Andy Burnham pledged nothing less than the biggest change in British politics in four decades as he became Labour leader on Friday – but within hours Nigel Farage had demanded an immediate general election, warning that the country risked turning into a 'third world country' within a decade.
Burnham, who will become prime minister on Monday after Keir Starmer visits Buckingham Palace, told Labour MPs he was feeling 'good… ready' before entering the hall for his victory speech. He vowed to banish factionalism from the party for good, saying 'factionalism has bedevilled us. Today we moved beyond it.' He promised to undo the Thatcherism of the 1980s, bring more public ownership of utilities, fix social care and build a new generation of council homes. 'Four decades of neoliberalism,' he said, had damaged traditional working-class communities. Doing so, he argued, would be 'the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years'.
“Burnham promises biggest change in 40 years; Farage demands election and warns of 'third world' UK within decade.”
But even as he spoke, questions swirled over how he would deliver. Nearing the end of his address, Burnham paused and said: 'I know what to do. I have a plan.' Yet after half an hour of dense rhetoric, the substance of that plan remains unclear. He has not decided on his top team, including the crucial role of chancellor – a delay some Labour MPs see as a niggling sign of indecision. Anxiety on the left is growing over the prospect of Shabana Mahmood, a Blue Labour figure, entering the Treasury ahead of Ed Miliband. Other speculation puts Jonathan Reynolds in charge of an expanded business department, Wes Streeting as defence secretary, and Angela Rayner as health secretary to tackle social care. Burnham defended the delay, saying it would be 'chaos' to announce appointments before entering No 10.
Farage, who is fighting a by-election in Clacton after resigning as an MP, seized on the uncertainty. Speaking at the CPAC GB conference in London, he said: 'The only certainty with Burnham is we’re going to get more of the same, but they’ll go further to the left than they already are.' He claimed Burnham had 'literally no mandate' outside the 25,000 voters in the Makerfield by-election. 'Taxes are going to rise,' Farage warned, adding that property taxes would 'collapse the housing market'. He demanded an immediate general election, saying Reform UK was well-placed for a 'historic upset' and had raised more money last year than any other party.
Burnham, meanwhile, faces pressure from his own party on electoral reform. During the Makerfield campaign he pledged: 'I am committed to proportional representation.' In May, Labour MP Alex Sobel brought an amendment calling for a national commission on electoral reform, backed by 96 Labour MPs and nearly 200 parliamentarians across all parties. As Burnham prepares to enter Downing Street, the question is how quickly he will move to change the voting system – and whether he can afford to spend political capital on an issue that divides his party.
One area where Burnham has signalled willingness to spend capital is social care. He has repeatedly backed a 'levy on all estates' to fund it, first proposed as health secretary in 2010 – a plan the Daily Mail has labelled a 'death tax'. He told supporters he is 'willing to expend a lot of political capital' to get it through. Whether that capital will be enough to unite his party, fend off Farage, and deliver the change he promises remains the defining question of his premiership – before it has even begun.
