What Would Change Look Like Under Andy Burnham as Prime Minister?

The Potential Policies of an Andy Burnham Government

Andy Burnham's allies want him to be installed as prime minister as quickly and painlessly as possible. If he does become prime minister, he will be expected to deliver on the 'change' he promised after his win on Thursday night. But what would that look like, and what policies would his government be likely to pursue?

Public Ownership of Utilities

Burnham's allies talk about overseeing a 10-year project to take large parts of Britain's water and energy sectors into public control. In reality, that process will start with Thames Water, the stricken utility over which creditors are currently haggling.

Earlier this week, the environment secretary, Emma Reynolds, made clear her opposition to a proposed £10bn rescue deal for the company, bringing it one stage closer to being nationalised.
Other companies could follow, including South East Water, which has come under fire for overseeing multiple service outages.
Eventually, Burnham's allies want to bring energy transmission and supply companies, possibly including National Grid, into public control.

Cost of Living Support

Some of those close to the new Makerfield MP want him to focus first on easing the cost of living for many voters. They talk about heavy state intervention to reduce people's bills, including a temporary rent freeze and moving levies off energy bills and into general taxation instead.

This however could involve raising taxes to help pay for the extra government spending – forcing him into some difficult political choices.
Burnham has already promised to stick to Labour's campaign pledges not to raise income tax, national insurance or VAT.

Devolution

Burnham said on Thursday night: 'People here have voted for change, they have voted for more power for the north and everywhere forgotten by Westminster. Now let's give that back to them.' His words pre-empt what many believe will be a major shift of power away from Westminster and into the hands of regional leaders.

Starmer's government is already working on some of this, including giving mayors a portion of revenues raised from business rates in their areas.
But Burnham's allies want him to go further, potentially putting major public services such as schools and hospitals into the hands of mayors.

Less Control of MPs

One of Burnham's most consequential changes could be one of his least noticed. The incoming MP has talked about scrapping the 'whipping' system in Westminster, which guarantees that members will mostly vote according to party lines.

Completely scrapping the system could cause chaos, leaving the government unable to implement its manifesto promises, and voters unsure of what voting for any particular party means.
Burnham may decide instead to make changes to the whipping system without scrapping it entirely, potentially allowing for more votes of conscience.

Voting Reform?

Burnham says he has been convinced of the need to end the first-past-the-post voting system since he became Greater Manchester mayor in 2017, arguing that it makes Westminster too centralised and London-centric.

Manchester at the time had a transferable-vote system, which meant Burnham had to persuade voters of other parties to list him as their second preference.
Burnham has said he wants to set up a 'national commission' on electoral reform to make recommendations, before including any proposed changes in the next Labour manifesto.