Andy Burnham will be bolder but stick to Labour manifesto, Lucy Powell says
Burnham was officially declared the new leader of the Labor Party on Friday, after a brief contest in which he was the sole candidate with the support of 379 MPs.
Some opposition parties have called for a general election to ensure Burnham becomes prime minister.
But Powell insisted Burnham would stick to the promises made in the Labor Party manifesto at the 2024 general election.
“Our manifesto talked about redistributing power, it talked about restructuring our country, it talked about taking on some of these vested interests,” he said.
“HE [Burnham] “He truly understands the bigger, bolder measures needed to deliver on the manifesto’s promises.”
He also said his leadership had a chance to “reset” and that scrapping the Digital ID plan was “a small example of prioritization.”
In one of her first announcements since becoming Labor leader, Burnham said she would abandon the plan Sir Keir announced last year.
Powell said the plan would cost a “not insignificant amount of money” but would also distract from the government’s priorities.
Separately, the BBC has been told that the Burnham government will announce plans for new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
Powell said Burnham would be “pragmatic” on the issue, adding: “I don’t think this is a change of policy. It’s more of a change of emphasis.”
