Andy Burnham, the Labour lawmaker expected to replace Keir Starmer as British prime minister, will outline his vision for Britain on Monday, his office said, promising to change how the nation is governed with power moving from London to the regions.

Plan Details

Burnham, who returned to Westminster earlier this month after winning a parliamentary seat, is currently the only declared candidate to take over from Starmer and could be installed in Downing Street within weeks. He will use Monday’s speech to make devolving power to regions and local communities his flagship proposal.

He will also commit to a 10-year mission to raise living standards through reindustrialisation, housing, infrastructure and reform of utilities. The focus would be not just on who governs Britain, but on changing how it is governed, his office said.

Burnham has previously said the government should “get beyond this thing of being in hock to the bond markets” but later said his comments had been misrepresented. He has also stepped back from earlier calls for large-scale nationalisation or a near-term return to the European Union.

Fiscal Pressures

However, with Britain’s economy struggling from the impact of the war in Ukraine and more recently the energy shock of the U.S. conflict with Iran, the scope to make radical spending changes is limited.

Housing minister Steve Reed said on Sunday Burnham would stick to Labour’s commitments made before the 2024 election and also to the government’s fiscal rules, including balancing day-to-day spending with tax revenues and reducing debt as a share of output.

Original reporting: Appleton, WI News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.