Andy Burnham will arrive at 10 Downing Street with an immediate promise to households under pressure: “breathing room” from the rising cost of living.
Delivering his first address as British prime minister, Mr Burnham will call on the country to confront its difficulties honestly and embrace a period of “reflection and resolution”.
He will acknowledge being “acutely conscious” that the UK has had seven prime ministers in the past decade, arguing that the country needs steadier, more responsible politics while pledging to rebuild public trust in government.
Allies said Mr Burnham will insist that political stability must translate into “tangible” improvements for the public, alongside the cost-of-living “breathing room” he has already promised.
Neither address is expected to face disruption from protesters, unlike Mr Starmer’s resignation statement, after police prohibited amplified music outside Downing Street during the transfer of power.
Once he has finished speaking, Mr Burnham is expected to begin assembling his government by announcing his cabinet.
He has revealed little about his choices, although he is understood to have considered Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood for the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Andy Burnham has said he wants to devolve power away from Westminster as one of his key priorities
Mr Burnham’s elevation completes a swift political ascent, little more than a month after his Makerfield bye-election victory returned him to Westminster.
Having taken office without a full leadership contest, the new prime minister has yet to provide a detailed blueprint for his premiership.
One priority he has identified is shifting power away from Westminster. He plans to advance that mission through a new “No 10 North” in Manchester, which he is expected to visit later this week.
As part of what he has described as a “reset of priorities”, Mr Burnham has also confirmed that Mr Starmer’s flagship digital ID programme will be scrapped, freeing resources and political attention for the cost-of-living challenge.
His opening week in Downing Street is expected to bring measures designed to ease the strain on everyday life.
Speaking to The Times, Mr Burnham said he had already discussed his planned announcements with the Treasury and underlined the need to make people “feel better”.
He said concerns about frozen tax thresholds had been “lodged in his mind” since the Makerfield campaign, adding: “So when people, they’re just characterising me as a tax raiser, well again, it’s never that simplistic is it?
“The breathing space point is a really serious one.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called on Mr Burnham to rule out tax rises
Potential cost-of-living measures are reported to include steps targeting energy bills, with increased oil and gas drilling in the North Sea among the options raised.
Environmental groups have pressed him to honour Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitment not to grant new North Sea drilling licences, arguing that further extraction would do nothing to lower household energy bills.
Mr Burnham may also have to decide whether Thames Water should be temporarily nationalised as the company battles a £20 billion (€23 billion) debt burden.
He has previously backed stronger public control over services regarded as essential.
The water company’s principal creditors have said they are prepared to hold talks with his incoming ministers, seeking a rescue agreement that would prevent the business entering a so-called “special administration regime”.
Reform of social care is also expected to command early attention, with Mr Burnham saying it is an issue on which he is prepared to “expend political capital”.
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey has called on Mr Burnham to work across party lines to address the “social care crisis”, proposing guaranteed rights for family carers, a universal safety net and safeguards against “catastrophic costs”.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has written to the new prime minister as well, offering her party’s cooperation in reducing the welfare bill while urging him to reject tax increases and support additional oil and gas drilling.
Ms Badenoch warned Mr Burnham that she would “never shirk” her responsibility to scrutinise his government.
She added: “You will enter office without having set out a clear plan on any of the issues facing our country.
“You have refused calls to come to Parliament for questions from MPs, and you have not submitted yourself to serious media scrutiny.
“This is not a promising start.”
