Teary Andy Burnham’s 5 key factors to ‘flip Britain – from EU ‘choices’ to Iran ‘threats’
The new Labour leader Andy Burnham addressed his party and country from Liverpool, at one point even breaking down in tears during an emotional speech about his father
Prime Minister Andy Burnham gave an impassioned speech(Image: James Veysey/Shutterstock)
Andy Burnham has given his first speech as Prime Minister at the Labour Party Conference today (September 29) in Liverpool.
At one point the new Labour leader even broke down in tears during an impassioned section about his late father, who died earlier this month. He also addressed Brexit and outlined how the UK might face up to the ever-looming threat of Iran and Russia.
The new PM also stated he believed he can turn this country round, saying: “Where I can’t agree with others, I will fight hard for what I believe to be right and what I believe to be in the best interest of this country.”
Here are five key points from his address:
EU relations
Andy Burnham said he would set out “options” on UK-EU relations later this year, telling the Labour conference that Britain needed to decide on its “long-term relationship” with the bloc.
Burnham addressed his party in Liverpool(Image: Andrew Stenning/Daily Mirror)
He said: “Later this year, there will be a UK-EU summit where one of the issues on the agenda will be how we best work together on immigration.”
Mr Burnham later added: “I will take the opportunity around the summit to lay out to you – to lay out to the country – what I believe the different options are for Britain’s long-term relationship with our European partners.
“And there are different options.
“And I will see if we can find consensus around one which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in.”
“Brexit has done more harm than good,” Andy Burnham said, telling the conference the UK has “lost some of the control” over the economy and immigration as a result.
He said: “Brexit hasn’t given us control. We’ve lost some of the control we had over our economy, as a decade of low growth has put us in a weaker position. And we’ve lost some of our control over immigration.
“At its most fundamental level, this is a debate about fairness. So I understand the anger about what is happening in the Channel.
Burnham said he would look to stand up to threats posed by Mojtaba Khamenei’s Iran (Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
“Shabana (Mahmood) has done a great job in beginning to restore our grip over the system.”
He continued: “We make these changes while always grateful to those who have come here and are contributing to our country.
“But control over immigration was weakened when we lost collaboration with our European partners and we are still having to work hard to bring it back.
“Brexit has done more harm than good,” he added.
Turning Britain around
Andy Burnham said he believes he can “turn Britain around” and try his best to find common ground.
“Where I can’t agree with others, I will fight hard for what I believe to be right and what I believe to be in the best interest of this country.”
He said he was determined to prove wrong the claim that he would be the UK’s last prime minister, made by Scotland’s First Minister on the day his father Roy died.
He said he was not looking to “seek sympathy” or criticise John Swinney.
“Anyway, my dad Roy would have been the first to defend his right to say it. I relay it because I want you to know how it made me feel. Utterly determined to prove him wrong.”
Burnham and his wife Marie France Van Heel(Image: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire)
Tears about father
Andy Burnham appeared to hold back tears as he spoke of his late father during his Labour Party conference speech in Liverpool.
The Prime Minister took an emotional pause which led to a member of the audience shouting “go on Andy”.
Standing up to Iran and Russia
Andy Burnham said he will “stand up to” Russian and Iranian “threats”, adding that his economic and social plans will improve the UK’s security.
He told the conference: “A country which invests in people’s success, rather than abandoning them and paying for failure.
“A country like that will be much more resilient to the shocks we will undoubtedly face in the rest of this century, and more able to meet its Nato obligations on defence.
Burnham said he would be ‘steadfast’ in his support for Ukraine (stock)
“I will be steadfast in my support for Ukraine and stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere.”
He continued: “We will be principled in our leadership in securing a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, as Ed Miliband has done.
“A plan for Britain will enhance our social security and our national security. You don’t make Britain safer by leaving a younger generation without hope for the future and stuck at home looking at screens.
“You do it by giving young people hope again. And you do it by getting our economy growing again.”
Triple lock
Andy Burnham said the Government would tweak the triple lock on pensions to help pay for his social care plans.
The Prime Minister said pensions would rise either by CPI inflation, or a minimum of 2.5% which would generate “significant savings” and remove the link to average earnings.
He said it would hold its value “relative” to earnings “over time”.
Addressing the Labour Party conference in Liverpool he also said low-income pensioners would not have to pay income tax during this Parliament. Announcing the policies he also paid tribute to his father Roy, who was in a care home before his death.
His speech was wide-ranging(Image: Andrew Stenning/Daily Mirror)
Mr Burnham said: “I won’t pretend some of this won’t be difficult. I accept I may pay a political price. But someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off. It’s the leadership I promised you when I asked to be your leader.
“I’ll be honest, we promised in our manifesto to keep the triple lock unchanged throughout this Parliament. I will honour that promise. I will honour that promise and I will do more. That will take the state pension to a record high.
“From there, in April 2030, we will adjust it. The state pension will continue to rise every year at least by prices or 2.5%. And it will hold its value relative to earnings over time so that pensioners will always share in the rising prosperity of the nation.
“But this change will generate significant savings which we will use to build up our National Care Service. Some may not realise it but older people with nothing more than the state pension, or only a little more, can find themselves paying care changes today from that small income. Under my plan, this will no longer happen.”
AI revolution
Britain could lead the industrial revolution of AI, Andy Burnham has said, as he reaffirmed his commitment to devolution.
The Prime Minister said Liverpool, where the conference is taking place, was growing faster than the UK economy and had been able to attract AI firms.
Mr Burnham said: “I see huge potential for more of this in every part of Britain. I see start-ups and scale-ups pouring out of our world-class universities. I see businesses up and down the country playing their part and ready to do more.”
At one point Burnham nearly broke down(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)
He added: “When Britain takes the presidency of the G20 next year, I will show our newfound confidence as a country and I will show it to the world by putting AI centre-stage and Britain will then work to develop a new global code to capture its benefits whilst being clear-eyed about its risks.”
He continued: “So Britain will do it again, step forward and bring people together around what’s right for the future, securing our prosperity, but also our safety, and particularly the safety of our young people.
“We led the world’s first industrial revolution from the Midlands and the north of England. So why can’t we lead the next?
“We can conference, and we will. We are a country full of working-class aspiration, and we will be the Government that unlocks it.”
