Andy Burnham speech live: PM-in-waiting to give major update today on plans for government

Andy Burnham speech live: PM-in-waiting gives major update today on plans for government With only weeks to go until he could become PM, Andy Burnham is setting out his agenda, beginning with a highly-anticipated speech in Manchester this morning Andy Burnham will promise to lead a 10-year mission to drive up living standards in his first major speech since returning to Westminster. The PM hopeful is widely expected to enter No10 on July 20 as the prospect of a rival leadership bid fades. With only weeks to go, he is setting out his agenda, beginning with a highly-anticipated speech in Manchester this morning. His speech began by focusing on a radical bid to take power out of Westminster. Mr Burnham said: "We will make politics work for you and the place where you live." Follow live updates below.... Key Events Burnham has pledged to "make politics work for you" in his public pitch while using Manchester, where he has served as mayor, as an example. The "Greater Manchester way" is the vision he will use to have the country strive for a "new direction", adding the UK is "stuck in a rut". Explaining why he chose to hold his speech at the People's Museum, Burnham said the galleries at the Manchester venue "tell the story of our country better than anywhere else". He has started to lay out his plans for governing, saying he hopes to build "the broadest possible coalition of people to lift Britain up to where we want it to be". Burnham is now taking to the stage in Manchester, where he has been greeted with massive applause. He has thanked the audience, exlaiming: "What a welcome." He then asks: "Are you ready for this?" Andy Burnham is set to speak from Manchester any minute, you can watch live here. Bridget Phillipson has said support for children “beyond the school gate” needs to be improved after an inquiry concluded the education system is “not set up to serve white working-class children and families”. The Education Secretary said Britain is facing a “big generational challenge” in turning around outcomes for poor white kids. She said ministers are already acting to address issues like attendance - which is a big driver of achievement - as well as expanding early years education and rolling out Sure Start-style support centres known as Best Start Family Hubs. But she admitted more change is needed, telling BBC Radio 5 Live: “This is a big, big, big generational challenge. I think, as the report sets out, there are lots of areas that require change, both within school, but also around schools and beyond the school gate, because so much of what a child is able to achieve in their life comes down to the support their family has.” Devolution is “absolutely the way to go” about getting people into work, the former minister in charge of a review into youth worklessness has said ahead of a major speech by Andy Burnham. Alan Milburn told an event hosted by the Resolution Foundation: “Labour markets are local. Barrow has a particular labour market, it’s just different from the labour market in, I don’t know where, Bournemouth, just a different labour market. “So there’s got to be the ability somewhere for somebody to own the matching between the supply side and the demand side, because unless that happens at a localised level then you’re going to have a problem. “You’ll hear a bit about what Andy’s saying in his speech today, which I think is absolutely the way to go around this.” Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson with some analysis on Kemi Badenoch’s speech… Kemi Badenoch sought to get ahead of Andy Burnham’s big moment today with a speech of her own this morning. It is a tactic we’ve repeatedly seen from Nigel Farage, who used to enjoy attention from journalists with weekly press conferences often on a Monday or Tuesday morning where he would sometimes take dozens of questions from reporters. His strategy was to get on the airwaves, get on TV, get ahead of the agenda and dominate headlines. That is, at least, until he came under intense scrutiny over a £5million gift he received shortly before he announced he’d stand as an MP in the 2024 general election. We’re at another Monday morning today and there’s been yet again no invite to a Reform press conference with Mr Farage. Instead, that gap has been filled by Ms Badenoch, who has been quietly rebuilding her party in the background while the Reform leader lapped up the fireworks and fanfare. During her press conference, the Tory leader criticised Mr Farage for hiding from journalists. And it was an attack she was also delighted to aim at Mr Burnham, who is not expected to take questions from journalists at his 11:30am speech. “Unlike some people who are giving speeches today, I will be taking questions from the media,” she quipped. Since the Tories’ historic election defeat in 2024, Ms Badenoch has been trying to help her party recover. Two years on and she now has clear demands of the new PM, including to cut the cost of energy, cut the welfare bill and champion business were among her