Andy Burnham delivered his first speech as leader, with the central focus of his address being the announcement of a new electoral commission. Burnham stated that the Labour Party had twice voted for proportional representation, a stance with which he agreed. He called on all political parties to be part of the commission's work.
The leader stated that he would stand in the next election with the pledge to change the electoral system so that every vote counts and every vote is heard. In addition to domestic political issues, Burnham announced that a UK-EU summit would be held later this year. One of the issues on the agenda of that summit, he said, would be how best to cooperate on immigration.
Burn stated that he would work to secure gains for British industries most affected by Brexit. He assessed that Brexit does more harm than good, and that he would use the opportunity of the summit to present different options for the long-term relationship between the UK and its European partners.
Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, confirmed that Andy Burnham would address the possibility of scrapping the triple lock on pensions to help fund the creation of a care service modelled on the NHS. In an interview with Sky's Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Rayner said that Burn was 'absolutely right to start the conversation' and that he was 'brave'. She added that people pay their whole lives and that, in her opinion, they are willing to consider this.
Rayner highlighted that people do not want what she considers to be an incompetent politician taking something away from them. She said that this had not been mentioned when they met with Andy Burnham this week. In her view, it is important that Labour ensures the working class knows that Labour is on their side.
The national service was understood by Ray as a universal benefit: everyone pays and everyone benefits. However, she warned that it is wrong to take the security of a group of people receiving around £12,500 a year to pay for it. Burn claims that his plans are 'a good deal' for older people.
In his address, Burn reflected on the statement by John Swinney that he would be the last UK prime minister. He said that this happened on the day his father died, that he did not respond at the time, and that his father would have defended Swinney's right to say so. He stated that he was 'fully determined' to prove that Swin was wrong, recalling that his father had fallen 11 plus and become prime minister. Union, Burn concluded, is not perfect, 'but it still represents something worth saving, worth fighting for'.
