Andy Burnham: Who is the new PM? | BBC News

The change will be the biggest change in our lifetimes to the way the country is run. Who is Andy Burnham, the new prime minister? He likes football, he likes music, he likes a pint. He's accused of being a shapeshifter, a chameleon. To some, he's the king of the north. Andy Burnham will stand up for the common man. I think when he sets his mind to something, he'll see it through. I mean, I know he was mayor, but that's a completely different role. Avid Everton fan, runner, or as the leader of the opposition put it... A pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt. Start blue, actually. So what does he stand for? Good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart. When you're used to being the nice guy, can you now be the really tough guy? Does the boy with the cheeky grin have what it takes? What a moment for the new prime minister to soak up. This is one to cherish on a human, on a family level. 20th July 2026. Andy Burnham becomes the UK's seventh prime minister in 10 years. We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain. A 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be, wherever we're coming from, whatever party we support. I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again, the moment we bring back hope. Thank you very much, everybody. It's a long way from where Andy Burnham's story all began. Andy Burnham was born in 1970 in Old Roan in Merseyside. He grew up in a village near Warrington in Cheshire. His parents, seen here in more recent times, worked as a receptionist for a local GP and a telephone engineer. Andy, on the right, has two brothers, Nick, on the left, and another brother, John. The future prime minister went to a Roman Catholic high school, his passions Everton Football Club and the Smiths. As a young person, I spent a great deal more time in Manchester. I remember going in and out of Piccadilly Records in my lunch hour. I was massively into the Manchester music of the mid and late 80s. Later, he played as well as listened to music with mixed results. Andy Burnham did well at school but took some persuading to go to Cambridge to study. It was very much, oh, no, no, that's not for people like me. Socially, that's not me. And in some ways, that came true, I have to say, because when he went there, he found it quite difficult for a while. He got to Cambridge, but from a working-class background. But he was from an essentially ordinary family. It was simply that he was bright and applied himself and got a good degree in English at Cambridge. The guy is an achiever in life. At Cambridge University, he met his future wife, Marie-France Van Heel, known as Frankie. She became a marketing executive and they have three children. It was clear, though, a career in politics was his goal. He's been political for a very, very long time. Virtually his first job was as a political researcher and then he became an MP quite young and a cabinet minister. So I think he was ambitious for politics right from the start. That didn't stop him watching and playing football. I think what Andy Burnham's good at is he appears quite normal. So he likes football, he likes music, he likes a pint. I think having a bit of personality, having, you know, hobbies and interests, humanises you, allows people to relate to you. Canvassing for Andy is one of the easiest tasks a Labour canvasser can have. In terms of detailed understanding of how the mechanisms of the economy work, I'm less certain that he's got that knowledge or those abilities. Nonetheless, a supposed man of the people reputation is central to his brand. I think the reason he's been successful is his ability to connect with people. And I've interviewed him lots of times over the years, most recently during the Makerfield by-election campaign. And I was really struck then by the way in which he interacted with the voters. Getting into Downing Street has not been easy for Andy Burnham, but his initial rise was rapid. In 2001, at the age of just 31, he was on course to be the MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester. I grew up in this area and I know it well. I know the people well and my primary job is to serve the people of Leigh to the best of my abilities. I've actually known Andy Burnham for 30 years and I first met him when he was a researcher for Tessa Jowell, who went on to become a cabinet minister in the Blair years. The interesting thing is I don't think he's really changed that much in all that time. He's still, you know, very personable, very good at talking to people. He's got a humanity to him. He's accused of being a shapeshifter, a chameleon, someone who changes his political views depending on what is expedient or what will be popular at that point in history. So we've seen him as a minister under Tony Blair's government, then becoming a Gordon Brown loyalist, then serving under Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet. You've had an expert coaching from Tessa. Andy Burnham's most senior government jobs until now were under Gordon Brown. He was culture secretary, then health secretary. He kept his thoughts about the boss's table tennis skills to himself. His path to power has included some highly controversial decisions. He voted for the Iraq war, I think because he was a loyal Labour MP at the time. I don't back away from the original decision and I did vote for the war. I did that because I believe it gave hope to people in that country of a better future and I would argue it's made us more able now to take a stronger position in relation to Iran. He's gone with the flow at that time. If you're the prime minister where the book stops, you can't go with the flow. You have to say we're going to do this, we're going to change that budget, cut that budget, increase that budget, whatever. I think he will find that extraordinarily difficult. I think clearly he's someone who's had designs on the top job for a very long time. Andy Burnham first ran for Labour leader in 2010. I'm not a factional politician, I always put party first, but now the prime minister and the leader of our party has chosen to step down, it's right for a new generation to step forward and to put themselves forward. Ed Miliband won that one but he tried again in 2015 and was the favourite. And you're having yet another crack at leadership. Yeah, last time I won't be doing it again. For me this is, you know, it's now or never. Right. The debate maybe is do you make it easier, fewer MPs? Okay. But yes, the party comes first always. Yvette Cooper. Oh, the country comes first. 