Burnham promises 10-year national plan in first speech as UK prime minister

MANCHESTER, England (CN) — Andy Burnham pledged Monday to end rough sleeping, ease the cost-of-living crisis and launch Britain’s biggest political and economic overhaul in 40 years as he delivered his first speech as prime minister outside 10 Downing St.

Hours after King Charles III formally asked him to form a government following Keir Starmer’s resignation, Burnham said he would make tackling homelessness his first act in office and promised to shift power away from London’s central government toward local communities.

“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country,” Burnham said.

Burnham, who became Labour leader on Friday after running unopposed, acknowledged public frustration with years of political instability.

He is Britain’s seventh prime minister since 2016.

“I know people at home are fed up with politics,” he said. “We have not been good enough, and we need to be better.”

Burnham promised a “circuit breaker for Britain” through what he described as a new political and economic model.

He blamed decades of centralized government and deindustrialization for widening regional inequality and said his administration would devolve more power across the country while expanding public control over essential services.

He said he would publish a 10-year national plan later this year but would begin announcing cost-of-living measures on Tuesday, including how they would be funded.

He also pledged to build more publicly owned housing, reform education, expand mental health support for young people and maintain Britain’s fiscal rules while honoring defense commitments.

The speech offered the clearest picture yet of Burnham’s governing agenda. He won Labour’s leadership last week following Starmer’s decision to step down after losing support within his party.

Laying out priorities

Homelessness appeared to be Burnham’s first policy priority.

Before arriving at Buckingham Palace, he visited a homeless shelter in central London. As mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham pledged to end rough sleeping by 2020.

He missed that target, although official estimates showed the number of people sleeping rough in the region fell from 268 in 2017 to 90 in 2021 before climbing back to 197 in 2025.

The challenge is even greater nationwide.

Government figures estimated 4,793 people were sleeping rough on a single night in England in autumn 2025, the highest figure on record.

Burnham also pledged to build more publicly owned housing, arguing it would both reduce the welfare bill and make homes more affordable.

As mayor of Greater Manchester, he promised to deliver 30,000 affordable homes by 2037, including at least 10,000 for social rent, under the city’s long-term housing strategy.

Government figures show 18,433 affordable and social homes were completed across Greater Manchester between 2017 and 2025, including 2,368 homes for social rent, according to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Burnham conceded he hadn’t met these targets, claiming his powers as mayor limited his authority and funding needed to build enough social housing.

England faces a severe housing shortage, with more than 1.3 million households on social housing waiting lists, according to Shelter.

Trump is his first call

Starmer formally ended his premiership earlier Monday, saying he left office “proud of everything that we have achieved” after leading Labour back to power in the 2024 general election.

“As I now pass the baton to Andy Burnham, I wish him every success,” Starmer said. “He has my full support.”

He ended by saying, “I go with good grace, I go with a smile and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.”

Burnham said his first international calls as prime minister would be to President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, adding Britain’s backing for Ukraine would remain “steadfast and resolute.”

Several European leaders quickly welcomed his appointment.

Zelenskyy congratulated Burnham, wishing him “every success in addressing the challenges of today.”

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she looked forward to strengthening the countries’ strategic partnership, while Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten described Britain as an important partner on trade, energy, defense and Ukraine.

Attention immediately turns to Burnham’s first Cabinet appointments, expected later Monday.

His choice of chancellor, Britain’s finance minister responsible for tax and spending policy, is likely to provide the strongest early signal of how he intends to deliver the economic changes outlined in his speech.

Courthouse News reporter James Francis Whitehead is based in England.

Follow @jayfranklinlive