Chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman predicted “trouble” ahead for the Labour leader.
Andy Burnham is gearing up for his debut as PM in the House of Commons (Image: Getty)
Chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman has warned of a fresh “headache” for Prime Minister Andy Burnham. Appearing on BBC Breakfast, the TV star addressed viewers from 10 Downing Street on Tuesday.
Weighing in on the Labour leader’s debut as PM in the House of Commons, Zeffman warned that Burnham would be hit with “thorny” questions this afternoon, while attempting to spread a message of optimism.
“I think we’re going to get a broad vision from Andy Burnham, because while he has been in office for six weeks, this will be the first time we’ve seen him in the House of Commons as prime minister,” Zeffman explained.
“In fact, it’s the first time that he’ll have appeared in Parliament as a government minister for 16 years.”
Noting that Burnham will be hoping to change the “tone” and provide a sense of “positivity and possibility” in every part of the country, Zeffman predicted that the PM would talk about two overarching themes.
“One is his desire to bring greater public control to essential services, and the other is to decentralise power,” the journalist reflected.
“So, I think we’ll get more details about Number 10 North.”
Declaring that Burnham would be faced with some “thorny, specific questions,” Zeffman added that the early prison release scheme in particular could face scrutiny.
Burnham will likely be met with some “thorny” questions on Tuesday (Image: Getty)
“Later today, we will hear Alex Norris, the Justice Secretary, setting out more specifically than the Prime Minister did in his interview on BBC Breakfast at the weekend, on where the government is heading on that. That is just one of many headaches that could potentially cause trouble for Andy Burnham, as optimistic as he’d like to be,” he concluded.
Following Parliament’s official reopening, Burnham is expected to deliver his first speech as PM in the Commons on Tuesday, before preparing for his first Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
According to The Guardian, a No 10 source said: “Andy is optimistic about our country’s future. He has a clear plan for how we turn things around. He is determined that we make this the moment we bring back hope.”