What are Andy Burnham’s key policies?

In his first speech as prime minister today, Andy Burnham will pledge to give people “more breathing space” as he begins laying out his vision for his term in office.

The former Manchester mayor ran uncontested for the position after securing the support of 349 Labor MPs, making it impossible for anyone to stand against him.

He became leader of the Labor Party on Friday and will today be invited by the King to form a government as prime minister after Sir Keir Starmer formally handed in his resignation to the monarchy.

Follow the latest political developments on Andy Burnham becoming prime minister on The Independent’s live blog

In his opening speech, Mr Burnham is expected to set out a bold vision to roll back the economic policies introduced by the Thatcher administration in the 1980s and “give control back” to communities across the UK.

The 10th-place incumbent’s tenure has been eagerly awaited for months, as his path to Downing Street has been virtually unblocked since his victory in a by-election last month.

During the election campaign and since his return to parliament, the future prime minister has made a series of speeches setting out his policy intentions.

Here are some of his key policies:

delegation of authority

Andy Burnham has long been a supporter of devolution and repeatedly called for it to go further when he was mayor of Greater Manchester.

In his first major speech after returning to Parliament, he said he would lead a ten-year plan to transform Britain by transferring power from Whitehall and giving regions the ability to control basic services, transport and housing.

His flagship proposal was the creation of an outpost in Manchester-based Downing Street, dubbed “Number 10 in the North”, which he said would serve as the “nerve centre” for delivering on priorities including re-industrialisation and regeneration.

The future prime minister has promised to chart a “new direction” for the UK; The outpost was driving plans to restructure the British state.

Mr Burnham said the proposals would deliver “the greatest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen”, as he vowed to overcome Whitehall’s resistance to change.

Taxes

Speaking on the weekend before his coronation, Mr Burnham said he would take action on the freeze on income tax personal allowances, which has been in place for five years and was extended by Rachel Reeves in Labour’s last budget.

This is the amount a person can earn before taxes; It has been frozen at £12,570 since 2022, with both the higher and additional rate thresholds also remaining constant. The effect is that as average earnings rise, more people are attracted to pay tax or move into higher brackets, but the thresholds remain the same.

Mr Burnham said on Sunday that this issue was “the thing I hear most on the doorstep” at Makerfield. Speaking to The Times, he added that the issue is “lodged in my mind”.

He added: “So when people write me off as just a tax collector, it’s never that simple though, right? Breathing room is a really serious point. How can we make people feel better about themselves?”

In an interview earlier this month, Mr Burnham also suggested there was “some room” in the Labor manifesto for “action on tax”. He also ruled out introducing a wealth tax, suggesting the government “might have to ask for a bit more” at some point to balance the UK’s books.

The Makerfield MP has signaled he could consider increasing business rates at giant warehouses while eliminating high street shops and pubs from having to pay business rates.

He has signaled he will introduce an “Amazon tax” along with a major reform of business rates in a bid to save Britain’s high streets.

But he also said he planned to stick to Labor’s promises in its 2024 election manifesto not to increase income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions.

Calls for a wealth tax are also increasing from left-wing Labor MPs; A survey conducted earlier this year found that 91 percent of party members think the government should pay more taxes to the rich.

One way to do this would be to increase capital gains tax (CGT), which is demanded by one of Mr Burnham’s key allies. The proposal means CGT could be taxed at a rate of 45 per cent, rather than the current rate of 18 to 24 per cent.

Andy Burnham has also previously suggested that council tax and stamp duty could be changed and advocated for land value tax instead.

This may see the property taxed at its market rental value.

In 2023, Mr Burnham also backed the abolition of inheritance tax in favor of a “national care tax” where everyone would pay to contribute to the national care service, but said “obviously the richest will pay the most”.

EU

Mr Burnham has previously said he wants Britain to rejoin the EU in his lifetime.

However, after becoming an MP, he said he would not try to return Britain to the EU, arguing that the country would be “stuck in a permanent stalemate if we argue all the time”.

But the former Manchester mayor said he wanted to work more closely with Europe on defence. Times: “I want to build on the progress made in the current UK-EU negotiations and make further progress quickly, including strengthening our cooperation on illegal immigration, economic security and our societies’ wider resilience to external threats, from terrorism to AI-driven disinformation.”

Housing

In a speech in Manchester, Mr Burnham said the “country was in a housing trap” and called for a major “town hall building programme” to be rolled out.

Burnham promised his government would oversee “the largest town hall building program since the post-war period”, using vacant public land to cut costs.

He said he would also focus on higher density development in existing towns to both revitalize high streets and protect green spaces from development.

public property

Mr Burnham said No 10 North would also have three “clear mandates” – reforming key facilities, re-industrialising and refurbishing places.

Avoiding calling for full nationalisation, Mr Burnham said his future government would “ensure that all parts of the UK can take greater public control over essential services”.

These included water, housing, energy and transportation and would come with a ten-year plan to reduce the costs of these basic needs.

Defense

Mr Burnham identified several defense priorities; The first of these was to ensure stability by maintaining Britain’s commitment to NATO and the country’s nuclear deterrent.

He also promised that his government would rebuild Britain’s hard power by improving existing military equipment through a defense investment plan. This could have the added effect of economic growth and job creation in communities “that are seeing opportunities dry up.”

But it faces a £4.7bn black hole to fill, as the outgoing prime minister’s £15bn plan identifies just £10.3bn of funding, with the remaining £4.7bn “to be approved in a fair and balanced manner in the 2026 Budget”.

Immigration

Mr Burnham’s allies have long hinted that the Makerfield MP would continue to support Shabana Mahmood’s controversial immigration reforms if she became prime minister.

While the former mayor’s focus in the run-up to his coronation has largely been on issues such as the cost of living and devolution, his views on issues such as immigration and foreign policy have been aired less regularly.

But on Monday Mr Burnham backed the government’s asylum changes, voting in favor of legislation that would reshape the appeals process and remove barriers to deportation.

There are also strong rumors that he will appoint Ms Mahmood as chancellor on Monday, which would be the surest sign that he supports the approach he has taken at the Home Office.