As incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham has outlined a distinctly leftwing vision while promising to be pro-business. However, gaps remain in the details of his plans due to the absence of leadership hustings and probing interviews.
Public Control of Utilities
Burnham has pledged to take more public control of key utilities such as water, likely beginning with Thames Water, which serves 16 million customers and has been on the brink of collapse. He is also considering plans to cut household energy bills by £130 a year, making heat pumps cheaper than gas boilers, at a cost of £3.2bn annually to taxpayers. Thames Water will be put into a special administration until a buyer is found, according to the Sunday Times. Transport policy will also see action, informed by the transformation of Greater Manchester’s bus network under public control.
Drilling in the North Sea
Speculation suggests Burnham will announce fresh plans for North Sea drilling. Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledged to honour existing exploration licences but not issue new ones. The Guardian understands that tieback arrangements, connecting new fields to approved facilities via pipelines, would allow new drilling without technically breaching the manifesto. This may anger some backbenchers and climate campaigners.
Immigration Changes
Burnham has supported Shabana Mahmood’s controversial immigration changes, voting for legislation that tightens the system and reshapes the appeals process. He has said net migration needs to fall further and noted that voters in Makerfield raised concerns about immigration.
Digital ID Scrapped
Burnham is expected to scrap Keir Starmer’s plans for digital ID cards, redirecting resources to tackle the cost of living. A petition against the scheme attracted about 3m signatures. Starmer announced the digital ID scheme last September, aiming for introduction by 2029.
Whitehall Shake-up
Burnham’s team has asked officials to draw up plans to abolish the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), handing much of science and technology policy to a more powerful business department led by Jonathan Reynolds. However, a new cabinet is expected to include a minister for artificial intelligence for the first time.
Social Care Reform
Burnham highlighted fixing social care as a priority, vowing to “grasp the nettle” of adult social care reform. He first tried to change the system in 2009 and has since talked about replacing inheritance tax with a progressive “care levy” to fund a national care service. Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “I personally would look at all of the kind of implications of that in relation to inheritance tax and care charges and everything. I wouldn’t flinch from it.”
Council House Building
Burnham wants to oversee “the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period”. He linked the loss of almost 1.5m council homes since the 1980s to the number of families on social housing waiting lists rising to a similar level. He also noted that high costs have a “ruinous impact” on government finances amid record levels of taxpayer support to housing, much of which flows to private landlords.
