Andy Burnham has declared Labour faces its “last chance” to reconnect with voters as he promised to unite the party and take on the rise of Reform UK in his first speech as Labour leader.
The Makerfield MP was confirmed as the party’s new leader after receiving 379 nominations from Labour MPs, making him the eighth Labour leader to enter Downing Street when he becomes Prime Minister on Monday.
Burnham used his victory speech to warn Labour members against internal divisions, arguing the party must present a united front if it is to defeat growing support for insurgent parties on both the left and right.
“We won’t beat Britain’s new Right if we are consumed by in-fighting and pulling in different directions,” he said.
The former Greater Manchester mayor thanked outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer for his service, while pledging to build a government focused on restoring public confidence and giving voters “hope” again.
Burnham directly addressed the threat from Reform UK, saying Labour must avoid trying to imitate rival parties.
“We won’t try to out-Green the Greens or out-Reform Reform,” he said.
He argued Labour’s route back to electoral success was to be “boldly, confidently, authentically” itself rather than chase the policies of its opponents.
The comments come as Labour faces pressure to respond to the growing appeal of Reform among voters frustrated with mainstream politics.
Burnham also launched a broad attack on the legacy of the 1980s, arguing that successive governments had reduced public control over key sectors.
He criticised the privatisation of essential services including water, energy and transport, claiming it had contributed to higher costs and growing inequality.
“Political power was centralised, and economic power was privatised,” Burnham said.
He pledged to put more power into the hands of communities and increase the influence of regions outside London.
Burnham, who built his political reputation as Greater Manchester mayor, said he would now seek to represent every part of the UK.
He announced plans to tour Britain during August as part of an effort to reconnect Labour with voters across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“I will be a leader for the north, the south, the east and the west,” he said.
The new Labour leader ended his speech with a pledge to deliver economic growth, strengthen communities and “bring back hope”.
His first major challenge will be balancing demands from Labour’s grassroots with the expectations of financial markets and voters as he prepares to take control of government.
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