Andy Burnham is getting set for his biggest speech yet as he prepares to land on the banks of the Mersey for his first Labour Party Conference as Prime Minister.
The PM is set to rally the party faithful when the four-day knees-up kicks off in Liverpool on Sunday. “Devolution” will be the buzzword on everyone’s lips ahead of his make-or-break keynote speech on Tuesday, where he’ll set out how things can only get better under his leadership.
However, the event comes amid growing fears over economic black holes and mounting questions over how he actually plans to pay for his grand vision.
Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, Jonathan Tonge, Professor of Politics at the University of Liverpool, warned that hard financial realities are about to bite.
“There is no real money – only of the borrowed variety,” he said. “Stealth taxes will be evident in the budget next month plus some minor local fundraisers for mayors, most notably tourist taxes.”
Despite the economic storm clouds, hosting the gathering in the North gives Burnham a massive psychological boost.
Prof Tonge said: “It’s huge – The King is arriving in triumph for Burnhamfest. Remember the rubbish talked by some commentators at last year’s conference when they said Burnham had gone too soon in declaring that some MPs had asked him to stand against Starmer?”
Burnham’s path to No. 10 was anything but smooth. After Keir Starmer initially blocked him from standing in a key by-election, critics wrote off the “nearly man” of British politics.
But a disastrous local election night for Labour in May sent shockwaves through the party, clearing the path for Burnham’s sensational rise to the top.
Since taking power in July, the PM has faced a brutal baptism of fire. He has been forced to navigate volatile bond markets and global instability while privately mourning the death of his father, Roy, following a battle with Alzheimer’s.
Looking ahead to his keynote address, experts predict Burnham will ditch the dry, lawyerly style of the Starmer era to connect directly with the public, offering key policy shifts to keep traditional Labour supporters on side.
Prof Tonge said: “There will not be any screeching U-turns but there will be a few crowd-pleasers – some indirect tax increases, weakening of net zero demands by approving a new North Sea gasfield and a shift towards a more pro-Palestinian policy with a greater readiness to criticise the Israeli government.”
Yet, rowdy battles loom behind closed doors over how to manage the nation’s finances and whether to integrate social care into the NHS.
Burnham will also need to tread carefully to avoid alienating voters who are already feeling the pinch.
“He needs to not get carried away and promise things that are entirely unaffordable, just to please a Labour audience always better at spending money than balancing books,” Prof Tonge said.
He also cautioned against rushing into calling a snap general election, describing the potential move as a “stupid, reckless idea” given Labour’s slim lead in recent polls.
Burnham enters Liverpool holding a four-point lead over Reform UK, with Ipsos research showing Labour on 27 per cent compared to Reform’s 23 per cent.
However, with seven in 10 punters still dissatisfied with how the country is run, the PM cannot afford to rest on his laurels.
And what about Burnham’s famous love of football? Will the die-hard Evertonian be able to get through the conference without mentioning the Toffees?
Prof Tonge said: “I’ve no doubt Everton will be mentioned. I’m just surprised he’s not doing the speech from the Hill Dickinson stadium.”