Burnham Outlines Vision for Public Control and Economic Growth in Maiden Commons Address
Prime Minister pledges attendance at Cop31 climate summit and details prisoner early release scheme exclusions.
Callum Smith
Andy Burnham addressed the House of Commons for the first time as Prime Minister today.
Burnham declared, "The Government I lead will be relentless, relentless in giving people and places what they were promised 10 years ago: ownership and control. And from that control over their destiny comes change and growth."
He pledged to attend the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey in November. The Prime Minister confirmed that rape, grooming, and serious child sex offenses will be excluded from the early release scheme for prisoners.
Justice Secretary Alex Norris is expected to deliver a statement regarding changes to the prisoner early release scheme later this afternoon. The government reportedly plans to expand prison capacity through the deportation of foreign national offenders and the implementation of indefinite sentences.
Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around. Far from taking back control, the combination of these policies took control out of the hands of communities up and down Britain.
Burnham identified leaving the EU as one of several "wrong turns" the UK has made since the 1980s. He stated, "Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around. Far from taking back control, the combination of these policies took control out of the hands of communities up and down Britain."
Despite this assessment, Burnham affirmed adherence to Sir Keir Starmer's 'red lines' on Brexit, ruling out rejoining the EU, the single market, or the customs union. Burnham paid tribute to Sir Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation as an MP following his departure from Downing Street.
He also recommitted the UK's support for Ukraine and commended predecessors for their leadership in confronting Vladimir Putin. Burnham insisted he would not abandon net zero policies and hinted at the potential consideration of electoral reform.
He emphasized a shift away from 'point scoring,' advocating for cross-party collaboration to address national challenges. Burnham claims his experience leading Greater Manchester as its mayor has provided a clear theory of growth, which he intends to apply across the UK.
Nigel Farage is understood to be taking his seat as an MP after securing victory in the Clacton by-election. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will field questions in the Commons at 2:30pm.
Burnham's series of announcements over the summer reportedly revitalized Labour's poll ratings. However, Burnham's statement is understood to be a wide-ranging rehash of his summer pronouncements.