1. Raise the standard of living
One of Burnham's first priorities as prime minister will be to lower the cost of living for Britons, who are struggling with rising food and petrol prices.
At his first press conference, Burnham says he will present a plan to give people more "breathing space."
We should help people live a good life by building a state that prevents and invests in people's success rather than paying for failures, he says.
2. Decentralization
Britain is a centralized country where most power is derived from Westminster in London. Burnham advocates decentralization of decision-making and has promised to establish a “Number 10” in Manchester.
He wants to give the regions greater powers to develop and support local businesses.
Burnham has also promised to reduce corporation tax by 20 percent for pubs and concert venues to stimulate local business.
"I will be a business-friendly leader of the Labour Party, just as I was a business-friendly mayor of Greater Manchester," he said in a speech when he was elected party leader.
3. Greater public ownership
As mayor of Manchester, one of Burnham's most talked-about projects was to bring privatized public transport back under regional control.
Now he says he wants greater public ownership of, among other things, the water and energy sectors.
According to the BBC, the country's largest water company, Thames Water, is preparing to oppose any attempts at nationalization.
4. Affordable housing
In the UK, housing costs have risen sharply in recent years and there is a shortage of affordable housing. According to Burnham, the country is in a housing crisis. He promises “the largest program of building council housing since the post-war period.” However, he has not specified how it will be financed.
One of his first promises as new Prime Minister is to end homelessness in the country.
As mayor of Manchester, he donated 15 percent of his salary to local homeless initiatives.
5. Stop the “voter flight”
Since the 2024 general election, support for the social democratic Labour Party has fallen sharply. A key task for Burnham will therefore be to regain the trust of voters and stop the exodus to populist parties such as the anti-immigration Reform UK, whose supporters are driven by dissatisfaction with migration policy, the NHS and the political establishment.
Labour has also lost many voters to the Green Party.
"We will not try to outdo the Greens, or outdo Reform. We win by being us," he said.
Andy Burnham was born in Liverpool in 1970. He has been Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017. Prior to that, he had been a Labour MP since 2001. He has been Deputy Chancellor of the Exchequer (2007–2008), Minister for Sport and Culture (2008–2009) and Minister for Health (2009–2010).
Burnham is considered to belong to the “soft left” within Labour. He himself speaks of Manchesterism, a policy that, according to him, combines growth and investment with social welfare and equality.
Burnham is Catholic and has three children with his Dutch wife Marie-France van Heel.
