The PM wants to build a Britain where nobody is written off(Image: Christopher Furlong/Pool Getty v)
Andy Burnham has vowed to build a country where “nobody is written off” and everyone is treated with respect.
In a pledge to go further, the former Greater Manchester Mayor claimed he was used to being told things can’t be done, and that the era of Government’s giving up trying to solve the issues impacting people was over.
Writing for this newspaper, Mr Burnham claimed this week had shown how politicians could make lives a “little bit easier”, but that his job won’t be done until people aren’t just living, but “living well”.
He said: “Life doesn’t always go to plan. But whether someone gets the chance to get back on their feet says something about who we are. It says something about the country we’re trying to build.
“I want Britain to be a country where nobody is written off. Where everyone is treated with respect no matter who they are or what they’ve been through. And where the government doesn’t avoid a problem because it’s difficult, but rolls up its sleeves and gets to work.
“I want people to stop worrying and start feeling hopeful about what’s coming next. I want them to start to believe in Britain again. But I can’t ask people to dream about the future when they’re struggling to make life work.
“Of course, there will still be those who say it can’t be done. But we proved them wrong in Manchester. And we’re going to prove them wrong again on a bigger scale. We are going to get Britain believing again – and bring back hope.”
Prime Minister Andy Burnham running near his house in Warrington today(Image: Ryan Jenkinson/PA Wire)
In his first address outside Downing Street, Mr Burnham used his speech to promise an end to rough sleeping, and is expected to make a string of policy announcements in the coming weeks, including on social care.
Mr Burnham has tasked his new Cabinet with “getting that cost of living down”, and said he wants to give give voters breathing space.
A Downing Street source said: “He is constantly guided by the public mood, and what he thinks the public will want to do when he’s presented those challenges.
“His superpower is his ability to have his finger on the pulse, and know where people are on stuff.
“It’s been a whirlwind of a week, everybody has put an absolute shift in, but it’s felt like a joy to do it.”
Meanwhile Mr Burnham “has the courage” to finally fix adult social care after years of “neglect”, it has been claimed.
The new PM has long campaigned to transform how adult social care works, and is now expected to start the work of fixing it next week.
Failing to fund social care has a direct impact on the NHS, with last month 14,000 people each day being stuck in hospital in England – mainly because they cannot get social care to be safely discharged somewhere else.
This was up 12% since June 2024 when it was 12,000 and is up 70% since 2021.
In his first speech after being crowned Labour leader, Mr Burnham called for his Government to “have the courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected”, before specifically adding: “Like social care.”
Mr Burnham previously suggested reforming social care would be a major priority in his first address as leader, explaining he’d witnessed issues first hand through the care for his dad, Roy, who has Alzheimer’s disease.
A No 10 source said: “Andy is going to run towards problems that have been neglected, giving people hope again.
“He has the courage to fix the most difficult issues that have been ignored for years and seen as impossible to resolve.
“He doesn’t accept that they are. They can’t be ignored any longer. The Prime Minister is determined to show that governments can make people’s lives better if they choose to. He wants to get Britain believing again.”
His desire to reform social care dates back to when he was a health minister under Tony Blair and later Health Secretary under Gordon Brown, and in the lead up to the Makerfield by-election, he proposed bringing forward the publication of the Casey review into social care to 2026. It is currently due to finish in 2028.
The new PM is also expected to make imminent interventions on youth unemployment and devolution.
Earlier this year a report revealed young people in the UK are facing their bleakest ever future with almost one million people aged 16 to 24 not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Responding, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “I really hope that this is the beginning of a serious, lasting effort to end the social care catastrophe. Andy Burnham says he is willing to expend political capital on this, and so am I.
“I will fight relentlessly to make sure family carers are not forgotten in this debate. They do the heavy lifting in our society and deserve proper support. Fundamentally, we cannot fix this system without cross-party consensus.
“I hope the Prime Minister’s door will be open so that we can finally get this right together.”
