The questions Andy Burnham urgently needs to answer before he becomes prime minister

Andy Burnham has delivered his first speech in what can now be described as his “premiership in waiting”.

The speech, delivered to a small crowd of supporters at the People’s Museum in Manchester, gave us an idea of ​​the kind of leader he wants to be, with devolution, political unity and social housing front and center in his 10-year plan for Britain.

The message was full of positivity and hope, and was undoubtedly a stark contrast to similar speeches from Sir Keir Starmer. Many believe Mr Burnham’s natural body language and bold vision could be the panacea for a party that appears to be dying afloat in two years of government.

However, the speech raised many questions; especially because he refused to talk to the media afterwards.

Mr Burnham’s decision to evade scrutiny will be seen as a worrying sign of what could happen in the future; especially for a man who still has many questions to answer about the “new era” he promises for the country.

Here are a few of them:

You can make people feel good, but can you do good?

In some ways this is the most important question. Mr Burnham looks relaxed and relatable in the centrist dad black T-shirt that Tory leader Kemi Badenoch mocked. And there’s no doubt it made Labor MPs feel good in the end.

But this is very different from being able to deliver policy. Sir Keir failed at both. And Mr Burnham has already U-turned on so many issues, including compensation for Waspi women, immigration and Brexit, it’s hard to know what he stands for.

Where will the money come from?

Massive amounts of devolution and housing construction do not come cheap. Just ask George Osborne and Boris Johnson, who considered doing the same but ran out of money.

Investing in high streets also costs money, while increasing welfare and defense spending hits any budget hard.

In his speech, Mr Burnham reiterated that he would adhere to Rachel Reeves’ financial rules and borrowing limits. This was an important signal to the markets about economic stability.

In fact, we don’t yet know who his chancellor will be. Electing Ed Miliband from the left sends a very different message than electing Wes Streeting from the Blairite right in the Treasury.

But whoever is at Number 11, Mr Burnham will have to come up with the money somehow, and at the moment we don’t know how he will do that.

Will you increase taxes?

The obvious way to raise cash is to raise taxes. But in doing so, Mr. Burnham threatens to witness a new flight of wealth and further economic stagnation.

His key aide, former cabinet minister Lou Haigh, has talked about increasing capital gains tax but, as Mr Badenoch points out, this will likely kill investment and start-ups in the UK.

There is also the 2024 election manifesto and the promise that VAT, income tax or personal contributions to National Insurance will not be increased. Will he ignore this election promise, with Sir Keir and possibly Mrs Reeves out of the way?

Are you going to early elections?

The most discussed issue currently is the necessity of early elections. Some believe Mr Burnham needs a new mandate if he wants to implement a bold vision, especially if he ignores his tax-related 2024 manifesto.

There are also political arguments in support of calling a snap election, such as catching the Conservatives and Reform off guard.

But of course this would be a huge risk and many Labor MPs would lose their seats.

Why can you succeed in building a house where everyone else fails?

Labor is already in danger of falling short of its general election targets on housebuilding. The Conservatives also missed the targets they set themselves.

The problem is that planning laws are not the only obstacle. There are at least seven rounds of regulatory testing that developers must go through to create major developments.

Is Mr. Burnham willing to tear most of this apart? Is he willing to infuriate his own MPs when his constituents complain about their areas being concreted?

The challenge is that despite immigration controls, housing demand still far exceeds supply.

What real powers will the Number 10 of the North have?

While many applaud the idea, what is called Number 10 North needs to be something more than just an office plaque on the door.

Whitehall has a habit of fighting hard before decisions and finance are devolved to less fashionable parts of the country.

Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak did a Northern Treasure on Teesside. But did this make a huge difference, or was it just symbolic? This question is not actually solved.

Labeling this as “Manchesterism” is a bit vague and would need elaboration quickly.

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What is your position on Brexit?

The biggest U-turn in the Makerfield by-election campaign was on Brexit. While Mr Burnham wanted to rejoin the EU, he became less sure when he stood for Parliament in a pro-Leave seat.

This will be one of the biggest problems he will have to deal with, but it could ultimately help solve many economic problems. Former Prime Minister John Major said that the UK should first rejoin the EU single market within five years and stated that there was a loss of £ 100 billion a year in trade and £ 40 billion in tax revenue.

All these questions remain unanswered. But in less than three weeks, Mr Burnham will likely be at No 10 and will have no choice but to respond to the whole country.