251. Jeremy Corbyn came top that time. 11 years on, it's third time lucky. I think he's always been ambitious but all that time he has kept going and he hasn't given up on wanting to be in charge. In 2009, Andy Burnham, now Culture Secretary, was heckled at the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster. 97 Liverpool fans died in and after a crush at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield in 1989. Bereaved families were not just angry about the police's catastrophic errors that day but the institutional cover-up that followed. It wasn't necessarily directed at Andy Burnham, that heckling, but it was directed at the government and Andy Burnham took it personally and immediately went to Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister at the time, and said we've got to do more on Hillsborough and more subsequently was done on Hillsborough. Andy Burnham became a campaigner on the family's side. He got a better reception on the 25th anniversary of the disaster. Thank you all, thank you so much. That felt better than last time. Something had to give, didn't it? You know, something had to give and I've always said, you know, if I wasn't the Minister, I'd have been one of those shouting at the Minister, you know, because I understood how they felt. In 2026, MPs approved the so-called Hillsborough Law to force public bodies to tell the truth at major inquiries. In 2017, Andy Burnham swapped Westminster for Greater Manchester, becoming the region's new mayor. Therefore I declare that Andy Burnham is duly elected. This is what people say has really been the making of him because it's allowed him to portray himself as an anti-establishment character, someone who's going to take on Westminster as an outsider who can come and shake things up. There is a very big difference between being a mayor and a prime minister. I don't think anything can prepare you for that job. It's horrendously difficult. Andy Burnham won two more mayoral contests, focusing on homelessness and transport. He himself, I think, is proudest of the bus network, which he sees as a model for the rest of the public services. So it was sort of publicly controlled, run by private companies, but with clear rules and regulations set by the mayor. And he did free bus passes for young people as well. And I think that's what he feels was the biggest difference. But he had failures too. A proposed clean air zone was scrapped, with claims disputed by the mayor that millions of pounds were wasted. I have to say we were disappointed at the time that stronger action didn't happen and that this scheme didn't go ahead. But I think the political, the economic realities at the time, you know, it would have made it very hard for it to happen. So I think it was a mistake and he realised fairly quickly that both small businesses, terrible phrase but white van man, and the electorate were against it and he pulled back. But now I think we need to really question what happens next, because we are breathing dirty air across the whole of Greater Manchester and it is impacting everybody's health. There are places where it's three, four, five times over the World Health Organisation guideline levels and we need to do something about it. Britain's coronavirus death toll rises sharply as strict new measures come into force. 87 people have died in the past 24 hours alone. Covid brought major challenges for Greater Manchester and its mayor. I think one particular moment that sticks out in a lot of people's minds is that moment during the pandemic when he was standing on the steps of Greater Manchester Library looking at the cameras and really just having a go at Boris Johnson over the Covid restriction measures that were due to hit the north far greater at that point than they were hitting the south. At no point today were we offered enough to protect the poorest people in our communities through the punishing reality of the winter to come. Even now I am still willing to do a deal but it cannot be on the terms that the government offered today. That was the moment that actually earned him the title the King of the North. He was seen as the one kind of speaking truth to power, standing up for the north against Westminster and that's something that he's really capitalised on I think in this in his bid to become prime minister, someone who can represent the people against power and be this sort of anti-establishment figure. Greater Manchester Mayor involved giving away lots of nice things to the people of Greater Manchester. Being prime minister might mean taking away things from ordinary people and that's mighty, mighty difficult. From talking politics to talking hamburgers, Andy Burnham's social media output is prolific. Just what you need after six hours in oral on the doorstep today is a bit of football therapy. Andy Burnham's been a kind of a long-time proponent of social media. I'd love to watch England in the pub tomorrow but we'll see, we'll see what we can arrange. Doing kind of selfie videos and all sorts of direct communication with his voters and his followers in a way that perhaps not every Westminster politician is quite as au fait with. Who put Z cars to me walking into swearing in parliament, that was absolutely genius. And sometimes they're quite jokey, sometimes they're debunking criticisms of him or taking on criticisms or admitting mistakes, just giving a sense of his day. I left the north again, I travelled south again, was a bit of a Smith's lyric there for you but I'm back in London. It's bypassing some of the more traditional media to just speak to his followers and his fans directly. Well this definitely feels surreal now, coming back, in a good way. Of course as prime minister, you know, you can't just rely on Reddit to be your scrutiny. You do need to speak to journalists, give interviews, give press conferences, be able to explain what it is you're doing and be asked questions about it. EU social media to respond to this attack on Labour MPs and to Keir Starmer from the Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch. And now they've abandoned him and what for? A pair of eyelashes and a black t-shirt. It's dark blue actually. Okay, here's a quick guide to doing an Andy Burnham impression. It's quite a gentle voice so... And as Andy Burnham uses social media, others on social media are using him for comedy as well as serious comment. Nothing I love more than going down the hill Dickie with the lads and you know