calls. And studies are beginning to show slight improvements for Ms Badenoch. After the Makerfield by-election, the proportion of Brits who consider Reform the main party on the right dropped seven percentage points, while the Conservatives rose by seven, a More in Common survey showed over the weekend. With Mr Farage and Reform on shaky ground, the Tories are seizing the opportunity to take back space on the right. Kemi Badenoch has rubbished Andy Burnham's plan to move part of the Downing Street operation to the north of England. While taking questions, Badenoch was also asked about Burnham's plans for a "Number 10 north", which she doubted would ever take shape. She said "I don't think it is really feasible to have Number 10 in the North. As a secretary of state, there were many times that I had to go to Number 10 and then go into parliament. I wouldn't have been able to do that if I had to go up and down to Manchester at the same time." The Tory leader added: "We did have, for instance, a second Treasury campus in the north that was for civil servants. It was for other ministers. It was not for the Prime Minister. I don't think he [Burnham] really understands what it is that he is saying. He's been out of parliament for nearly 10 years. I think Andy Burnham has forgotten how a lot of things work. "I don't think there actually will be a Number 10 in the north." Mrs Badenoch said Mr Miliband should “absolutely” not be Rachel Reeves’ successor. “He is the single person who has done the most to deindustrialise our country and make us poorer,” the Conservative leader added. Multiple reports have suggested Andy Burnham is mulling over who to appoint as his chancellor, with Energy Secretary Mr Miliband among the contenders. Asked about whether she believes the political "vacuum" about which she has been complaining was of her own making and an "inevitable" result of Starmer's stepping down, Badenoch claimed it was Andy Burnham who doesn't have a plan. She said: "No, it's not the inevitable result of a prime minister changing. It is the inevitable result of Andy Burnham wanting to be prime minister but not having a plan. "People not having plans is why we are changing prime minister so often. And if Andy Burnham comes in without a plan, he is going to have another short tenure. Making announcements is not the same thing as having a plan. "I want a swift and steady transition because I want to be able to ask the prime minister what he is doing for or to our country." Badenoch has said she will happily sit down with Burnham, who she has called "genial" and "personable", and someone she likes. She has added that she will offer Conservative votes to the likely future Labour leader if he puts together policies that Labour backbenchers "can't stomach". The thrust of Badenoch's speech this morning has, naturally, been directed at Burnham and Starmer. She has warned that the UK faces a "summer of chaos", but has also used the speech to set out Conservative policy, including a plan to start drilling for oil in the North Sea. The proposal, one touted by Donald Trump, is part of the party's call to "get Britain working". Kemi Badenoch is now speaking from central London, where she as immediately descended on Andy Burnham, who she said is Prime Minister in "all but name". She has claimed he is "demanding policy changes nobody asked for". She said: “Difficult problems need solving, and difficult decisions must be taken. But the man who will be prime minister in a couple of weeks wants a three-month summer holiday, because he needs some time to work out what he thinks. “He will spend the next three months with unions and left-wing think tanks demanding policy changes which no one voted for. “Andy Burnham is already the prime minister in everything but name. He must put an end to speculation, walk into No 10, name his cabinet, and come to Parliament to tell the country what he plans to do. “Instead, he is allowing speculation and this chaos to run and run. He has clearly learned nothing from the disastrous speculation of Rachel Reeves’ last budget.” Today's speech will take place at the People's History Museum in Manchester, a regular stomping ground for Burnham, who has made key addresses and appearances at the "national museum of democracy". The museum tells the story of the UK's development in the country's past, present and future, and served as a valuable staging post for campaigns calling for the "Hillsborough Law", which the Makerfield MP supported. Kemi Badenoch will deliver her own speech before Burnham does this morning, with the Tory leader set to speak from London momentarily. Her address will come at 10am, an hour and a half before her likely future despatch box rival delivers his own at 11.30am. Steve Reed has said that Andy Burnham will make "change of emphasis" as the prospective Labour leader, not drop the party's 2024 manifesto, Communities Secretary Steve Reed has said. He told Sky News: "We were elected on a manifesto, and Andy has made clear he’s committed to that manifesto as well. So of course, there’s going to be changes of emphasis and changes of approach within that. But when it comes to the fundamentals, Andy has been clear, he will stick to the fiscal rules that have delivered this country stability in the economy for the first time in over 15 years." Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell said it was a “good move” for Mr Burnham not to subject himself to questions from the media. “Speeches matter and when important should speak for themselves,” he said. “If and when he becomes PM, Burnham will be answerable to Parliament, not the showbiz-style media coverage of politics.” Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in… Labour is this morning seeking to put the spotlight back on Nigel Farage over a £5million gift he received from Thai-based crypto billionaire Christopher Harborne. Last night, it was reported that Mr Harborne - who has donated some £15m to Reform - has registered to vote in Britain. Mr Farage is facing trouble over a separate £5m gift he received from him shortly before he announced he would stand in the 2024 general election. Parliament’s sleaze watchdog is looking into whether he broke Commons rules that say new MPs must declare relevant gifts and donations in the previous 12 months. Labour’s chair Anna Turley said: “Whatever country Nigel Farage’s crypto billionaire backer bases himself in, the questions about his donation scandal aren’t going away. Farage still needs to tell the public what he spent the secret £5 million “gift” Harborne gave him on and why he failed to declare it. “If Farage can’t answer basic questions about this vast sum of secret money, the public will be left thinking he has something to hide. The truth is Farage isn’t on the side of working people – he’s just in it for himself.” Several ministers will make statements in the House of Commons on Burnham speech day, with the June 29 slate including appearances from some of current PM Keir Starmer's top supporters. The slate includes: - Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Business and Trade: Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Update– June 2026. - James Murray, Health Secretary: NHS Workforce. - Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary: Asylum accommodation: ending hotel use and expanding alternative accommodation. - Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government: Vagrancy Act 1824. Burnham will speak this morning at around 11.30am, from a location in his Manchester stomping ground. While it is a major moment for the Makerfield MP, who is expected to lay out bold plans for the country, it won't be a very long one. He is only set to speak for around 20 minutes, and won't be taking questions from journalists who have travelled to the northern city. Watchers can expect a brief, razor-sharp account of his hopes and plans for Labour, and the country at large. Burnham is reportedly keeping it brief to fit his speech into a monster schedule, which will include heading to Westminster later this afternoon. Today's speech will be a major "diagnosis" of the UK's political issues and is "years in the making", an insider told POLITICO. They said: “This is years in the making of his agenda and it’s based on his diagnosis of what he thinks is going wrong.” Another person, described as a "long-time ally" of Burnham, revealed the themes they expected to emerge, saying they will be “agency” and “control”, and how to bring them back to Brits. Insiders have said that Burnham spent much of the weekend working on the speech he's set to deliver today, but he was still able to enjoy what appears to be one of his favourite pastimes - a gentle neighbourhood jog. He was pictured out and about on Sunday, when the weather had calmed down somewhat from another record-breaking day on Saturday. Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in… Bridget Phillipson has said support for children needs to go “beyond the school gate” after an inquiry concluded the education system is “not set up to serve white working-class children and families”. The Education Secretary has just finished an interview on BBC Radio 5Live where she was grilled on what the Government is doing to address the findings of the Independent Inquiry into White Working-Class Educational Outcomes. Ms Phillipson said ministers were already acting to address issues like attendance - which is a big driver of achievement - as well as expanding early years education and rolling out Sure Start-style support centres known as Best Start Family Hubs. She added: “This is a big, big, big generational challenge. I think, as the report sets out, there are lots of areas that require change, both within school, but also around schools and beyond the school gate, because so much of what a child is able to achieve in their life comes down to the support their family has.” Ms Phillipson said this was in no way about “shifting blame” either onto teachers or parents, adding: “This is about all of us across society taking action, and yes, that means supporting parents as well, whether that's around attendance, on child poverty, on making sure they’ve got access to good quality advice, health support, and much more.” Burnham is expected to dedicate some of his speech to his plans for devolution later this morning, including a "No 10 North". The concept would see power transferred outside of Whitehall and into the North of England, and help ensure that northern representatives wouldn't have to come to London “on bended knee” whenever they needed something. It is believed that No 10 North wouldn't be a complete transference of power outside the capital, however, with only part of Burnham's would-be prime ministerial model moved. Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson writes in… Employment minister Dame Diana Johnson has this morning said devolution is already happening under Rachel Reeves, such as mayors having powers over local tourist taxes. The senior MP - who is backing Andy Burnham - said we’ll have to wait to see exactly what Burnham means by devolution in his speech later today. Asked if she’d like to see different areas be given more powers over tax or spending, Dame Diana told Sky News: “Well, I think that's already happened a little bit under Rachel as the Chancellor. We've seen that powers have been given to mayors, particularly around the tourist tax, that mayors can take up that if they want to use that in their local area. “I think we need to hear from Andy this morning. He's making his speech, he's setting out his stall, and I think it will be interesting to see how far it goes in terms of fiscal devolution. But I think you know generally the Labour government was elected on the platform of devolution, pushing responsibility out to mayors. “We’re creating more mayors. I have certainly, as an employment minister, had conversations with mayors, including Andy, about things like Connect to Work, which is one of our flagship programs delivered locally by mayors to help people to get into work who have got health or disability issues or complex reasons why they are not in employment, so this is already happening, and I think you know he's obviously going to set out exactly what he means by devolution later today.” Burnham gave the public a flavour of what he has learned from his longtime role as Manchester Mayor over the weekend, revealing he is keen on a "place first" politics. Speaking in a video posted to social media on Saturday, he said: "It means being place first rather than party first. And I think the public is learning for a politics where people just focus on the place, find a solution. What comes out of it is the single thing that is in most short supply in this country at the moment. Hope." Mirror Political Correspondent Sophie Huskisson here… Employment minister Dame Diana Johnson is out on the airwaves this morning on behalf of the government - but it’s Andy Burnham who is the topic of conversation. Dame Diana - who is the MP for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham - said devolving power across the country is a good idea, ahead of a Burnham speech on devolution later this morning. She said: “As an MP who represents Hull I know jolly well there’s great things we can do in all parts of the country and I think it’s important that we spread that. Andy’s talked about every postcode benefitting from a Labour government and that’s what I want to see” She cheerily added that it would be “great” if Hull was the location for Mr Burnham’s plans to set up a “No10 in the North” to shift power outside London. Burnham has been asked to consider using his speech today to announce that he will increase defence investment to 3.5 percent of GDP by 2025. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the former Chief of the Defence Staff, called on him to make the commitment on Sunday while appearing on BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. He said: "It is [to] keep our country safe, acknowledge that you have this extraordinary responsibility - so you're almost like a wartime prime minister at the moment. And that means you need to invest in what really keeps us safe." Andy Burnham arrived in Westminster last week to a heady atmosphere. Hot off his emphatic win in Makerfield, he received a warm reception from Labour MPs who crowded into Parliament's Westminster Hall to welcome him as a Prime Minister in waiting. But as the heatwave recedes, the political reality is setting in. Burnham and his small team have just over three weeks to firm up a programme for Government, to decide on his Cabinet, to staff a new No10 and to build a comms operation. He is being inundated with ideas from MPs, trade unions and think tanks, all battling for his attention, while ministers jostle to keep their jobs. Welcome to the Mirror's politics liveblog. Andy Burnham will give a major speech today on his plans for Government as he prepares to become Prime Minister. If no one else throws their hat into the ring, Mr Burnham could enter Downing Street on July 20. And he's under pressure to spell out just what he would do with power. In a speech today, he'll turn his focus to the economy and devolution, with plans for a radical bid to take power out of Westminster. Read our full story here.