Newly appointed UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised a “circuit breaker” moment for Britain, pledging to reset the country’s politics and deliver a 10-year national plan aimed at rebuilding the economy and restoring public confidence.
Burnham made the remarks in his first speech outside Downing Street after being invited by King Charles III to form a government at Buckingham Palace, becoming the fifth British prime minister in four years.
“We need to be better. We will be,” Burnham said, acknowledging public frustration with politics and promising to place “the right values and right standards at the heart of government”.
“The care of people will be at the heart of everything I will do,” he said, pledging to give his “all” to build “a new national sense of unity”.
The new Prime Minister said his government would begin unveiling measures to give households more “breathing space” from the cost-of-living pressures starting from Tuesday, alongside details on how the plans would be funded.
Burnham promised to tackle homelessness, saying his first instruction as Prime Minister would be aimed at ending rough sleeping across the country.
He also pledged to increase the construction of council homes, describing it as a “fair and sustainable way” of reducing pressure on the welfare system.
On employment, Burnham said his government would help more young people into work by reforming the education system and expanding support services, including mental health assistance.
He also promised to shift power away from Westminster and give local communities greater control over decisions affecting them.
The Prime Minister said his government would pursue a new economic model focused on making essential services more affordable, bringing “life’s essentials back under public control”, reindustrialising Britain and supporting domestic industries.
Later this year, Burnham said he would publish a 10-year plan setting out the direction he wants the country to take.
“We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain and there will be a new political model,” he said, arguing that previous decisions, including privatisation and de-industrialisation in the 1980s, had left some communities struggling to recover.
He said his government would focus less on political competition and more on cooperation and solving problems facing ordinary people.
The leadership change followed the resignation of former Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who said in his final address outside No. 10 Downing Street that he was leaving office “with good grace” and “a smile”.
Burnham is expected to begin appointing his cabinet later today, with senior government positions set to be announced after Lord Timpson resigned as prisons minister earlier in the morning.
