Five takeaways from Andy Burnham's Labour conference speech
Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivered his first Labour conference speech, focusing on a return to traditional Labour values and plans to repeal Thatcher-era restrictions on public ownership of water companies. While he avoided controversial topics like welfare reform, he committed to maintaining the state pension triple lock for the remainder of the Parliament.
Why it matters
The speech signals a significant shift in UK government policy, aiming to move away from recent political trends toward a more interventionist economic approach.
Image source, EPA Shutterstock By Brian Wheeler Political reporter Published 7 minutes ago Andy Burnham has delivered his first speech to the Labour conference as party leader and prime minister. Here is what stood out.
It was no surprise to see Andy Burnham tieless and roaming the conference stage in Liverpool, unanchored by the traditional leader's speech podium.
But despite the relaxed TED talk vibe, this was sober and serious speech. He set out major new policies - not always a given on these occasions - and spoke with real emotion about his family and working class roots.
There were few jokes - and in stark contrast to his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer's speech last year, he did not mention Nigel Farage or Kemi Badenoch once.
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2 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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