Andy Burnham to vow ‘extra respiratory area’ on value of dwelling in first handle to nation as PM

The pledge from the new Labour leader comes as he is expected to announce a policy blitz in his first week in No10 to help ease the pressure on cash-strapped households

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Andy Burnham will promise to “give Britain more breathing space” on the cost of living in his first major address to the nation as Prime Minister.

The pledge from the new Labour leader comes as he is expected to announce a policy blitz in his first week in No10 to help ease the pressure on cash-strapped households.

The ex-Greater Manchester Mayor will also acknowledge the turbulence in British politics as he replaces Keir Starmer just two years after Labour’s election victory.

In his first speech to the country, he will insist he is “acutely conscious” of the chaos and being the sixth Prime Minister in 10 years to walk up the street, and stress the need for more stable and responsible politics.

Mr Burnham will also describe the moment as one of “reflection and resolution” and insist the country must be honest about the challenges it faces.

Labour’s deputy leader, Lucy Powell, insisted on Sunday he will set out a “bolder more ambitious” vision for fixing Britain’s thorny problems.

This includes the crisis-hit social care sector, which he promised last week to “expend quite a lot of political capital” on.

Allies also said he will conclude his speech on a message of optimism, after telling Labour members last week he wanted to give voters “hope back”.

Mr Burnham will become Prime Minister after Mr Starmer formally offers his resignation to the King at Buckingham Palace around lunchtime on Monday.

The new Labour leader will then “kiss hands” with the monarch, who will then invite him to form the next government – before setting out his vision to the country outside Downing Street.

After addressing the nation, he will be greeted by the Cabinet Secretary, Dame Antonia Romeo, behind the famous black door before receiving briefings from officials.

The former Greater Manchester Mayor, who spent the weekend with his family and putting the finishing touches to his Cabinet, will then announce his top team.

There has been feverish speculation over the role of Chancellor, with Shabana Mahmood, the current Home Secretary, widely tipped to replace Rachel Reeves.

It has sparked tensions among some on the left of the party, who are hoping the position will go to the former leader and Energy Secretary, Ed Miliband.

The incoming Prime Minister is also expected to receive congratulatory calls from world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.

On Sunday, Mr Trump claimed people in Aberdeen will be “dancing in the streets” following reports Mr Burnham could back new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.

Mr Burnham has not confirmed reports that he is considering approving new fossil fuel production, particularly in the North Sea’s Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.

But in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday, Mr Trump, a vocal supporter of fossil fuels, prematurely claimed Mr Burnham had said he would.

He said: “The People of Aberdeen, in Scotland, are dancing in the streets because the new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has stated that he will be opening up, all the way, the invaluable North Sea Oil!”

Reports over the weekend also suggested Mr Burnham to put crisis-hit Thames Water – which is battling a £20 billion debt pile – into a special administration regime (SAR).

The ex-Greater Manchester Mayor has previously said he wants to see more public control of key utilities, including water.

On Sunday, Labour’s deputy leader Ms Powell – a close ally and friend of Mr Burnham – also fuelled speculation by saying privatisation of water “hasn’t worked”.

She told Sky News: “This has been an ongoing issue and concern in government and has been around for many months now.

“The government has powers to bring a distressed water company under special measures, and let’s see if the government needs to – wants to – use those powers.”

Promising a “reset of priorities”, Mr Burnham has already announced over the weekend he will scrap Mr Starmer’s flagship digital ID programme in order to focus money and attention on the cost of living.

Earlier this month he also announced plans for the biggest council house building programme since the post-war era.

And he has already said he wants to devolve power away from Westminster as one of his key priorities, driving that agenda with a new “No 10 North” in Manchester, which he is expected to visit later in the week.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, said the new Labour leader’s plans to establish a No10 North was a “game-changer”.

She told the BBC : “It’s not just a gimmick, it’s not vacuous, it’s absolutely about taking power from the South and putting it in a different part of the country so that we govern for the whole country.”