What to expect from Andy Burnham at Labour party conference

Andy Burnham’s first conference speech will crown an extraordinary for the former Mayor of Manchester turned Prime Minister, but it’s also the moment he must explain how he will meet the challenges ahead, says Douglas Beattie What a difference a year makes – 12 months ago, amid growing leadership speculation, Andy Burnham was telling journalists he would not bother to watch Keir Starmer address the party faithful at Labour’s annual conference.  That gathering begins again this weekend in Liverpool and Burnham will most certainly be in the hall, this time as Prime Minister, leading a party which is now largely united behind him.  Already, since taking office in July he has demonstrated a different approach to his predecessor. Burnham is often cited as a far better communicator, and he is. Yet that’s not really the whole story – what he has tried to convey in the early stages of his premiership, is a sense of action; that change is afoot.  Change was something Labour put up in lights in its 2024 general election manifesto but largely failed to deliver under Starmer in the way voters had hoped. Think here about the boldness of Burnham’s offer to the country – ending homelessness, reforming social care, building many more council homes and the big economic shift – reversing neoliberalism.  Doing so, he has said, would be: “The most significant change moment in our politics in 40 years.” That is sure to get delegates whipped up and in the mood for their annual gathering. Of course, in politics as in all walks of life, the proof will be in the pudding and it is right to ask – can he pull any of this off?   Burnham, fresh from what seems to have been a very cordial first meeting with Donald Trump in New York, will emerge onto the stage next to the Mersey to a fevered reception from party activists, councillors, MPs and others, who seem genuinely thankful to have the new leader in place.  This is hardly surprising given that a year ago the same people were openly expressing their deep concerns about the coming local and devolved elections which took place this May. As it turned out they were right to be worried, with Labour losing badly almost everywhere.   Labour conference is not what it used to be At this point it’s important to stress that Labour conference is not what it used to be. Though still sovereign in terms of policy making, it’s much more optical than it was for much of the 20th century. Even if there are big rows, and there might yet be, over issues like whether to allow more drilling in the North Sea, the key moments will be when we hear from Burnham and his Chancellor, John Healey.  Look out for rabbits pulled from hats, or even the glimpse of fur ahead of the Budget next month. Both Burnham and Healey will be required to give some sense of where we are going as a country.   After all, they face the same obstacles as Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves. For instance, what might we hear of economic growth, of spending on defence as well as the maintenance of public services and social security?  Opponents, not least Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, have already raised the issue of spending on benefits, tying this to the military budget. Yet Burham and Healey know their history and all Labour leaders and Chancellors must surely resist any moves which injure those most in need in society.   So while Andy Burnham can look forward to what, in Liverpool, will be the crowning glory of a most extraordinary year for him personally, he does so knowing that he must now further define his project and explain how he will meet the many challenges which lie ahead. Douglas Beattie is the author of Victory at the Ballot Box: The History of How Labour Built Britain