london —
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, entered No. 10 Downing Street on Monday, offering few detailed policy statements but offering many clues about the nature of his role as prime minister.
Optics matter so much in politics that on his first day in office, Burnham broke free from any timetable and announced bold pledges, displaying a more casual style of leadership and bringing an upbeat tone to Downing Street.
Mr Burnham announced his first policy intervention to tackle homelessness, with lofty promises of change, welfare reform and devolution.
At the end of his first speech as Prime Minister, he said: “I will soon be walking through the back door and giving the first instructions to end rough sleeping in our country.” Shortly after, his team announced that an additional £340 million ($457 million) would be allocated as part of the effort.
A passage from the accompanying statement said: “The Prime Minister rejects the idea that ending sleep deprivation will take decades or is simply impossible,” indicating the scope of Mr Burnham’s ambitions. According to homeless charity Shelter, at least 4,600 people in the UK sleep rough every night, but the number of people experiencing homelessness is far higher.
While Starmer typically avoided such maximalist goals in favor of narrower goals that were more likely to be achieved, Burnham appears to have actively promoted bolder goals. Whether such a goal can be achieved is another matter, and whether public support will be undermined if it is not.
Mr Burnham failed to deliver on a similar promise to end homelessness in Manchester when he became mayor in 2017. Local government statistics show the number of homeless people in the city was almost halved from 2017 to 2024, but the number has risen again since its lowest point in 2021.
“I will do my best,” he said in front of dozens of cheering supporters. “Let us build a new sense of national unity, common purpose, and positivity.”
Mr Burnham said he would set out a 10-year plan “later this year”, but from Tuesday he would outline smaller measures to provide “partial living cost support”. Although he did not provide policy details, he also cited the government’s priorities, including helping to get more young people into work and building more social housing. And he repeated his frequent claim that the UK “took a turn in some wrong direction” in the 1980s, when “political power was centralized (and) economic power was privatized”.
Mr Burnham’s northern roots underpin his “man of the people” image, and he has put devolution, which moves power from London to other parts of the UK, at the heart of his agenda. Although he did not explicitly mention the North in his speech, he spoke of his goal to “take power out of here and bring it to every zip code in this land.”
Late Monday, Burnham began announcing cabinet appointments, further hinting at the government’s direction.
Former Defense Secretary John Healy, who resigned last month over military spending, has been appointed Britain’s new finance minister, known as Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to Downing Street.
Meanwhile, Ed Miliband, who led Labor from 2010 to 2015, will become foreign secretary, while Shabana Mahmoud will remain home secretary.
Despite Monday’s tight schedule, Burnham made time for several important calls with world leaders. In a phone call with US President Donald Trump, he emphasized his commitment to “defense and security” and said: “Ensuring the security of the UK and our allies is our top priority,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
Prime Minister Burnham also reaffirmed Britain’s “firm commitment to the Ukrainian people” in a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. The Ukrainian leader thanked Mr Burnham for his “warm words of respect” and “condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed in the recent Russian attacks.”
Signs that Burnham intended to act differently appeared on opening day. He gave his first Prime Minister’s speech outside Downing Street without teleprompters, notes or the traditional podium. It looked more casual and more natural than his predecessor.
However, given the formal nature of the occasion, Burnham wore traditional political attire of a suit and tie rather than his usual trademark T-shirt and jacket.
Shortly before Burnham embarked on Downing Street, his predecessor Starmer left behind a legacy of self-proclaimed “class” and “smiles”.
Mr Starmer added that he had “full support” for Mr Burnham, forgiving him for his role in toppling the former Manchester mayor and appearing to forget earlier attempts to prevent Mr Burnham from returning to parliament. “I’m now passing the baton to Andy Burnham and I wish him all the best,” he said.
Starmer now has first-hand experience of the brutal chaos of British politics. Just over two years ago, he stood outside Downing Street giving his victory speech after leading Labor to a landslide victory in the general election. But his authority has become increasingly fragile after several missteps, pivots and failures to quickly deliver the changes he promised.
The contrast between Burnham and Starmer was evident in their speeches. And although they talked about similar themes, they struck different tones. Mr Burnham spoke of the need for the UK to “show the world that we can be stable again”, while Mr Starmer said: “Our international reputation has increased significantly”.
Still, Mr Starmer’s unceremonious exit, especially in the face of a populist challenge from the far-right Reform Britain Party, serves as a warning to Mr Burnham and a reminder of the political instability that continues to roil Britain more than a decade after the referendum to leave the EU.
Burnham is trying to do things differently, but it’s not yet clear whether that will be enough to avoid the same forces that have beset his six predecessors.
