The change of power in the UK

Burnham takes over as leader of Labour – expected to promise a “new direction” in the first speech

Andy Burnham is expected to promise a “new direction” for the UK in his first speech as Labour leader. This is reported by The Guardian and the BBC, both of which have received information about what the speech will contain.

In the speech, Burnham is expected to say that he has “the courage to tackle big issues that politics have neglected”. A major focus will be on the country’s economic development, writes the BBC.

Burnham takes over as Labour leader from Keir Starmer today, but will not take office as the country’s prime minister until Monday. 

Economist: Must deliver – otherwise the same fate awaits

One after another, British prime ministers have promised to fix the country’s economy. And one after another, they have failed. This is what the New York Times writes ahead of Andy Burnham taking over as Labour leader and later prime minister from Keir Starmer.

Burnham has not yet revealed any details of his economic agenda. But a major focus of his policies is expected to be the decentralization of power. His vision is: “Good growth in every British postcode area”.

But Burnham will face exactly the same challenges as several of his predecessors, the NYT notes, listing high inflation and weak output growth. Together, they boil down to one big problem: stagnant growth.

Economists the newspaper has spoken to say that Burnham can manage to turn around growth – but it will not happen quickly. And if he does not, the same fate awaits him as his predecessor, says economist Danny Sriskandarajah.

– No government survives it.

Analysis: Starmer’s last trip says it all about his legacy

Andy Burnham must learn from the mistakes of his predecessor Keir Starmer. Jonathan Portes writes in an analysis in The Guardian ahead of the upcoming change of power in the UK.

Portes writes that Starmer did manage to get the public finances in order during his two years as prime minister. However, he failed to boost growth. He urges Burnham to let go of Starmer's "caution" and focus on change.

"Not choosing between growth, fairness and openness, but explaining that in today's Britain they are inseparable."

In Sky News, Beth Rigby instead focuses on the legacy Keir Starmer leaves behind. She mentions, among other things, that Starmer, together with Emmanuel Macron, initiated the "coalition of the willing" to support Ukraine.

That Starmer then chose to spend his last day as prime minister in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says a lot.

"Starmer may have been unpopular at home, but among these leaders he has been a valued ally and friend - and his departure is worrying," she writes.