Burnham claims he has ‘clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong’ with UK
Burnham says, coming back to the Commons after 10 years, he has “a clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong”.
He goes on:
And let me lay it out clearly.
From the 1980s, this country took a series of wrong turns. Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, the country de-industrialised austerity followed, hollowing out councils and depriving them of the agency to act to reverse any of this.
And then Brexit compounded the damage, ushering in a decade of low growth and stalled regeneration.
Change begins with honesty. I’m not hearing much of it this afternoon. Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around.
Far from taking back control, the combination of these policies took control out of the hands of communities up and down Britain.
For 40 years, too many places have been drifting. Too many British high streets tell the story of this decline. People yearn to see them restored to what they once were.
Key events
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Lib Dems welcome Burnham saying Cornwall won’t need to merge with Devon to get benefits of devolution deal
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Burnham says government needs mandate for electoral reform, but it could happen in next parliament
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Burnham says he will focus on farming because he sees it as part of UK’s ‘sovereign production and manufacturing capacity’
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Burnham says too many young people on benefits – but blames education system for letting them down
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Burnham confirms he wants political reform, including looking at voting system
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Burnham says he cut taxes twice in his first week, as he rejects Badenoch’s attack on his economic policies
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Badenoch says Burnham’s theory of growth ‘completely wrong’
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Burnham says he will ensure areas in England without mayors can also benefit from devolution deals
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Burnham claims he has ‘clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong’ with UK
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Burnham says country needs ‘substantial change’, and he will deliver it
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Burnham says problems with indefinite IPP sentences have been ‘ignored for too long’
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Burnham says he will attend Cop31 climate conference in Turkey later this year
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Britain’s defence ‘starts in Ukraine’, says Burnham
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Burnham starts statement to MPs with tribute to Starmer, saying he gave Labour a platform ‘and we will use it well’
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John Swinney announces plans to slash number of NHS boards in Scotland
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What election experts are saying about Holborn and St Pancras byelection
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Ed Miliband says government accepts need for ‘step change’ in action to stop expansion of illegal West Bank settlements
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Farage takes seat in Commons after winning Clacton byelection
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How Zack Polanski told an interviewer in April he would ‘almost certainly’ stand in any London byelection
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Is it unusual for a former PM to quit the Commons before a general election?
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Starmer leaves ‘shameful legacy’, says Your Party
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Burnham says government has had ‘strong sense of momentum’ since he became PM
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Starmer says it is ‘right to step down’ given his decision to focus now on international affairs
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Greens don’t rule out Zack Polanski standing in Holborn and St Pancras byelection
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Tories describe Starmer’s decision to trigger ‘costly’ byelection as ‘yet another U-turn’ given pledge to stay as backbencher
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Starmer to quit parliament, triggering byelection in Holborn and St Pancras in north London
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Badenoch names Alex Burghart as deputy Tory leader
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Higher public spending alone won’t make UK richer, Darren Jones tells Burnham
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Long-term UK borrowing costs reach 28-year high
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Healey says next year’s spending review will set out ‘clear path’ to raise defence spending to 3.5% of GDP by 2035
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Justice secretary Alex Norris says prisons will still function under plan to turn laundries into cells
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Small boat crossings during summer months have fallen to seven-year low, Home Office says
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Burnham to say he wants to unlock ‘positivity’ in first statement to MPs since becoming PM
Dave Doogan, the SNP leader at Westminster, said he agreed with many of Burnham’s criticisms of the way Westminster works, “although my prognosis would be terminal rather than treatable”. He asked when Labour would fulfil its promise to cut energy bills by £300.
(In fact, at the last election Labour said its policies would make energy bills £300 lower than they otherwise would be. But this nuance has been forgotten.)
Burnham said he agreed with SNP criticisms of Westminster more after he left the Commons than when he was here in the past. But he said, because he thought the state needed to be rewired, it was all the more important to keep the UK together.
On energy bills, he said:
When it comes to energy bills. I have acted already to bring in that cut on VAT on electricity bills. I recognise it’s just a start, but I hope he sees that as a sign of intent.
