Andy Burnham to become UK prime minister, unveils economic vision in first major speech

Andy Burnham, former mayor of Greater Manchester, is set to become Britain's next prime minister following Keir Starmer's resignation, delivering his first major policy speech on June 29, 2026 at the People's History Museum in Manchester. Burnham outlined an ambitious economic agenda centered on devolution, promising to establish a new No 10 hub in Manchester to redistribute power across regions and devolve sweeping powers over tax, skills, and industry by default rather than requiring local areas to apply to Whitehall. His plans include the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period to address 1.5 million people on housing waiting lists, greater public control of essential services like water and transport modeled on Greater Manchester's bus network, and education reforms to build parity between technical and academic pathways. Burnham pledged to reject trickle-down economics while maintaining Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules to avoid market backlash, though his chancellor remains undecided.

Regional devolution expansion

• ▪Andy Burnham's devolution plans include a new hub for No 10 based in Manchester with the remit to redistribute power across the regions
• ▪Andy Burnham's speech at the People's History Museum in Manchester on June 29, 2026 was the first time Andy Burnham set out Andy Burnham's vision for power as the man likely to be Britain's next prime minister
• ▪Britain is the most centralised G7 country for tax and spending policy
• ▪Andy Burnham promised to offer new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down

Westminster parliamentary reform

• ▪Andy Burnham promised backbenchers would be empowered to act to change things in their local areas and that Andy Burnham would not be using the whip system to create fear or close down debate
• ▪Andy Burnham and Louise Haigh have expressed interest in the past about the prospect of splitting up the Treasury
• ▪Andy Burnham said Andy Burnham wanted to end the adversarial system in the civil service, especially departments versus the Treasury

Council housing programme

• ▪Under Labour, the government had already pledged £39 billion to social and affordable homes
• ▪Britain has lost almost 1.5 million council homes since the 1980s
• ▪Under Labour, the government had already set a target to build 1.5 million new homes in total
• ▪Around 1.5 million people are now on housing waiting lists in Britain

Sovereign manufacturing strategy

• ▪Andy Burnham said Andy Burnham would safeguard sovereign manufacturing and production capability across the country in critical sectors like steel, defence, energy, food and farming
• ▪More than a million young people in Britain are not in education, employment or training as of June 29, 2026
• ▪Andy Burnham said Andy Burnham's vision for growth was founded on a rejection of the old trickle-down model of the economy pursued since the 1980s

Fiscal constraint discipline

• ▪Bond markets were little moved after Andy Burnham's speech on June 29, 2026
• ▪Retaining the self-imposed borrowing and debt constraints drawn up by Rachel Reeves will limit Andy Burnham's options but are seen as key to avoiding a market backlash
• ▪Andy Burnham said Andy Burnham will seek to give Britain some breathing space as soon as Andy Burnham can
• ▪The role of Andy Burnham's chancellor is still undecided as of June 29, 2026
• ▪Andy Burnham said Andy Burnham will set out 10-year plans to bring down the cost of essentials to individuals, families and businesses
• ▪Andy Burnham pledged that Andy Burnham's policy agenda would be backed with sound public finances and the discipline of the current fiscal rules