A firm Andy: what are new British PM’s plans?
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What is the background and significance of Andy Burnham becoming Britain’s new Prime Minister?
The Economist.
Hello and welcome to the intelligence from the Economist. I'm Rosie Blore. Today on the show, can Syria be rebuilt after years of strife? And how street markets have changed New York?
But first
Thank you so much, friends. Well a moment. And what backing you've given me.
Today Andy Burnham becomes Britain's new Prime Minister. The man known as King of the North will meet a real King, Charles III, then officially replace Keir Starmer and move into 10 Downing Street. All that comes after Friday's appointment as Leader of the Labour Party.
This is a proud moment you have given me and my family today, and an emotional one. But it is one for which I am ready. I am ready.
He's sounding full of confidence.
I know. What I want to do working with you all. I have a plan.
Question is, what is Andy's plan?
Andy Burnham says he's been planning to become Prime Minister for a year now, but we still actually know very little about what he's planning to do when he gets there.
Hugo Jai is our Britain political correspondent.
The identity of most of his cabinet has been kept under wraps. He's said very little about some of the biggest issues in politics like immigration and foreign policy. The one thing that we know he's really big on and plans to do is to devolve power away from Westminster and towards other regions of the country.
So let's take this ascendance to Prime Minister one step at a time. What happens next? What does Burnham do in the next few days, possibly weeks?
Well, so the very first thing he does after becoming Prime Minister is to sign a slightly terrifying letter which declares what Britain's nuclear submarine should do in the event of a nuclear war. But once he's got that out of the way, the first thing he'll need to do is to appoint his cabinet. So the most important position there will be Chancellor. They're the person responsible for the economy and the public finances. Rachel Reeves, the incumbent, is expected to. Be leaving. It's rumoured now that Shibana Mahmood, the current Home Secretary, is gonna take over as Chancellor. She would be something of a compromise choice. Ed Miliband was previously seen as the front runner, but he's maybe regarded as a bit too left-wing, might spook business, spook the markets.
Then there was Wes Streeting from the right of the party, but he would alienate the left. So Shabana Mahmood is neither too left wing nor right wing. Although Burnham did say when he became Labour leader last week that he plans to draw on all wings of the Labour Party as he puts together his cabinet as a whole.
You will see it reflects all parts of our party. All communities. And it will reflect your own place within this great party of ours. A stronger, more united Labour Party lifting up a stronger and more united Britain.
And on the economy, what he has said so far is more what he won't do than what he will do. So he won't raise any of the main taxes. That's keeping to a promise that was made by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. He won't change the massively expensive pensions policy that means we spend more and more on pensions each year. He has said he's going to revisit the issue of whether to drill for oil in the North Sea. But that's relatively minor in the grand scheme of things. So if he does have big economic plans, he's keeping them pretty secret so far.
And Hugo, two of the big issues facing Burnham and facing Britain are, as you say, migration and foreign policy. How will he deal with either of those?
We really don't know much at all about either of those. On migration, he said one thing he's not gonna do. He's ditching a plan for digital ID cards, which had been dreamt up by Keir Starmer and was pitched as, among other things, a way of cracking down on illegal migration. Burnham is seen as coming from the left of Labour broadly, although some of his mentors, such as Former Home Secretary David Blunkett are more from the right. So Burnham would say that's a strength that he can draw on all wings of the party and all traditions of the party, but the risk is that he ends up looking a bit muddled and not really taking a strong stance at all.
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
What is the background and significance of Andy Burnham becoming Britain’s new Prime Minister?
0:03–6:23
2
What are Andy Burnham’s first actions and cabinet‑selection priorities as Prime Minister?
6:23–11:44
3
How does Burnham plan to handle the UK’s economy, taxes and energy policy?
11:44–16:29
4
What are the biggest challenges for Burnham on migration and foreign policy?
16:29–21:00
5
Why is Syria’s reconstruction considered a ‘mammoth undertaking’ and what are the main obstacles?
21:00–24:07
6
Which international investors are involved in rebuilding Syria and what projects are they funding?
24:07–26:04