Tag: Andy Burnham

  • Andy Burnham – 2026 First Speech as Prime Minister

    Andy Burnham – 2026 First Speech as Prime Minister

    The speech made by Andy Burnham, the Prime Minister, on 20 July 2026.

    I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a government.

    In doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last ten years to walk up this street, the seventh Prime Minister since 2016.

    Making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.

    It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game, and rise to the new challenge.

    Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge, to make politics work, to make it work better.

    I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you. And I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better.

    We will be.

    We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last forty years.

    A new political model and a new economic model.

    In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns. Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country de-industrialised, and they still haven’t recovered.

    Many feel as though they’re still in decline, and they don’t have the ability to turn things around.

    And that’s why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.

    We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more.

    And in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again.

    Re-industrialising Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.

    Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be, wherever we’re coming from, whatever party we support.

    But I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living.

    And I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them.

    We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support.

    And we will build more council homes.

    That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.

    We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success, rather than paying for failure.

    And that work starts now.

    I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction: to end rough sleeping in our country.

    It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of government.

    I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.

    I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me.

    Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity.

    Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again.

    The moment we bring back hope.

    Thank you very much everybody.

  • Andy Burnham – 2026 Statement Confirming Leadership Bid

    Andy Burnham – 2026 Statement Confirming Leadership Bid

    The statement made by Andy Burnham on 22 June 2026.

    Keir has given huge service to our country and I want to thank him for his leadership and dedication during such a challenging period.

    His decision marks the beginning of a transition and it is important that this process is conducted in an orderly and responsible way. I will put myself forward as part of this process.

    The country expects stability, seriousness and a continued focus on the issues that matter most and that is what it will get. As we move forward, our priority must be to work together to get the country back to where we all want it to be.

    People want to see progress on economic growth, cost of living, public services, housing and opportunities for the next generation. Political change should never distract from the responsibility to improve people’s lives.

    The Labour movement has always been at its strongest when it looks forward with confidence and purpose.

    This is what we will do from here and we will make sure this transition is a positive process of renewal for our party and our country.

  • Andy Burnham – 2026 Comments on the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Rail Announcement

    Andy Burnham – 2026 Comments on the Government’s Northern Powerhouse Rail Announcement

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, on 14 January 2026.

    Finally, we have a government with an ambitious vision for the North, firm commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail and an openness to an underground station in Manchester city centre. A modernised Manchester Piccadilly could become the Kings Cross of the North, acting as a catalyst for major growth in our city region and beyond.  

    Over the past decade, we’ve become the UK’s fastest growing city region, but underinvestment in rail infrastructure has long acted as a brake on further growth. Today marks a significant step forward for Greater Manchester. We’ll now work at pace to prove the case for an underground station and work up detailed designs for the route between Liverpool and Manchester.

  • Andy Burnham – 2025 Comments on Tourist Tax

    Andy Burnham – 2025 Comments on Tourist Tax

    The comments made by Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Manchester, on 25 November 2025.

    It’s great news that the Government is committing to giving regional mayors the powers to introduce a visitor levy – a measure we have long called for. Greater Manchester already has a thriving visitor economy, and a visitor levy will help us sustain good growth over the next decade.

    I’m proud that nearly two million people from all over the world choose to visit Greater Manchester every year. The money they spend contributes about £9 billion annually to our economy, supporting over 100,000 jobs. The levy will allow us to invest in the infrastructure these visitors need, like keeping our streets clean and enhancing our public transport system through later running buses and trams, making sure every experience is a positive and memorable one.

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to lay before Parliament an Order removing the International Sikh Youth Federation from the list of proscribed organisations.

    Mrs Theresa May

    I intend to lay an order to deproscribe the group at the earliest practical opportunity, subject to Parliamentary availability and agreement.

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people had their passports checked on entry to the UK at (a) Dover and (b) all UK airports, seaports and ferry ports in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

    Mrs Theresa May

    The total number of passengers that underwent passport checks at all UK airports, seaports and ferry ports is set out in the table below. Figures for 2015 cover January to September only as data for October to December is not yet available.

    Year

    No of passengers’ passports checked

    2013

    111.4 million

    2014

    117.0 million

    2015

    96.0 million

    (NB. 2015 covers January –September only: October – December is not yet available).

    Passengers that enter the UK through the port of Dover undergo passport checks in advance of their boarding a ferry at the UK’s juxtaposed controls at Calais and Dunkirk; this data is not held centrally.

    “

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-01-18.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of people had their passports checked on exiting the UK at (a) Dover and (b) all UK airports, seaports and ferry ports in (i) 2013, (ii) 2014 and (iii) 2015.

    Mrs Theresa May

    Embarkation controls were abolished in two phases in 1994 and 1998, as the paper-based checks were deemed outdated and checks were not carried out on all modes of transport. Consequently the Home Office does not hold the data requested.

    Since April 2015 exit data has been collected by carriers from all scheduled international commercial services departing the UK from air and sea ports and from international rail stations, except those services not within the scope. Departure data is collected by carriers and port operators and transmitted to Home Office systems, where work takes place to match it to arrival data, visa conditions and other information as appropriate.

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many staff there were in the UK Border Force and its predecessor in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11, (c) 2011-12, (d) 2012-13, (e) 2013-14, (f) 2014-15 and (g) 2015-16; and what the UK Border Force’s planned total staff complement is for 2016-17.

    Mrs Theresa May

    The Border Force workforce is drawn from two precursor organisations: Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Immigration Service. Border Force was established in its current form in March 2012 and since that time the workforce has ranged from approximately 7800 – 8100 in full-time equivalents.

    The detailed breakdown requested is as follows (all figures are full-time equivalents):

    March 2010 4506 – UKBA

    4639 – HMRC (transferred to UKBA 1st April 2010)

    March 2011 8269 – UKBA

    March 2012 7846 – Border Force

    March 2013 8123 – Border Force

    March 2014 8044 – Border Force

    March 2015 8153 – Border Force

    Workforce numbers for FY16/17 have not yet been finalised.

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-01-19.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many times UK Border Force staff employed in ports were redeployed to airports in 2015.

    Mrs Theresa May

    Her Majesty’s Government does not comment on port specific deployment numbers. Border Force deploys mobile response team resources across the regions to combat both daily and seasonal pressures.

  • Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Andy Burnham – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andy Burnham on 2016-03-22.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 1 February 2016 to Question 23143, when the Border Force’s budget for 2016-17 will be agreed.

    James Brokenshire

    The Spending Review announcement set the overall budget for the Home Office. Officials are providing advice to the Home Secretary on individual allocations and spending commitments.