LIVERPOOL, England — Andy Burnham dreamed of leading Labour for years. Now he has to show he means business. Britain’s governing party meets for its annual conference in Liverpool after a dramatic year that’s seen a drubbing at local elections, the defenestration of Keir Starmer, and the coronation of its new leader.
Now the prime minister and his top team will set out their vision for the country, rally the faithful — and try to avoid stepping on any rakes. Here’s what a host of top POLITICO reporters will be watching for as the conference unfolds. The most important moment by far is 2 p.m. on Tuesday, when Burnham makes his first conference speech as prime minister.
I’ll be looking at how much it’s a hopey-changey victory lap as opposed to a fleshed-out plan for Britain. I’m guessing the former, because these conference stages are all about vibe and vision (which Burnham is good at), and not about actually paving the way there with policy (the jury’s still out on that). I’m sure we’ll see some kind of announcement, but the government budget, 10-year plan and devolution white paper that can make his changes real are only due later this year.
Bunrham’s slogan about [the U.K.] having “hope again” is about to smash into all kinds of reality. The cost of government borrowing is near an all-time high, so if he massively boosts defense spending and pushes more investment into the regions, something has got to give elsewhere. All the signs are that Oct. 28 will be another tax-raising budget, albeit not on the scale of 2024 or 2025.
He’s got to decide what “stronger public control” of industries like water will look like. And No. 10 is deciding where borders will be drawn for new devolved powers; that kind of thing tied past governments in knots. But put all this aside, and the vibe and narrative still matters.
Things have changed so much since Keir Starmer’s first conference speech as PM in 2024 that it’s like looking at sepia photos from the 60s — he talked about the “patient, calm, determined era of politics as service” for people who were “exhausted” with politics itself. Well, this year we’re going to get a whole load of politics and the Labour faithful in the room will love it. And then prepare for more speculation about a snap election — and center-left coalition, despite Burnham insisting he’ll only push for an election in 2029.
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