Andy Burnham’s five pledges in his first speech
Andy Burnham sought to set out a new direction for the country with five key promises in his first speech as Labour leader.
Here, the Press Association looks at the pledges he made:
– End Labour’s ‘insidious briefing culture’
He promised to work relentlessly to build a culture of “one Labour team”, warning the party would fail to beat “Britain’s new right” if colleagues became consumed by infighting.
“Fighting to eradicate it and the insidious briefing culture that goes along with it will characterise my leadership,” he said.
“Today we move beyond it.”
– More problem-solving, less point-scoring
Despite being critical of previous Conservative governments and “the right”, Mr Burnham said he wanted to build a “new politics” by finding more common ground with rival parties.
He said seeking consensus where possible could help to make the discourse less “toxic” and mean “the change we make is more lasting”.
“We might enjoy the point-scoring against others. The public don’t,” he said.
– ‘Distinctively Labour’ policy direction
The Makerfield MP suggested his party had shifted too rightwards in the past, saying he would not repeat the mistake of “wearing too many Tory clothes”.
Hitting out at former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s government of the 1980s, he said the decade had seen Britain take a “series of wrong turns” which he wants to course correct.
– ‘Speaking for all parts of the country’
“I will be a leader for the north, the south, the east, and the west, for Scotland, Wales, and for Northern Ireland,” he said.
– Pushing power out of Whitehall
His final commitment involved pledging to move power away from Westminster and “to the place where you live”.
He said this would involve helping high streets and backing local businesses such as pubs and shops.
“Make no mistake, everybody, I will be a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester,” he said.