By Sarah Kamar
On the 29th of September, Andy Burnham delivered his first Labour conference speech as Prime Minister. In an intensely emotive and patriotic monologue, he set out the Labour Party’s manifesto, outlining his plans for both political and social reform.
The atmosphere was highly optimistic, in just under one hour Burnham received 11 standing ovations. The first came when he vowed to repeal Margaret Thatcher’s ban on public ownership of water companies, announcing a ‘10-year journey to a very different water system’. Although he did not clarify what this would entail.
He went on to address the housing crisis, promising ‘the biggest council house building program since the post-war era’ and committing to restore social housing to ‘what it once was’. He drew attention to various failing sectors, including private housing leased by absent landlords, public health concerns due to unsanitary living conditions, and rising deposit demands. This was met with great enthusiasm from the conference.
Moreover, Burnham announced Labour’s plans for the ‘Great British Grid. A new branch of Great British Energy’. Essentially, it will be a publicly owned company that aims to reduce electricity prices by increasing competition within the industry. As well as this, in a further effort to drive down electricity bills, Burnham declared that the 5% VAT (Value Added Tax) will ‘disappear off your bill this Thursday’ and received a roaring ovation.
Furthermore, he asserted his desire to abandon Westminster’s first-past-the-post voting structure and replace it with a system whereby ‘everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard’, meaning the UK would likely see a rise of minority parties (such as Reform or Restore) within parliament.
However, you may be asking yourself, where do I fit into this?
Although his speech covered a wide range of topics, Burnham placed particular emphasis on young people and spoke of Labour’s commitment to ‘invest in them’. This was defined by reforms within the education and welfare system, an increase in work experience support for 16- to 18-year-olds, as well as improved access to mental health support. Additionally, Burnham pledged to use the UK’s Presidency in the 2027 G20 summit as an opportunity to place AI ‘centre stage’ and work on a global code to ‘capture its benefits whilst being clear-eyed about its risks’. This means a potential framework of legislated safeguards, and more regulated AI access in the future.
Overall, Burnham’s speech laid the foundation for Labour’s ambitions, offering all citizens, including you, the opportunity to hold our government accountable.