Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to introduce plans for "stronger public control" of essential services, marking his first address to the House of Commons since assuming office. Speaking on the first day of the new parliamentary session, Burnham argued that the United Kingdom has suffered from a series of "wrong turns" since the 1980s, which he claimed led to the privatization of economic power and the centralization of political authority. He specifically pointed to the water industry as a "leaking monument to that approach," describing it as a system managed in the private rather than the public interest.
Burnham, who officially became prime minister on 20 July shortly after Parliament entered its summer recess, told MPs that while "Britain is not where we would wish it to be," he intends to build a new sense of optimism across the country. Reflecting on his 10-year absence from Parliament, he offered a critical diagnosis of the nation's trajectory, citing the deindustrialization of the country, the impact of austerity on local councils, and the complications brought on by Brexit as factors that ushered in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration. He confirmed that he would produce a plan for greater public control of water and energy later this year, though he acknowledged when pressed by Conservative MP Alison Griffiths that the privatization of water has created a situation that will be difficult to reverse.
A central pillar of Burnham's agenda is the expansion of devolution powers to more areas in England. Drawing on his experience as the Mayor of Greater Manchester, he argued that his "theory of growth" is based on the belief that devolving powers to regions outside of London will boost local economies. He stated his desire for every region and nation to be able to replicate the conditions for growth seen in Manchester and noted an interest in exploring a local model of devolution for Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. However, some MPs have expressed concern that this could lead to a two-tier system, disadvantaging areas that do not have mayors.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch strongly criticized the Prime Minister's speech, accusing him of advocating for "more government control, more taxes and more politicians." She challenged his economic theory, stating that his diagnosis of the country is "completely wrong" and warning that his new role as Prime Minister will involve "difficult trade-offs" that he did not have to manage during his time as a mayor. In his wide-ranging, three-and-a-half-hour statement, Burnham also touched on welfare, suggesting that the "Labour way" to reduce the benefits bill is to increase the supply of council homes to lower rents. He further committed to introducing legislation that would allow homeowners to transition more easily from the leasehold system to commonhold ownership.
During the session, Burnham also addressed questions regarding defense and energy. He defended his decision to appoint John Healey as chancellor, citing Healey's commitment to defense, and noted that he would take a "pragmatic approach" to the transition to renewable energy. This came in response to questions from Reform UK's Richard Tice and the Green Party's Ellie Chowns regarding new drilling licenses for the Rosebank oil field and the Jackdaw gas field. While Tice argued for more domestic drilling, Chowns warned against the climate damage such projects would cause. Additionally, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called for fundamental changes to the political system, to which Burnham replied that he would look at the voting system but would not introduce any changes before the next general election. The session also saw a tribute from Burnham to his predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer, who announced his resignation as an MP shortly before the speech.
On Tuesday, he promised that a plan to achieve this would be produced "later in the year".
"It's a very regrettable situation that the privatisation of water has left us in a position where we're going to find it very difficult to reverse," he added.
