Andy Burnham has made a number of major announcements during his first seven days in 10 Downing Street.
In his first major TV interview as PM, speaking to BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg, the Labour leader nicknamed “King of the North” has given his verdict on a number of issues facing the UK.
From revealing how he’ll deal with foreign affairs to fighting the cost of living crisis, here is a list of seven new developments which have emerged during his first week in power.
No general election
Mr Burnham has faced calls to hold a general election due to winning his seat in a by-election and subsequently becoming the leader of the Labour party and the PM without the wider public going to the polls. Despite the demand from opposition parties, he has ruled out calling a general election.
The new Prime Minister said he would stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto and that holding a snap poll now would “would postpone that essential work”. He added: “I’m also trying to do politics differently, as I did when I was mayor of Greater Manchester.”
Speaking after his first day at the new No 10 North base in Manchester , he ruled out calling a general election. He said: “No I’m not. I don’t think that is right. We live in a parliamentary democracy . There was a manifesto in 2024. I’m sticking to that manifesto.
“I’m bringing forward my version but it is still within that manifesto. I just think that we need to focus on making the country work.”
Labour beating Reform in the polls
Despite Labour holding a massive majority in Parliament, the party has had very poor polling throughout Burnham’s predecessor Sir Starmer’s time in office.
Luke Tryl, director at More in Common, has spoken about the party’s standing in the polls.
He said: “Our latest voting intention sees a cross over. Labour move ahead by 4. Their first lead since March 2025 & highest share since Nov 24.
He added: “This also marks the first time Reform have not led in our tracker since April 2025. It is the lowest share of the vote for the Greens since October last year when Polanski became leader.”
Burnham and buses
The PM has trumpeted a new cost-of-living measure to cap single bus fares across England at £2 from January.
The bus cap, which is currently £3 for a single fare, will partly be funded by switching grants for international climate projects to repayable loans instead.
But this raises the prospect that the Government will need to borrow the money to lend without any real returns. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “The detail will need to be worked out.”
Burnham ready to call out Trump
In his first major TV interview as Prime Minister Nr Burnham twice refused to say whether he trusted Donald Trump. And he insisted he’s prepared to call out the US President if it was needed to defend Britain’s “national interest before anything else”.
The new PM said his first exchange with Trump was “good” and he found him to be “really warm”. But he refused to answer directly when asked if he would trust Trump .
He said: “Well I’ve had one phone call. And I always treat people as I find them and it was a good exchange. I will judge as I find and I found him to be really warm on Monday, but obviously we will continue to build the relationship as we go forward.”
When asked again as to whether he’s sure at this stage that he can place his trust in Trump as a fellow leader, Mr Burnham said: “It’s a changing world isn’t it, and you just obviously have to call things as they develop”.
No.10 North
During his first week in office Burnham officially opened his new No.10 North regional hub at Heron House in Manchester. The regional outpost aims to rebalance political power by bringing Downing Street closer to northern regions.
Mr Burnham called opening the office “the best day of my life”. And despite the building now being the operations site of No 10 North, it also hosts the city’s registry office on the ground floor.
Regardless of the change, weddings are going ahead as normal despite the VIP visitors in the building since the shake-up.
Leaving behind ‘man’s best friend’
Mr Burnham has revealed that his pet dog Axel won’t be relocating to Downing Street due to a potential clash with Larry , the No 10 cat. His pooch, a bichon frise-poodle cross, will stay put in the north of England.
When asked if he would move his family pet into No 10 alongside Larry, the renowned “chief mouser” to the Cabinet Office , Mr Burnham referred to his own pet as “Famous Axel”.
Mr Burnham added: “I think he’s going to have to stay up north I think, because he’s kind of got that angry little man thing going on. He’s got a bit of poodle in him.”
Saving British Pubs
Burnham has revealed plans to slash business rates by 20% for pubs , clubs and live music venues across England from April next year. The reduction is anticipated to save an average pub around £1,100 per year and will be applicable to nearly 32,000 hospitality businesses.
But the very largest live music venues will not be eligible for the discount. The revamp of business rates will be financed through a reassessment of reliefs for businesses that “do not make a positive contribution to local communities” such as vape shops, and a clampdown on online marketplaces failing to meet tax obligations, according to Downing Street.
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