Andy Burnham will become Britain’s new prime minister on Monday, but he does so under pressure to call an immediate general election after an exclusive poll for the Mail on Sunday found that voters want him to “legitimise his agenda” at the ballot box. The paper’s front-page headline calls him a “ ‘Messiah’ without a mandate”.
On the eve of his arrival at Downing Street, Burnham’s team confirmed he will scrap Sir Keir Starmer’s flagship digital ID programme, redirecting the money towards what a spokesperson called “more tangible improvements to people’s lives”. The incoming prime minister has pledged to “put its focus where people need it right now” and intends to announce more drilling for oil and gas as part of a first-day policy blitz.
“Andy Burnham becomes PM tomorrow as poll reveals majority want a general election to legitimise his agenda.”
Beyond the cost-of-living measures, Burnham is preparing an unprecedented intervention into privately owned utilities. The Sunday Times reports that Thames Water, Britain’s biggest water company, could be pushed into a special form of administration, fulfilling Burnham’s promise to take greater “public control” of the nation’s infrastructure.
Speculation over his first cabinet is also mounting. The Times reported that ministers being sacked can expect to be told on Sunday, while Labour sources told The Independent that Ed Miliband is being considered for foreign secretary. Lucy Powell, the deputy Labour leader, insisted the party would “stick to our manifesto” but said Burnham understands “the bigger, bolder measures that are needed” to deliver change.
Meanwhile, the Sunday Express reveals that the wage bill for Labour’s advisers has almost doubled from £6.9 million in 2019 to an “eye-watering” £12.4 million in the most recent financial year.
Burnham’s ascension comes against a darkening political backdrop. The murder of Reform’s justice spokeswoman, Ann Widdecombe, appears to be the country’s third assassination of a prominent politician in just over a decade – a tally comparable with that of the Northern Ireland conflict, according to an analysis in UnHerd.