Burnham promises change, but can he deliver?

Burnham’s promising to restore hope. But hope depends on change (Pic: Flickr/Labour Party )

Andy Burnham has given his first speech since his coronation as Labour leader on Thursday.

He promised to deliver the biggest change in 40 years. His criticisms of Margaret Thatcher’s legacy will strike a chord with many Labour supporters.

Burnham said, “I am clear Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s.

“Political power was centralised and economic power was privatised. The country surrendered control of the essentials—housing, water, energy, transport—and left people exposed to higher costs.

“That in turn led to the concentration of more wealth and power in the hands of fewer people and fewer places.”

Burnham also hinted at greater public control of public utilities and action over the cost of living crisis.

He said, “If we don’t have sufficient public control over the cost of the essentials, how can we have control over inflation, public spending and the rest of the economy?”

Burnham says under his leadership the party will be “distinctively Labour” and in the past Labour has been “wearing too many Tory clothes”.

He has also said he will expend “quite a lot of political capital” on social care reforms which could be hugely popular with people struggling to get care.

Labour supporters desperate for change might find something to cheer them up in these words. But there were also very worrying signs.

Burnham asserted that he “will be a pro-business leader of the Labour party as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester”.

Breaking with the last 40 years of neoliberal policies requires a challenge to the interests of big business.

Burnham singled out three people for particular thanks—David Blunkett, Margaret Beckett and the “legendary” Neil Kinnock.

Blunkett, Beckett and Kinnock are all aligned with the right of the Labour Party.

Kinnock in particular witch hunted the left and laid the basis for Tony Blair’s New Labour project.

Most importantly, Burnham is giving little sense of how he will win this significant change.

He vowed to take power away from MPs and civil servants and devolve it across the country.

He said, “We will take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and give it to the place where you live.

“More power over life’s essentials so you make them work better, and more affordable for people.”

But devolution on its own won’t solve the problem of failing public services—that will require huge investment and proper funding.

Yes, Burnham brings good vibes and that’s enough for some on the centre left—for now.

A columnist on the Guardian newspaper welcomed Burnham’s speech by comparing him to Martin Luther King, suggesting that King’s “I have a dream” speech was similarly light on policies.

Such a comparison is ridiculous.

Burnham has been posting cuddly social media clips of him chatting about how he likes his tea, whether he wears socks with sandals, and Yorkshire puddings.

But being a better communicator than Keir Starmer will not restore public services, or bring down the cost of living.

Today, Burnham also promised to “eradicate” Reform UK. That will require a campaign against the kind of state-sponsored racism pursued by home secretary Shabana Mahmood and real improvements in people’s living standards.

Burnham is promising to restore hope to every heart. But hope depends on the possibility of real change.

And change will only come from confrontations with vested interests and market forces which Burnham seems to think he can dodge.