Andy Burnham’s 7 biggest promises as major speech reveals what he’ll do as PM

Andy Burnham has just delivered a speech in Manchester where he set out his plans for Government, if he becomes Prime Minister. It looks almost certain that Mr Burnham will replace Sir Keir Starmer in 10 Downing Street. Today, he revealed his top priorities once he takes over.

Mr Burnham promised the biggest council house building programme since the post-war period. He said: “We will use public land, vacant public land, to reduce costs.”

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Giving local or regional leaders, such as mayors, “public control of essential services like water, housing, energy, and transport”.

A “Number 10 North” will be set up so that fewer decisions are made in the traditional Number 10 - in Downing Street, London.

Mr Burnham said: “No 10 North will be the nerve centre of a rewired Britain.

“It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK.”

He said Whitehall would be forced to give up power to places across the country.

“Let me say this very directly: the days of Whitehall fighting the devolution of power into the regions and nations are over for good.”

Andy Burnham pledged to give Britain “breathing space” against rising costs “as soon as I can” while not “taking risks with the public finances”.

While he did not directly say he would keep borrowing down, this is what he means by not “taking risks with the public finances”, as borrowing too much would increase the interest the Treasury has to pay.

And he promised “the stability that comes from sound public finances” and “the discipline of our current fiscal rules”.

Public services and organisations will be expected to back British firms as they spend billions of pounds of taxpayers’ money.

Mr Burnham said: “Every pound raised from taxpayers will work harder for them, and that approach will apply fully to the defence investment plan.

“We will make sure that all eligible public contracts are subject to proper social value weighting and we will do that to make sure British-based companies are in a better position to win those contracts.”

Mr Burnham promised “a more streamlined state with a clearer purpose to power up all parts of the country and put a laser-like focus on growth and regeneration, good growth.”

Andy Burnham highlighted high levels of unemployment among 16-to-24-year-olds and said he will bring to an end “the days of a school system configured entirely around the university route”.

He said: “The days of a school system configured entirely around the university route will be brought to an end.

“University is great for those who want it, but when are we going to focus on the life chances of those kids who want something different? The country hasn’t done that for a long, long time.

“People have argued over many years for an education system based on parity between academic and technical, and that is what we will build, giving every young person growing up here a clear path into a reindustrialised Britain.”