The Guardian view on Andy Burnham: grounds to hope for a better Britain | Editorial

Andy Burnham, in his inaugural address as Labour Party leader at their conference, endeavored to persuade the audience that bolstering public institutions would yield a better Britain than scaling back state intervention. The prime minister's analysis proved accurate. His conviction in government's capacity for positive change is commendable, as is his foresight that prudent investment in public services would yield financial savings in the long run.

The assertion that Brexit "has caused more damage than benefit" and subsequent discussion of potential pathways to a closer EU partnership may prove to be the most pivotal line in the speech. Proposing a trade-off for the forthcoming election – sacrificing some of the yearly pension uplift for enhanced personal care for seniors – is a calculated risk.

However, the prime minister evidently believes that by the time of the election, sufficient progress will have been made to warrant voter support for his continued leadership. Burnham deftly reframed the "take back control" mantra as a Labour proposition, demonstrating that privatization diminished economic authority, emasculated local governance, and Brexit curtailed control over immigration.

This was executed with finesse, interweaving themes of housing, water, energy, and European affairs into a cohesive narrative.