the vision he calls “business-friendly socialism”. He has announced the largest council housing programme since World War II, ensuring public control of utilities, and reviving local democracy. He also committed to the “biggest devolution of power in modern times”, reindustrialisation, and governing equality across the country. Burnham plans to set up ‘Number 10 North’, modelled on 10 Downing Street in London. While he is praised for accurately diagnosing Britain’s long-standing issues, scepticism remains about how he can realise his vision while staying true to his ‘soft left’, pro-welfare political stance. His detractors see gaps and paradoxes in what he stands for, what he intends to do, and the practical realities of running a government. They point out that Burnham aims to give working-class communities ‘breathing space’ and reduce the social welfare bill; he plans to build massive council housing without clearly explaining where the project’s funding will come from; he is keen to end 40 years of ‘neo-liberalism’ without disclosing his broader economic strategy. Burnham has repeatedly been reminded that being a prime minister is different from being a mayor and that he hasn’t got the mandate to do the job but rather is ‘crowned’ by the Labour Party without a contest to save it from oblivion. Burnham’s charm will only work if he delivers. It will also be crucial how Andy Burnham strikes a delicate balance on several issues, including immigration, Gaza and net-zero targets, to prevent Labour voters from defecting to other parties. Amid growing polarisation and anti-immigration sentiment, Burnham consistently emphasises unity in his speeches: “I am for us, for all of us”. While the new prime minister may avoid the immigration rhetoric used by his predecessor, Keir Starmer, he is expected to uphold Shabana Mehmood’s stricter border and immigration controls. He has apologised for Labour’s initial response to Gaza but faced criticism for not going far enough. How he articulates his government’s position on Gaza with political clarity and diplomatic responsibility will be a significant challenge. His support for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea may contradict Labour’s commitment to net-zero emissions by 2050, indicating a possible policy reversal. He is also likely to encounter resistance to decentralisation and reindustrialisation efforts. While these concerns and criticisms have some validity, it is also clear that the Labour Party sees a glimmer of hope in Andy Burnham, a last chance to save the party from decline and disintegration. Recently, the party’s support base has been shrinking rapidly, with the Reform Party on the right and Zack Polanski’s Greens and Independents on the left gaining traction. Due to his work in Manchester, Burnham is considered a potential bridge between working-class communities and the Labour Party. He knows how to charm people on social media, perform authenticity effortlessly and connect directly with supporters. But this charm will only work if he actually delivers and turns the hope into something more tangible and material. If Andy Burnham’s plan fails, the crisis could deepen for Labour and centre-left politics in the UK, with serious repercussions for European politics as well. It might strengthen far-right parties such as Reform, raising their prospects of gaining power and possibly triggering a ripple effect across Europe towards a similar trajectory. The writer is a former BBC journalist and a PhD candidate at the School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds. Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2026

Countering the populist challenge to liberal democracy requires something of a resetThe British love a coronation. That’s how the arrival of Andy Burnham into 10 Downing Street is being described in the UK. On Friday, Burnham was “crowned” as Labour leader, after being the only party MP to secure enough nominations following Keir Starmer’s resignation. He is now confirmed as Britain’s prime minister.Australians probably would call this something else: a leadership coup. For months, Burnham stalked Starmer to claim the Labour leadership. It was a meticulous campaign from the politician dubbed the “King of the North”. Via a byelection in the seat of Makerfield, Burnham has transplanted himself from the offices of the mayor of greater Manchester into the House of Commons and now Downing Street. Continue reading...

LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP)—New United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Monday promised to set out a 10-year-plan for Britain, to ease the cost of living crisis and outlined policy goals including an end to sleeping on the streets. Accompanied by his wife Marie-France van Heel, Burnham earlier met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace to become the head of government after Keir Starmer resigned. Burnham, 56, arrived at Downing Street to resounding applause from supporters and acknowledged he was the country's seventh prime minister since the start of 2016. Britain needed to show the world it could "regain stability", he said, vowing to offer "a new political model" and "build a new economy". In foreign policy goals, he told broadcasters earlier his first calls would be to US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, to whom he will offer reassurance that "I will be with him 100 percent". In his brief speech outside Downing Street, the new Labour leader said he would "bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan", without giving specifics. Naming short-term goals, he promised to "give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living." He also said his first instruction would be a pledge to "end rough sleeping", a measure he attempted to implement as a regional mayor in northern England, although it was not fully successful. Other announcements included a pledge to reindustrialise Britain through public procurement and to build more public housing. - 'Stronger, fairer' - Starmer departed Downing Street earlier, insisting his short time in office had made Britain a better place. "I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago," Starmer told reporters in his farewell speech outside Downing Street. "I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved," he added. Burnham will face an in-tray overflowing with challenges with little time to make his mark with a nationwide election due in 2029. In an interview with The Times published late Sunday, Burnham said he wanted to draw a line under a decade of political turmoil. "What we've been doing hasn't been working. That's the way I see it," he said. "I am going to try and do things in a different way." The focus now turns to his senior cabinet appointments, with all eyes on who will replace Rachel Reeves as finance minister. The former mayor of Greater Manchester, nicknamed the "King of the North", has been parachuted in by the Labour Party, after Starmer resigned last month, with MPs viewing him as the party's best chance of reining in Nigel Farage's anti-immigration Reform UK party. - 'Bigger, bolder' - Among Burnham's most urgent challenges will be a tepid economy, high government borrowing costs, a ballooning welfare bill and irregular migrants arriving in small boats that have fuelled support for Reform. Unpredictable energy prices due to the US-Iran war and volatile relations with the United States undeer Trump also threaten to buffet his premiership. Burnham told The Times he would take a "different approach to public spending, and to running the economy -- more focused on early investment, early intervention, setting people up for success, and much less paying for failure." Starmer led Labour to a landslide election victory in July 2024 after 14 years of Conservative rule. He announced that he would resign as prime minister and Labour Party leader in June after a string of scandals, missteps and policy U-turns blighted his leadership. But Burnham, who only returned as a member of parliament four weeks ago, has little room to manoeuvre amid sluggish economic growth, high public debt and strict financial rules requiring him to balance government spending against tax revenue. Burnham was an MP between 2001 and 2017, serving as a minister in the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. He has since reinvented himself as a man of the people, melding a relaxed, folksy style with slick social media videos. But Burnham's swift "coronation" as Labour leader and now prime minister has raised questions on how he will achieve his aims. EU chief Antonio Costa congratulated Burnham on taking up the job, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invited him to visit Berlin to mark "the deep bond between us".