Andy Burnham, widely anticipated to become prime minister, is planning a summer tour of Labour 'danger zones' across the UK to win back voters, particularly in areas affected by controversial government policies. The tour, set for the second half of the summer recess, aims to reset Labour's relationship with sceptical voters, insiders said.
Hopeful message to contrast with Starmer's early missteps
The tone of the tour will be upbeat and hopeful, deliberately opposite to Keir Starmer's early days in office, which focused heavily on Conservative failures. Burnham will emphasise that Labour and the government need to change, rather than blaming other parties or external forces. 'His pitch will be about resetting the relationship with the voters, a more hopeful message that people seem to be receptive to,' a source said. 'There are really difficult conversations to be had with people and communities across the country and he'll go out and have those.'
Key destinations: Aberdeen, Port Talbot, and Reform-facing areas
Among the places Burnham is expected to visit is Aberdeen, where Labour's North Sea oil and gas policy has been deeply unpopular, and Port Talbot in Wales, a steelmaking town whose final blast furnace was shut down in September 2024. Labour later saved steelmaking jobs in Scunthorpe through nationalising British Steel. Burnham will also visit more Reform-facing parts of the UK, described by allies as 'left behind' by Westminster, including deprived and remote parts of southern England, towns hit by economic turbulence, and rural constituencies angered by Labour's tax policies.
Strategic shift from Starmer's approach
Burnham's strategists aim to start his premiership in the opposite tenor to Starmer's first few months. Starmer used an early speech to warn that the next few years would be 'painful' and that living standards would not rise quickly. The summer of 2024 was dominated by fallout from Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to cut the winter fuel allowance and a donations scandal involving clothing for Starmer funded by donor Waheed Alli. Strategists believe another mistake was Starmer and Reeves' focus on the '£22bn black hole' left by Conservatives, which voters tired of hearing. 'Andy intends to completely change this,' a source said. 'You will not hear him blaming any other parties... He will say it is Labour that will be the change.'
Focus on north-south divide and London concerns
Burnham, who has long highlighted the north-south divide, has been urged by MPs and mayors to spend more time in southern England, London, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. MPs in London are particularly nervous about his rhetoric, as Burnham routinely highlighted inequality in transport and infrastructure investment between London and the north. He intends to spend most of August away from London. His emphatic victory over Reform in the Makerfield byelection, which united progressive voters against Nigel Farage's party, is a key reason for his appeal to MPs. However, London MPs face threats from Green and independent challengers and have appealed to Burnham to show understanding of their separate challenges.
Dominating the summer to counter Reform
Key allies say Burnham must 'dominate the summer' as Farage did last August when Reform organised press conferences and stunts while the government did little. One senior MP expected in Burnham's cabinet said this reasoning drove the decision not to contest the Clacton byelection in early August, to take oxygen away from Reform. 'We need to get out to the country, all guns blazing, real positivity and lots of big announcements focused on hope,' a source said. 'A new prime minister needs to be the main story the country is hearing about, not Nigel Farage.'
