29th Jun 2026 11:58
(Alliance News) - Andy Burnham promised to give the UK a "new direction" with the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times.
The prospective prime minister promised to end "politics as usual" to rescue a country which is "stuck in a rut".
In his first major speech since Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced he would be leaving Downing Street, Burnham pledged to pull people together in the "broadest possible coalition" to revive hope across the country.
Burnham said: "What hope can we have that it will be different this time? That is the question I would be asking if I was a voter right now.
"It is the one I want to answer as clearly as I can today, and in doing so give the new direction the country is looking for after 10 years of political turbulence since Brexit and 20 years of falling living standards since the 2008 financial crash."
The Makerfield MP, who gave up being mayor of Greater Manchester to return to Parliament in a by-election earlier this month, said: "Westminster has not been working for people and it has not been working for a very long time. In fact, it is broken.
"And as a result, the country isn't where it should be. It is stuck in a rut, and clearly we can't go on like this."
By David Hughes, Christopher McKeon & Pat Hurst, Press Association
source: PA
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