Andy Burnham will become prime minister on Monday, facing immediate criticism from both the opposition and former Downing Street advisers over his vision for the country. Kate Fall, deputy chief of staff to David Cameron and now a Conservative peer, described Burnham's 10-year-plan as 'sounds almost Soviet' – a sharp verdict on the incoming Labour leader's long-term strategy.
Burnham replaces Sir Keir Starmer after being officially declared Labour Party leader on Friday, having secured the backing of 379 MPs as the only candidate in a short contest. The transition follows a meeting with King Charles III. In his first announcements, Burnham has already scrapped the digital ID scheme introduced by Starmer and signalled a pivot toward new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea – a move applauded by US President Donald Trump, who wrote on social media that it would make the UK 'one of the Richest Countries anywhere in the World'.
“Andy Burnham becomes PM on Monday as his 10-year-plan is called 'almost Soviet' by former Cameron aide.”
Labour deputy leader Lucy Powell said Burnham would stand by the promises in Labour's 2024 election manifesto but would be 'bolder and more ambitious'. Speaking to the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Powell said his leadership offered a chance to 'reset' and that scrapping the digital ID scheme was a 'small example of reprioritising'. She insisted the scheme would have cost a 'not insignificant amount of money' and diverted attention from the government's priorities.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch attacked Burnham as a 'people pleaser', arguing the country needed someone who could 'take tough decisions, who can face down Labour MPs'. 'The job is not a popularity contest. It is making the lives of all of the people outside this building better. And he has not said what he's going to do. It's all airy-fairy stuff,' she said.
Some opposition parties have urged Burnham to call a general election to secure a mandate for his premiership, but Powell insisted he would stick to the manifesto, which 'did talk about the redistribution of power, the rewiring of our country, taking on some of those vested interests'. On the North Sea drilling, Powell said Burnham would be 'pragmatic' – 'I don't think it's a change of policy. It's more a change of emphasis.'
The BBC has been told that Burnham's government will announce plans for new oil and gas drilling. Whether his 10-year-plan can withstand the political attacks from both left and right remains an open question.