Burnham pledges to restore hope as he makes his House of Commons debut as UK leader

On his debut as UK Prime Minister, Andy Burnham addressed lawmakers in the House of Commons to pledge hope and change. The new leader faced a host of challenges including wars abroad and economic struggles at home, vowing to restore positivity and possibility to Britain. Burnham promised to unlock a sense of possibility in every postcode in the country and to redistribute power from London to Britain's regions.

He unveiled a few measures to ease the cost of living, such as domestic energy bill tax cuts and lower levies on pubs and nightclubs. Burnham highlighted the need for greater public control over water, energy, and transport to drive economic growth and alleviate financial burdens for households. However, his economic diagnosis faced criticism from the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who argued that government spending would not necessarily lead to wealthier citizens.

Burnham's controversial second prime minister's office in Manchester, No 10 North, aimed to give more power to local leaders and spread economic growth across the country, but faced skepticism. Burnham's first foreign trip as leader saw him visit Kyiv in support of Ukraine, though Russia accused Britain of participating in the war.

The UK faces pressure to increase defence spending to meet NATO's 3.5% of gross domestic product target by 2035. Burnham also had to decide whether to allow more oil and gas production in the North Sea, a move supported by the US but opposed by clean energy advocates. Burnham assured the public that Britain would meet the climate challenge and attend the Cop31 climate conference in Turkey in November.