Cogito Ergo Non Serviam
Andy Burnham Becomes British PM
Andy Burnham just became Prime Minister of Britain. He recently left his job as Mayor of Greater Manchester to become MP for the constituency of Makerfield. Labour had already defenstrated Sir Keir Starmer from Number 10, and they were just waiting for Mr. Burnham to be an MP so he could take over. That day has arrived. The new PM will enjoy a brief honeymoon while he appoints his cabinet and gets started with the business of governing. That period arises largely from the fact that Parliament has risen for the summer and will not reconvene until September 1. Mr. Burnham had best get his ducks in a row now.
Mr. Burnham is the seventh British Prime Minister in the last 10 years, a rate of replacement rivalling 1970s Italy (the average PM then lasted about 9 months). The reasons for this are twofold. First, the people no longer trust the government to deliver. Second, the political parties are not leading the nation but are being led by opinion polls. They are chasing what they think the people want, and then, they are not getting it done. That is the uphill fight Mr. Burnham faces.
In this endeavor, he faces a problem that faced four of the other leaders this decade – he does not have an electoral mandate. He did not lead the party to a general election victory. He parachuted into Number 10 without really facing the voters. Lacking that is a major handicap.
He is not letting that undermine his ambition. He is determined to change the way the voters look at the Labour government. He laid out some of his plan, and more details are to come. He stressed that the plan he espouses will be a 10-year plan. That means at least one general election before he is done. That is an election he must win, and he has three years before he has to call for it. Mr. Burnham does not need to deliver on everything in 3 years, but he must be able to show progress.
In his first speech as PM, he promised a few things. The BBC reported:
He is "acutely conscious" he is the seventh PM since 2016, calling this a moment for "reflection and new resolution"
He stressed the importance of Britain regaining stability
He also said politicians have "not been good enough" but pledged to be better - promising the biggest changes in the last 40 years
Power will be taken out of Downing Street and into "every postcode in the land", he pledged
He will set out measures from tomorrow to help give people "some breathing space" with the cost of living, he said
And he said "I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country"
"I will give this my all," he concluded
One does not doubt his determination, but one is unsure of his ability to drag his party along with him. Labour showed itself to be divided and scared during the recent unpleasantness. Sir Keir is out because the Parliamentary Labour Party lost its nerve after a drubbing in the local elections in May. It is not a party willing to follow a leader through a rough patch. That suggests Mr. Burnham needs a quick series of wins.
The people are grumpy because the economy is weak and there is social change (immigration). The latter is less important if the economy improves. As the American James Carville reminded everyone in the 1992 presidential campaign, “It's the economy, Stupid.”
If Mr. Burnham does not get the economy growing by Christmas, the nation might be looking for an eighth PM.
© Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
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