Prime Minister Andy Burnham has used his first Labour Party conference speech as leader to set out proposals covering social care, pensions, electoral reform, public utilities and the UK’s relationship with the European Union. Speaking in Liverpool, Burnham called for a break with “politics as usual” and said Brexit had caused more harm than benefit to the country.
Burnham confirmed that the state pension triple lock would remain in place during the current Parliament. However, a Labour Government elected for a further term would replace it from April 2030 with a guarantee based on inflation or 2.5 per cent, while continuing to protect the value of the pension in relation to average earnings. He said the resulting savings would help fund a National Care Service providing support free at the point of use.
The Prime Minister also announced a national commission on electoral reform, with a commitment to include a change to the voting system in Labour’s next manifesto. He said the Government would examine options for a new long term relationship with the European Union, alongside forthcoming legislation on leasehold reform and the water industry. Burnham also announced plans for GB Grid to compete with privately owned electricity network companies and proposed an international code governing artificial intelligence.