By Issy Ronald, CNN
London (CNN) — Britain’s new Prime Minister Andy Burnham entered 10 Downing Street on Monday, making few detailed policy statements but offering plenty of clues about the nature of his premiership.
Optics mean a great deal in politics, so on Burnham’s first day in the job, he delivered bold pledges, without constraining himself to timelines, showcased a more informal style of leadership and brought with him a more upbeat mood to Downing Street.
Ambitious goals
Alongside lofty promises of change, welfare reform and devolution of power, Burham announced his first policy intervention – to tackle homelessness.
“I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country,” he said at the end of his first address as prime minister. Shortly afterward, his team announced an extra £340 million ($457 million) would be allocated as part of this drive.
“The Prime Minister rejects the notion that ending rough sleeping will take decades or that it can’t be done at all,” a line in the accompanying statement said, illustrating the scope of Burnham’s ambition. At least 4,600 people in England sleep rough every night, according to homeless charity Shelter, but the number of those experiencing homelessness is far higher.
While Starmer typically eschewed such maximalist goals in favor of narrower ones that were more likely to be achieved, Burnham seemed willing to tout bolder objectives. Whether such goals can be achieved, and whether failing to achieve them will corrode public support, is another matter.
Burnham never managed to achieve a similar pledge he made to end homelessness in Manchester when he became the city’s mayor in 2017. According to local government figures, homelessness in the city almost halved by 2024 from 2017, though those numbers are rising again from their lowest point in 2021.
“I will give this my all,” he said in front of dozens of cheering supporters. “Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose, and positivity.”
Burnham said he would lay out a 10-year plan “later this year” but will outline smaller measures to offer “some help with the cost of living” from Tuesday. Without detailing policies, he also listed the priorities for his government – helping push more young people into work and building more council homes. And he repeated his frequent argument that Britain took “some wrong turns” in the 1980s when “political power was centralized (and) economic power privatized.”
Burnham’s northern roots are fundamental to his “man-of-the-people” image and he has made devolution – moving power away from London to other British towns – a central part of his agenda. Although he did not explicitly refer to the north in his speech, he spoke about his aim “to take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land.”
Later on Monday, Burnham is expected to begin announcing his Cabinet appointments, offering a further indication of his government’s direction.
More informal style
Some signs of Burnham’s intention to operate differently emerged on his first day too. He delivered his first prime ministerial speech outside Downing Street without a prompter, notes or the traditional lectern. It seemed more informal, more natural than his predecessors.
However, instead of his usual trademark T-shirt and jacket, Burnham was dressed in the traditional politi