Stuart Andrew, the Conservative MP for Daventry, asked Burnham to look at solar energy policy. He said there was an application for a huge solar farm on agricultural land in his constituency. But big warehouses do not need to have solar panels on their roofs, he said.
Burnham said that was a good point. He would look into it, he said.
And he said he enjoyed deal with Andrew in the cross-party talks on social care reform.
Lib Dems welcome Burnham saying Cornwall won’t need to merge with Devon to get benefits of devolution deal
Steven Morris
Steven Morris is a Guardian reporter covering the west of England.
There has been cautious optimism from Cornish politicians over Andy Burnham’s announcement that No 10 North will work on a devolution deal for Cornwall. (See 4.05pm.)
Ben Maguire, the Lib Dem MP for North Cornwall, said:
Today’s comments from the PM certainly send promising signals, and seem to be a step in the right direction after months of Cornwall being overlooked on the devolution front.
For the first time, we’re hearing recognition from the very top of government that Cornwall won’t be forced to have a mayor or merged with another authority simply to access the powers and funding we’ve been promised for years.
Leigh Frost, the Lib Dem leader of Cornwall Council, said:
When I met the prime minister here in Cornwall, I made sure he heard our position loud and clear, including our red lines on a forced mayor or a merger with Devon.
It’s encouraging that he’s listened. There’s a lot of detail still to work through, but this feels like a genuine opportunity to get the right deal for Cornwall and I’m glad he has used his first speech in the Commons to set this out.
Burnham says government needs mandate for electoral reform, but it could happen in next parliament
Lisa Smart (Lib Dem) said her party would strongly back Burnham if he brought in changes to the voting system ahead of the next election.
Burnham said, standing as election for mayor of Greater Manchester under the supplementary vote system (where second preferences are taken into account), he was struck by how that changed they behaviour of candidates. They had to look for agreement with opponents, he said.
He went on:
Where I will disagree with [Smart] is in saying that we do that ahead of any general election, because I do believe there needs to be a mandate to make that change.
There are different views in this house, but I believe we will need to get a consensus at the next election.
And if there is that consensus, then a change can be made in the next parliament.
Esther McVey (Con) asked Burnham why Avanti West Coast train staff got a generous pay rise. Was that because Burnham did not want the embarrasment of trains to Manchester running late.
Burnham said, as a north-west MP, McVey should know the “misery” people suffer travelling on the West Coast line. He said this pay deal would deliver a better service.
Andy McDonald (Lab) asked Burnham if he agreed the government needed to end outsourcing.
Burnham said the Labour manifesto committed the government to the largest round of insourcing for a generation. He cited employment support as an example of where this was needed. If this was insourced, and put in the hands of mayors, it would be much more effective, he said.
Burnham says he will focus on farming because he sees it as part of UK’s ‘sovereign production and manufacturing capacity’
In response to a question from Simon Hoare (Con) about farming, Burnham said:
I’m probably not renowned for spending much time on farms. I’m more likely to found in the northern quarter of Manchester.
But I was on a farm in Cornwall in the summer precisely to engage and understand the issues that they are facing, and I heard very clearly the issues that have been presented by this very difficult summer for farmers up and down the country.
And I will focus on farming because, for me, farming and food production is part of the sovereign production and manufacturing capacity of this country that will need to strengthen in years to come.
In response to a question from Labour’s Barry Gardiner about leasehold, Burnham said he was committed to pushing ahead with the commonhold and leashold reform bill.
Burnham says too many young people on benefits – but blames education system for letting them down
Edward Leigh (Con), the father of the Commons (longest-serving member), asked Burnham to work with the opposition on tackling the “bloated welfare bill”.
Burnham replied:
I can’t defend a position where too many people in their 20s are on benefits.
But what I do say is, why is that the case?
And I do not believe we have an education system that is setting all young people up for success. I think there is more we can do to give young people work-related opportunity. At 16, I think there is more support we can provide them with mental health. Those are the approaches I think we can take.
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, asks if the government will back her amendment to the representation of the people bill banning all donations from people living abroad. Currently it caps them at £100,000.
Burnham does not give that commitment. But he says he is glad parliament is voting on these issues, and he says the Defending Democracy taskforce is considering these matters.
