Andy Burnham RECAP: PM blasts Brexit and austerity for ’10 years of stalled growth’ . hyn

Mirror Political Editor Lizzy Buchan writes…

After a long hot summer, it was back to reality for Andy Burnham.

The new Prime Minister faced his first Commons test as Labour MPs finally got to see their new leader in action, six weeks after he swept to power to become Britain’s sixth PM in a decade.

Despite 16 years away from the Commons front bench, the PM appeared unfazed by spending more than three hours answering 125 questions on his agenda.

He sought to strike a more collegiate tone with Kemi Badenoch, and said he wanted to ditch political point scoring in favour of getting things done. It’s a stark contrast from Nigel Farage, who was back in Parliament after spending the summer arguing with a man dressed as a bin to distract from questions about his finances.

The exchanges were pure Burnham. Big on ambition, peppered with hope and optimism, but also highly political. There was no repeat of the doom and gloom warnings from the early months of Keir Starmer’s premiership, a mistake the new PM is determined not to repeat.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Andy Burnham has said Britain’s next decade can be better than the last as he promised “much more substantial change” on the big issues facing the country.

In his first speech to MPs, the Prime Minister said he would set aside point scoring to get things done and promised “politics done differently”.

But he said it was time to be blunt about what’s gone wrong, railing against Margaret Thatcher’s legacy of deindustrialisation and privatisation that left communities on their knees.

Mr Burnham said the country had taken a “series of wrong turns” since the 1980s, with failures compounded by Tory austerity and Brexit, which he blamed for a decade of stalled growth and stalled regeneration.

The PM said: “When I stood outside Downing Street six weeks ago, I said Britain needs a circuit breaker.

“After a decade of turbulence, negativity, point scoring, and divisive politics, this is what I have outlined today: A clear, coherent, and credible approach to growth that can unlock a feeling of positivity and possibility in every postcode in Britain.”

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Burnham speaking to MPs in the Commons(Image: House of Commons/PA Wire)

PC Tom Clough, 38, and PC Matthew Blades, 37, were killed when their marked response vehicle was hit by a Volkswagen Passat heading the wrong way down the dual carriageway.

In a tribute to the killed police officers in the Commons, Ms Mahmood said: “PC Blades and PC Clough devoted their lives to the noblest form of public service, protecting their fellow citizens. In remembering them, we hold in our hearts those they leave behind, above all their family and all those who love them.”

Cole Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Cahill and Jakub Matusiak were in the Passat and were also killed in the crash. Four of the five had criminal records and police have said there may be links to “serious and organised criminal activity”.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now on her feet to update MPs on the A66 crash.

She gives her full backing to the police in their invesitgation into suspected serious and organised crime.

The Cabinet minister says a house fire which killed two people in the area is not thought to be connected to the A66 crash.

She adds: “However, it has undoutedly added to the sense of disquet in a community already reeling from that earlier tragedy.”

Alex Norris tells MPs that cutting reoffending is the issue that “surely binds all of us” – and admits the criminal justice system needs rebuilding.

He tells the chamber: “We have to build a new criminal justice system and that can be done from this despatch box, but actually, has to be done much more widely, including work with our prison officers, our probation service, the police, and our communities to reduce reoffending.”

New Justice Secretary Alex Norris is facing MPs for the first time after the Government’s prison early release plans dominated headlines over the summer.

Mr Norris told MPs he will speed up removals of foreign national offenders, as well as end the injustice of inmates serving indefinite sentences for public protection.

He told the Commons chamber: “My job is to balance the sustainability of our prisons with public protection, the rights of victims, and public confidence in the justice system. The decisions that the Prime Minister and I have had to take are difficult ones. We would have liked to have gone further. But this government inherited a system on the brink of collapse.”

Andy Burnham has said he is “concerned” about plans to switch off aerial-based digital terrestrial television, and has promised to “have a proper look at it”.

It comes after a green paper released by the Government last month outlined proposals to scrap Freeview in favour of internet-based services, with the earliest proposed transition date set for 2034.

The BBC and other broadcasters are backing the end of terrestrial TV as access to internet-based services soars and providers pivot toward online and apps.

They argue that maintaining both terrestrial and online systems is increasingly costly and inefficient. Critics, however, argue Freeview is important for the elderly, disabled people and those on low incomes.

Asked in the Commons today about the proposal to switch off Freeview, Mr Burnham said: “I’ll give him an honest answer: I am concerned about those plans, too. I know some of my constituents in Makerfield rely on Freeview.

“There is perhaps an opportunity to look at this as part of the BBC Charter renewal process. I can’t give him a final answer today, but I recognise it’s a genuine issue that he’s raised. I know it will be of concern to his constituents, and let me have a proper look at it.”