having a few beers and seeing the toffees and then getting a kebab. But in all seriousness, Mr Viran, don't stop what they're doing. We will launch a nuclear attack, won't we? Now that he's the prime minister, the question for many is what does Andy Burnham really stand for? Are you disloyal Mr Burnham? The joke in Westminster is a Blairite, a Brownite, a Corbinite goes into a bar and orders a pint and the barman says, what would you like Andy? I think the question now is we'll see what Burnham's agenda is of his own and that he's going to have to decide. I know what I believe after 25 years as an elected Labour representative and I know what I want to do working with you all. I have a plan. Andy Burnham said there are three core things in his life and he said in order, Everton FC, about which he is indeed obsessive, the Labour Party. He's a creature of that sort of working-class North West England background where the Labour Party was seen as the vehicle of your aspirations and the Catholic Church. So he might not go to mass every Sunday but he has said his Catholicism does matter to him. To become prime minister, you have to be an MP. Luckily for Andy Burnham, a friendly Labour colleague stood down in his seat, Makerfield in Greater Manchester, triggering a by-election. Andy Burnham won. He was sworn in as an MP hours after Sir Keir Starmer resigned. He won the subsequent leadership contest too, with almost unanimous support from Labour MPs. He's uncontested, without really any policy debates, without any scrutiny really. But I think the question is, as soon as he starts making those difficult decisions on welfare or immigration or net zero, things that aren't necessarily popular with Labour MPs or their constituents, is he going to have a backlash? I don't think there is any strong ideology to Andy Burnham so I understand why the flip-flop label is there. Because for Andy Burnham, what's best is what works. That was the big problem for Keir Starmer. People just felt they didn't know what he stood for and I think Andy Burnham risks falling into that trap unless he very clearly dictates what his vision is and how people can get behind it. The time has come to build the broadest possible coalition of people to lift Britain back up to where we all want it to be. He's talked about having more public control over things like energy and water and he says he'll take power away from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to places like Makefield. I guess one of the things he's been speaking about a lot recently during his time in Manchester and since his path to Downing Street has looked pretty clear and that is devolution and this idea that politics isn't working in an equal way around the country. So he's talked about creating a number 10 in the north as well as the number 10 in Downing Street. The change will be the biggest change in our lifetimes to the way the country is run and it is consistent with the 2024 manifesto. We will create a more streamlined state with a clearer purpose to power up all parts of the country and put a laser-like focus on growth and regeneration. I mean I don't think people are waking up at their Braxmas tables and talking about devolution as the first thing on their mind but if this is a vision he's able to carry through and get people behind at least that's something that he could perhaps leave as a legacy. You're running away from questions Mr Burnham. After his victory speech in Ashton in Makefield following the by-election result he avoided questions from reporters. I don't think someone should just become prime minister without having been asked any questions at all. Andy Burnham was questioned on the BBC about his economic plans. Can you remind us what the fiscal rules are? I'm not going to go through a discussion like an exam on the fiscal rules. I know what the fiscal rules are. I've been very clear about it. We will set out a plan that is within those rules so that we keep the discipline. I'm told that his priorities in terms of public service reform will be social care, education and housing. My dad's got Alzheimer's so I've kind of become very familiar with the English social care situation from a family personal point of view. If there's one area that I'm going to expend quite a lot of political capital it's going to be on social care. But of course the big issue will be that he still hasn't got any money he's still got all the same dilemmas that Starmer faced. Sakhir was praised by some for largely keeping the UK out of the war in Iran. Another former prime minister says foreign affairs will take up much of the new PM's time. To Andy Burnham, first of all running the United Kingdom is not the same as running Manchester. You need to understand that. Second piece of advice given his background you need to get yourself up and running and understanding national security, defence and foreign policy issues. Global crises are going to be a huge part of his job. I know about who? The new incoming prime minister Andy Burnham. I don't know anything. I see that he was I guess the mayor of a town. I hear he's extremely liberal. But people around Burnham hope that he'll get on with Trump in a sort of because he just is quite personable and also I think bear in mind that Trump likes people he thinks are winners. He's entirely untested on foreign policy and if you look at Keir Starmer's premiership an awful lot of time was spent at international summits. Andy Burnham, the critics of Andy Burnham say he'll be out of his depth. You know he doesn't even dress appropriately and what we are going to see you know we're no longer going to see in terms of image the smiths. It'll be much more the suits rather than the smiths. Talking to people around him he's going to have a much more domestic focus to his politics and they say he doesn't want to travel as much. At home or abroad does the new prime minister have what it takes? Andy Burnham is about to be tested to his core. We're on our seventh prime minister in the last 10 years. Contact with number 10 almost instantly erases your popularity. That's been the lesson of British politics over the last 10 years. How is Andy Burnham going to buck that trend? One criticism that people make is that he likes to be liked. You know he's a bit of a people pleaser. But now you're going to have to be a prime minister and that involves taking decisions which involve displeasing probably 99 out of 100 people on some occasions. I think the question is is Andy Burnham tough enough to be prime minister?