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Andy Burnham’s speech to the Labour Party Conference has been hailed by many British commentators as one of the most consequential in a generation, with his ambitious plans to reform social care and pensions, tackle festering deficiencies in Britain’s housing stock, energy supply and infrastructure, improve education and opportunity for young people, and launch national debates on reforming the UK’s electoral system, and restoring a better relationship with the EU.
He promised he was going to deliver a “real speech” and say the things “politicians usually avoid” and there was almost no sacred cow he was not willing to address. He became the first major political leader to state openly that Britain was not “anywhere where we want it to be” and has “been on the wrong path for a long time.” He became the first to openly state that Thatcher’s privatisation of public utilities such as water in the 1980s was a mistake – “a service where shareholders never lose and the public never wins….It stinks.”
He was also the first to openly acknowledge that Brexit did not allow the country to “take back control” but actually has caused “more harm than good” whilst explicitly thanking immigrants for their contributions to the country. Perhaps most importantly, because of the implications for his own party’s future, he also became the first major party leader to express openness to reforming Britain’s electoral system, with the explicit aim of preventing handing the keys of No 10 to “divisive elements” (code for Reform) with less than 30% of the national vote.
Burnham made clear that he was not interested in presiding over Britain’s decline, but in leading it back to strength at home and influence abroad. “We led the world’s first industrial revolution…so why can’t we lead the next? We can, Conference, and we will… As Gordon Brown has said, we can be the world’s innovation nation, and he’s right, we can.”
His remarks throughout were tinged with patriotism, belief, and confidence in the country. “Britain is not perfect; it can be better; and we will make it so; but it still stands for something worth saving, worth fighting for.” His plan was “not just to hold us together, but allow Britain to rise again and be confident of our place in the world.”
In a particularly poignant moment, he described how it made him feel when the Scottish leader, John Swinney, said that Burnham would be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Burnham, who was at his father’s deathbed at the time, said the remark made him “utterly determined to prove him wrong.”
Above all, he repeatedly emphasised his determination to deliver on his promises, no matter what the political pain. “It’s the leadership I promised you…and I will do it.” “I know it’s hard…I know not everyone will agree…but I will fight hard for what I believe is in the best interests of our country.”
This speech establishes Burnham as not just the most serious politician in Britain in years, but also potentially the most consequential British politician to be reckoned with on the world stage. In terms of public profile, it easily puts him on a level footing with Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada, who has shown himself to be equally courageous in saying the unsayable. Just as Carney has won global respect by being frank about the need for Canada to reduce its reliance on America, so Burnham’s remarks are sure to make other countries sit up and take notice that he means business.
To underscore the message, Burnham explicitly drew the link between the state of the UK at home, and its influence and standing abroad. “A country which invests in people’s success, rather than abandoning them and paying for failure, will be much more resilient to the shocks we will undoubtedly face in the rest of this century… This leadership we are showing at home will be matched on the international stage.” The UK cannot “succeed in the eyes of the world if we continue with the levels of political turbulence” at home. His stated aspiration was to “project a message of confidence and stability to markets and the world about Britain’s future direction.”
Burnham’s honesty, clarity, and courage will, like Carney has ing Canada, almost certain to win new respect for, and interest in Britain, from most of its main partners – who will welcome the prospect of clear-sighted, steady leadership, after the past decade of drift, dysfunction and dishonesty. His remarks are particularly likely to be welcomed by EU members, who have been frustrated by the UK’s inability to have an honest conversation with itself about its relationship with the bloc, which has stymied prospects for establishing better long term relations with it. Most NATO partners will also welcome his reiteration of the UK’s steadfast support for Ukraine, though will be anxious that he made no explicit commitments to increase defence expenditure.
Many other countries around the world will have appreciated his and his Foreign Secretary’s shift in tone on Israel/Palestine, including willingness to impose concrete sanctions on Israel for its behaviour in the West Bank and Gaza, and reaffirmation of UK support for Palestinian statehood.
Ironically, because Burnham’s underlying theme is all about “Making Britain Great Again”, just like Donald Trump pledged to do for America, the only major foreign government likely to view Burnham’s speech with concern will in fact be the US administration. Not because it opposes the idea of Britain renewing itself – in fact many MAGA commentators have been scathing about what they see as Britain’s recent political and economic decline – but because Burnham’s proscriptions for “Making Britain Great Again” are the polar opposite of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again.”
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Burnham in his speech set out “a plan for Britain that will enhance our social security and our national security.” In his view, Britain will become stronger and safer, if it can help the poorest, neediest and most vulnerable in society get back on their feet and start contributing to society. You don’t reform welfare and get people back into work by making “crude social cuts” but by “optimising the conditions for businesses to grow” and equipping people with the right skills for businesses to employ. You don’t blame migrants for the country’s ills, in fact, you recognize their contributions, and acknowledge that Britain’s underlying social challenges are the result of longer term failures in social policy. You don’t feed political division and rancor, to advance your own narrow agenda, but deliberately reach out across the political aisle to try to foster bipartisan cooperation in the broader interests of the country as a whole. You don’t sell out national assets to the highest bidder, to make a fast buck, or exploit natural resources until they are depleted, but invest for the long term, and build sustainability.
In every single aspect, this is the complete opposite of Trump’s approach. So far, this has only resulted in further polarisation across America, harmed the economy, damaged its social fabric, exacerbated inequality, weakened the checks and balances of America’s democracy, undermined alliances, and caused it to lose respect and standing overseas.
If Burnham succeeds, where the Trump administration is visibly failing, the whole MAGA agenda will be exposed for the hollow, self-serving charade which it is.