Andy Burnham was asked what the government will do amid the tragic drowning deaths across the country this summer.

He said: “There have been too many tragic deaths this summer.”

The PM added: “I think swimming should be an entitlement for young people on the curriculum and I look forward to seeing how we can deliver that.”

Andy Burnham takes aim at water industry in the Commons

Mr Burnham condemned Russia’s “egregious and reckless attack” on a German airport last month and backed the country’s retaliatory measures.

The German interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, today said the country blamed Russia for an attempted attack with an explosive-laden drone, at Leipzig airport, in August.

In a statement, Mr Burnham said: “The United Kingdom stands in full solidarity with Germany following Russia’s egregious and reckless attack in Leipzig.

“Russian attempts to undermine our united resolve and our willingness to support Ukraine are futile and doomed to fail.

“As I made clear in Kyiv last week, our commitment to supporting Ukraine from Russia’s illegal invasion is ironclad.

The strong measures taken by the German government show action against any attack of this nature will be met with a clear response. We will not waver in our resolve to deter attacks on our freedom and security.”

The Prime Minister told the Commons he will work with Kemi Badenoch where possible but added he “won’t take lectures” as the country is “moving in the right direction”.

He said: “I will work with the Right Honorable Lady where we can and we should make that commitment with each other today. But, I will still point out where she is wrong.

“We are not in a position Mr Speaker to take lectures where this country is moving in the right direction.

“You can see that on the economy, you can see that on small boat crossings, you can see that on the cost of living and that is what we will continue to do to turn this country around.”

Kemi Badenoch accused Andy Burnham of “living in the past”.

In their first exchange in the Commons, Mrs Badenoch said: “The Prime Minister said in his statement that everything has gone wrong since the 1980s, still complaining about Margaret Thatcher. He is living in the past, and he wants to take us back to the 1970s.”

She added: “His diagnosis is completely wrong. His theory of growth is completely wrong. He thinks that if Government spends more money, we will all get richer. That is not how this works.”

Mr Burnham in his speech blammed policies like privitisation and centralising power, in the past 40 years, for much of the decline seen in the UK.

Kemi Badenoch responds after Andy Burnham’s statement to MPs(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)

Andy Burnham said his Government will take “a place first rather than party first approach” as he pledged to “bring back hope”.

Closing his speech in the House of Commons, Mr Burnham said: “After a decade of turbulence, negativity, point scoring, and divisive politics, this is what I have outlined today: A clear, coherent, and credible approach to growth that can unlock a feeling of positivity and possibility in every postcode in Britain.

“Our job in here is to make it real, by taking a place first rather than party first approach.” Burnham stated some of the areas he will tackle to “build optimism”.

He said: “It starts with reasserting basic standards for Britain, that this is a country where no one sleeps rough, and no community is blighted by an illegal waste tip, and from there, working together to build a new sense of optimism around the country.

“We can make this next decade better than the last. We can lift the prospects of all our people and places. We can put more power into every postcode. We can let Britain believe again. We can bring back hope.”

The Prime Minister speaking at the despatch box on Tuesday(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)

Mr Burnham told the Commons the action he has already taken on the prison crisis and immigration, since becoming prime minister.

This included pledging to end indefinite imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentences – which keep people behind bars despite serving their sentences.

He also told the Commons this year, to date, was the lowest for small boat Channel crossings since 2021.

Mr Burnham said: “I did what I always do and that is to apply my values to a challenging situation and a care for people.”

He added: “This is politics done differently, problem solving over point scoring.

“It is what the country needs, it is what the public want more of and it will characterise my time in office Mr Speaker.”

Andy Burnham spoke about the decline of communities across the country, in the past 40 years, and blammed this on privitisation.

He told the Commons he heard about this decline on a trip to Ilkeston, Derbyshire, last month. He said areas like this “see no hope if we continue on the same path” before slamming the privitisation of key industires.

The prime minister said: “With a failed economic model which does not trickle down much to places like theirs and instead allows wealth to be extracted and siphoned out.

“Britain’s water industry stands as a leaking monument to that approach. A country run in the private rather than public interest and that is now abundantly clear to voters of all parties, incuding the party opposite (Conservatives).

“The government I lead will be relentless in giving people in places what they were promised 10 years ago – ownership and control. And, from that control over their destiny comes change and growth.”

He added: “Too many areas have seen water supplies disrupted this summer due to a lack of reservoir capacity. Our tourism industry is damaged by too many sewage spills.”

Andy Burnham making a statement to MPs(Image: House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA Wire)