Andy Burnham faces a bumper autumn as Parliament prepares to return next week – but insiders say the Prime Minister is determined to confront the tricky issues in his in-tray
Andy Burnham will keep the fight to drive down the cost of living at the top of his agenda when Parliament returns this week.
The Prime Minister will make it clear he won’t “stand by and watch on as every bill goes up and up, squeezing the joy out of life”, a No10 source said.
Mr Burnham will make his debut at the Commons despatch box as PM on Tuesday, where he will promise to make life more affordable for hard-pressed Brits and spell out more details on his vision for government.
A No 10 source said: “The Prime Minister does not accept that the Government’s role is to stand by and watch on as every bill goes up and up, squeezing the joy out of life.
“He will promise the country that wherever we can make life more affordable, we will. We can make this the moment when Britain starts believing again and we bring back hope.”
After a summer spent touring the UK to hear from voters, the PM now needs to prove himself in Parliament. He is expected to face a two-hour grilling by MPs on Tuesday, followed by his first PMQs clash with Kemi Badenoch the next day – a key test for the new Prime Minister.
Andy Burnham faces a bumper autumn as Parliament prepares to return next week. But insiders say the Prime Minister is determined to confront the tricky issues in his in-tray
“He’s running towards the issues that have been ignored for too long because they’ve been seen as too difficult,” a No10 source said.
Early prisoner release
One of the thorniest issues Mr Burnham inherited when he became PM was the approaching early release of thousands of prisoners.
Keir Starmer’s government decided it had no choice but to free inmates earlier than expected to prevent jails running of spaces. Although they will be monitored with ramped up tagging and probation conditions, victims were outraged.
New Justice Secretary Alex Norris and the PM found a carve-out to prevent sex offenders and groomers being included in the scheme. This means around 5,000 inmates are set to be released early, rather than the original 6,000.
But those currently on course to be released early include two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers. Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers are serving time for manslaughter. Following a backlash, Mr Burnham ordered Mr Norris to find a way of excluding them – and said he was confident this could be achieved.
Next week Mr Norris is expected to address the Commons with the outcome.
The Budget
Another major test will be Chancellor John Healey’s first Budget on October 28, setting out the PM’s spending priorities and approach to the economy.
Mr Healey has downplayed the significance of the event, seeking to quell speculation about possible tax rises.
But he needs to balance the books after the impact of the Iran war on the economy, and must find £4.7bn to pay for defence commitments made by Keir Starmer.
Mr Burnham has been clear he wants to ambitious on transforming Britain – but such plans carry a price tag.
Welfare reform
The PM is expected to make a fresh bid to reform the welfare system after Keir Starmer’s botched effort to cut the disability benefits bill was thwarted by his own MPs.
No10 is waiting for the findings of two major reports due in the autumn – one on disability benefits by Sir Stephen Timms and another by Alan Milburn on youth unemployment.
Both are likely to recommend major changes to the benefits system.
Mr Burnham will consider the findings before bringing forward legislation, which is likely to prove a major test for his authority.
Donald Trump
The PM must navigate his first meeting with the mercurial US President, which is expected to come in the autumn.
Officials are preparing for potential talks in September after Mr Burnham said he wanted to attend the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York to lobby for more support for Ukraine.
Mr Trump previously described Mr Burnham as the “mayor of a town” who was “extremely liberal” – but recently said the pair were “going to have a very good relationship”.
The PM will have to find common ground with Mr Trump, as Keir Starmer has already played the trump card of offering the US President a second state visit.
Small boats and immigration
Small boats and immigration will pose another challenge when MPs return. Despite some big gains – Channel crossings are down, use of asylum hotels is dropping and the backlog has plummeted – the arrival of a ‘mega dinghy’ with 230 onboard created headlines the PM could do without.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is pushing through legislation and a string of reforms aimed at reducing pull factors for migrants. And she wants to streamline the appeals process and introduce a £10,000 bill for those granted refugee status.
But many on the Labour left are uncomfortable with that, along with a wider shake-up on indefinite leave to remain (ILR), with Ms Mahmood due to report back in the autumn.
North Sea oil and gas
Another flashpoint the PM will have to navigate is whether to green-light two controversial oil and gas fields in the North Sea.
The Rosebank oil field off Shetland and the Jackdaw gas field, east of Aberdeen have been subject to years of legal wrangling. A public consultation ended earlier this month.
While the government has been clear it wants to pivot towards sustainable forms of energy, industry chiefs argue the sites would provide thousands of jobs and help the UK’s energy security.
But giving them the go-ahead would put Mr Burnham at odds with environmental campaigners, who say it would have a devastating impact on carbon emissions. They also say the UK’s long-term energy security would be better served by transitioning to greener technology faster.