Andy Burnham has issued a challenge to Labour MPs, admitting in his first speech as Prime Minister that the Government's performance so far "has not been good enough."
Delivering his remarks outside No. 10 without the traditional podium, the Makerfield MP described the moment as "a time for reflection and renewed resolve," arguing that Britain must restore political stability.
Unveiling his 10-year vision for the country, Burnham said: “I have just come from Buckingham Palace where I have accepted His Majesty the King's invitation to form a Government.
“In doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh prime minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
“It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge.
“Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again and that is our challenge to make politics work, to make it work better.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you, and I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough and we need to be better. We will be.
"We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. A new political model and a new economic model.”
Andy Burnham has been appointed as the new Prime Minister, accepting the King's invitation to form a government. In his inaugural speech, he acknowledges Britain's recent political instability and pledges a \"circuit breaker\" moment to implement a new political and economic model, focusing on decentralization, re-industrialization, and restoring public hope and stability.
And there is Peter Reid there, he's the former Everton football player,
dark glasses, big hug there from his mate, you can't believe probably Andy Burnham,
a season ticket hockey holder up on the Hill, Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool,
is now the Prime Minister, you can believe it.
More hugs there from all of his team.
And there's a real affection here because these people really believe he is the genuine thing,
genuine Labour, genuinely authentic Labour, an authentic Labour voice,
which is I think they often suspected Sir Keir Starmer never was.
And Labour are hoping he is the messiah that can save this party.
The Manchester messiah, you can see the headlines already, can't you?
It's going to happen, we'll wait and see.
Now he's getting to the end of the line now, very shortly he'll walk to his two,
here he comes though, the crowds, the cheers rise now,
he's waiting for his wife to go towards him, she'll stand back.
And he's crossing the other side now, he's going to keep going.
Is he coming over to GB News Chris, that's the key,
he's coming in close to the microphones now for you Mrs Carter here.
Here we have Andy Burnham our new Prime Minister.
I have just come from Buckingham Palace
where I have accepted His Majesty the King's invitation to form a government.
In doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person
in the last ten years to walk up this street.
The seventh Prime Minister since 2016.
Making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game and rise to the new challenge.
Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again.
And that is our challenge, to make politics work, to make it work better.
I know people at home are fed up with politics.
I hear you and I want to be honest with you,
we have not been good enough and we need to be better.
We will be.
We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain.
Bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years.
A new political model and a new economic model.
In the 1980s Britain took some wrong turns.
Political power was centralised.
Economic power privatised.
Large parts of the country de-industrialised and they still haven't recovered.
Many feel as though they're still in decline and they don't have the ability to turn things around.
And that's why we will change politics.
To make it more collaborative.
More about problem solving than point scoring.
And we will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land
so that they can do more.
And in doing more, build a new economy.
Where we put life's essentials back under stronger public control.
To make them affordable to you again.
Re-industrialising Britain.
Using public procurement to back British industry.
Later this year I will bring forward a new plan for Britain.
A 10 year plan.
Laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be.
Wherever we're coming from.
Whatever party we support.
But I can do something to give people some breathing space now.
Some help with the cost of living.
And I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow.
Including how we pay for them.
We will help more young people into work by changing the education system.
And giving them more support.
More mental health support.
And we will build more council homes.
That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down.
To meet our fiscal rules.
And to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.
We will help people to live well.
Building a more preventative state.
Investing in people's success rather than paying for failure.
And that work starts now.
I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction.
To end rough sleeping in our country.
It's about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.
I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.
I will give this my all.
And I ask you all to pull with me.
Let's build a new national sense of unity.
Of common purpose and positivity.
Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again.
The moment we bring back hope.
Thank you very much everybody.
Build more council homes to bring down the welfare budget.
I guess what it must mean is we are spending a lot of money in B&Bs.
So that is an interesting way to look at the welfare budget.
But also where is the money going to come from to build these new council houses.
He is talking about the biggest council house building programme
since the second world war.
It all costs money.
He didn't say anything about tax.
Nothing about tax at all.
Well he talked about a new plan for Britain.
A ten year plan.
A pathway plan.
But he also acknowledged that it is not good enough.
That this is the sixth change of Prime Minister in the last ten years.
He said it's not good enough.
We've not been good enough.
And that was an acknowledgement that Labour hadn't been good enough either.
So he has now set himself a high bar.
Just two years and 15 days ago we had a Prime Minister called Keir Starmer.
