Out with the old?
New prime minister Andy Burnham this week promised to deliver the “biggest changes in 40 years”. His criticisms of Margaret Thatcher’s legacy will strike a chord with many working class people desperate for change.
Breaking with decades of neoliberal policies requires more.
It means challenging big business interests—and it requires breaking with Labour’s self-imposed “fiscal rules” that lock in austerity mark 2.
But Burnham’s reshuffled cabinet is full of Labour right wingers who want more money for arms—and to keep up the war on migrants.
John Healey, the new chancellor, resigned from Keir Starmer’s cabinet because he wanted even more “defence spending”.
He will push for more cash for the generals alongside new defence secretary Wes Streeting.
Jonathan Reynolds returns as business secretary after he lost his job in the last reshuffle. Every time bosses demanded he water down the Employment Rights Act, he happily conceded.
Angela Rayner, who resigned as housing secretary over a housing corruption scandal, returns to the role.
Ed Miliband is the new foreign secretary. He wasted no time putting out a statement that talked of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine—but only of “conflicts in the Middle East”.
And Shabana Mahmood, who has spearheaded the war on migrants, remains as home secretary.
Burnham promises workers change, but wants to keep the Labour right, bosses and markets on board.
That’s why he declared that he “will be a pro-business leader of the Labour party as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester”.
We must put massive pressure on Burnham to deliver. Let’s keep organising the fight back.
Burnham says that tackling the cost of living crisis will be a top priority and has promised to give working class people “breathing space”.
As the weekly food shop and monthly bills bite, millions of people will welcome the thought of “breathing space”.
Burnham was set to announce a series of measures and “how we will pay for them”, as Socialist Worker went to press on Tuesday.
In his first major announcement, he said he will remove the VAT tax from household electricity bills.
The move could save households around £45 a year.
The money will come from scrapping Keir Starmer’s Digital ID Scheme. But Labour right wingers are already saying no money had been allocated for the scheme, meaning Burnham has to find £850 million.
And Burnham used his inaugural speech to say that his “first instruction” will be to “end rough sleeping in our country.”
But the devil will be in the details—and Burnham is hoping he can deliver without breaking with market orthodoxy.
He hasn’t said anything about one of the best ways to tackle the cost of living crisis—boosting pay.
We should demand “pay restoration” for all workers. That means forcing bosses to offer pay rises that make up for years of past losses.
Teachers have suffered a real terms pay cut of up to 30 percent between 2008-9 and 2025-6.
Nurses’ wages are around £8,000 a year less than if they had kept up with inflation. And retail workers have seen real pay fall by between 8 and 12 percent over the same period.
As a start, a Burnham government should immediately make new pay claims to local government, school and health workers currently in dispute.
And, if Labour doesn’t want to do it, unions have to organise for it.
Anti-racists are demanding that Burnham breaks with Labour’s war on migrants.
Over 200 refugee charities and organisations have signed an open letter calling on the new prime minister to reject the “politics of division”.
“For too long, public debate has been shaped by hostile politics, divisive rhetoric and policies that have dehumanised people seeking asylum,” it says. “Prime minister, we ask you to reject the politics of division, and focus on what unites us, to build common ground, and to extend dignity, humanity and hope to those who have already endured so much.”
It is important that there is anti‑racist pressure on Burnham from day one.
During the Makerfield by‑election in June, he supported home secretary Shabana Mahmood’s crackdown on migrants and refugees.
And, last week, he voted in favour of “reforms” that promise to “stop the boats”.
And during his election campaign, Burnham also backed “guidance” from EHRC’s equalities board that attacks trans people.
Labour wants to make it harder for migrants to come to Britain—and make life harder for those who do.
It wants to raise skill thresholds for work visas, increase salary requirements and make people wait longer to “settle” in Britain with rights.
And Mahmood floated the idea of making asylum seekers pay some £10,000 to the government for their own housing support.
Burnham says he doesn’t want to “out-Reform” Reform UK. If he’s serious about that, he should scrap Mahmood’s “reforms” and stand up to the lie that migrants are a drain on resources.
The new prime minister said, “If there’s one area I’m going to expend quite a lot of political capital, it’s going to be on social care.”
He promised to “grasp the nettle” of Britain’s social care crisis, while talking about his own father’s dementia.
In 2010, Burnham proposed replacing inheritance tax with a “care levy” that would fund a “national care service”.
This would be free at the point of service like the NHS.
This would be a massive advance on what exists now.
We should demand that Burnham nationalises the care sector and runs it as a public service, funded by general taxation.
And, all those care workers at risk of losing their immigration visa should be told they can stay, and bring their families here too.
A pivotal part of the privatisation of the NHS is the £330 million deal with US tech company Palantir.
This will see a company closely linked to US president Donald Trump and Israeli war crimes managing NHS patient data.
Palantir wants to get its hands on data from Britain—and make millions in profits in the process.
The spyware manufacturer is two years into a seven-year contract with the NHS, worth £330 million.
The Federated Data Platform uses Palantir technology and more than half of NHS trusts in England use it.
But a break clause in the government’s NHS contract with Palantir is coming up soon—and Burnham could act.
He has promised to put “the public before the interests of US big tech”—dumping Palantir would be a good start.
Keir Starmer promised to scrap the Trade Union Act 2016—but then dragged his feet at every turn.
The Employment Rights Act has cleared the way for real change to restrictions that bind the unions, but Labour hasn’t implemented all of its changes.
Electronic balloting is expected to be introduced from next month, making it easier to vote in strike ballots.
But the 2016 Act introduced a minimum turnout of 50 percent in strike ballots, and this has not yet been repealed.
Matt Wrack, the NASUWT teachers’ union leader, said, “No other democratic process in Britain is subject to such a rule.
“MPs are not elected on a 50 percent turnout threshold. Councillors are not. The prime minister is not.
“If Westminster elections were held to the same standard imposed on workers, half the Cabinet would not be in office.
“It is a structural barrier that entrenches inequality and is highly discriminatory. The 50 percent strike ballot threshold must be repealed immediately with no caveats or conditions.”
Many of Burnham’s reforms will be welcomed, but he faces the same economic bind as Starmer
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Already the prime minister’s early promises ring hollow
