Andy Burnham ‘has made begin’ however there’s battles forward

The new PM had twice run for Labour leader, finishing behind Jeremy Corbyn in 2015, and delivered the same pledge outside Number 10 that Mr Corbyn had promised if he won a general election

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Andy Burnham swept into Downing Street this week determined to make an impression.

Vowing to end rough sleeping, the new PM’s first words galvanised some Labour MPs who felt Keir Starmer lacked a big mission, a sweeping moral issue that drove him above all else.

This was followed by a , designed to show he’s going to put his money where his mouth is when he pledged to give voters breathing space.

Mr Burnham moved quickly to slash VAT on energy bills, cut business rates for pubs, and announce a £2 price cap on single bus journeys.

An MP who supported Mr Burnham early on said: “It’s been a good solid start, the locals (elections in May) were so bad on the doorsteps I think everyone needed a lift. Andy’s energy is a good thing, he wants this. Keir did too, but that didn’t always come across.”

While these announcements were aimed squarely at the public, it also served to show MPs he gets the issues plaguing the country – and the ones that had turned voters away from Labour.

A Downing Street source said: “He is constantly guided by the public mood, and what he thinks the public will want to do when he’s presented those challenges.

“His superpower is his ability to have his finger on the pulse, and know where people are on stuff.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a week, everybody has put an absolute shift in, but it’s felt like a joy to do it. Everyone is really excited and it’s been a heavy week, working til very late, but we just wanted to capture that momentum and I think we’ve done that.”

He carried out a sweeping reshuffle, with a brutal clear-out of Starmer’s allies. Burnham knew he wanted to draw a line under the old era but he may need to be wary of this new faction he’s created. Darren Jones, the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury, was quick to publicly criticise his plans – and there are risks others may feel free to wade in once the honeymoon period ends.

The details of his Cabinet were kept so closely under wraps that anxious civil servants were desperately contacting journalists to find out what they knew.

And some of his choices show there will be battles ahead. By keeping Shabana Mahmood as Home Secretary, Mr Burnham signalled he intends to push ahead with controversial immigration reforms, paving the way for a reckoning with backbenchers in the months to come.

Pat McFadden keeping his job as Work and Pensions Secretary is also a clear signal that Burnham will look again at the welfare bill – an issue that caused chaos for Starmer.

One MP said: “Andy’s analysis of the problems is about right – now he needs to deliver the goods on the solutions.

“He’s made a pretty good start on cost of living measures but we also need to have the guts as a party to be more progressive on issues that a lot of our voters really care about, like migrants’ rights and Gaza.

“I think he gets it on Gaza but reappointing Shabana shows that he’s not yet grasping that our hardline immigration policies are just as toxic on the doorstep. I’m optimistic that he’ll have more confidence to stand on his own values once we start seeing results on the cost of living, and that he’ll listen more to moderate voices within the PLP on this stuff instead of Blue Labour.”

Scottish Labour MP Brian Leishman, who is on the left of the party and was a frequent critic of Keir Starmer, expressed joy at the direction of travel.

He said: “£45 off energy bills is a great start, that’s a good direction to travel. The £2 bus cap, that will help poorer families, people on low income, it’s a great Labour move, I love that.

“It’s bigger and bolder, I am behind the direction of travel, it shows what he wants to do, and that he’s on their side. That is absolutely the message, and I love that.”

However, the decision to hand a peerage to Anas Sarwar, so he could become a minister in the business department, has annoyed some in Scottish Labour.

Mr Leishman said: “Being the leader of Scottish Labour should be the honour of a lifetime. To use it as a stepping stone belittles the Scottish Labour party and Holyrood.”

Some in Whitehall described the first week as chaos, but suggested that was to be expected during the transition. One source said things would stabilise, with some political staff staying from Mr Starmer’s time.

This transition has meant some of those who worked in Mr Burnham’s election campaign did not then join his Downing Street team, and instead face an anxious wait to find out if they get a special adviser role with one of his new ministers.