{"id":6123,"date":"2026-09-29T16:31:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6123"},"modified":"2026-09-29T16:31:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T16:31:31","slug":"new-path-uks-burnham-promises-huge-expansion-of-public-services-business-and-economy-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=6123","title":{"rendered":"\u2018New path\u2019: UK\u2019s Burnham promises huge expansion of public services | Business and Economy News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to put the United Kingdom on a new path of equitable growth during his first Labour conference speech as leader of the country and party.<\/p>\n

Covering a range of topics including healthcare, pensions, electoral reforms, affordable housing and publicly-owned utilities, Burnham on Tuesday said it was time for the UK to opt for drastic change and reject a slow and painful demise.<\/p>\n

\u201cBritain has been on the wrong path for a long time,\u201d Burnham told delegates, adding that he was \u201cready to do things my predecessors wouldn\u2019t\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will make a break with the direction of the past 40 years and put Britain on a new path, build a new economy and a new politics. That is the case I make to you today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Burnham, who replaced Keir Starmer as the UK prime minister in July, said there was a \u201csense of the powers-that-be pulling against the people, not with them\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore of the same isn\u2019t good enough,\u201d said the former mayor of the northwestern city of Liverpool, where the party conference was held. He added that it was time \u201cto break the mould today\u201d.<\/p>\n

Social reforms<\/h2>\n

This year\u2019s Labour Party conference brought together legislators and party members alongside trade unions and businesses in one place.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis country isn\u2019t where any of us would want it to be,\u201d Burnham said.<\/p>\n

Much of Burnham\u2019s speech addressed the need for social reforms with a focus on caregivers and healthcare, including building a \u201cNational Care Service \u2026 free at the point of use\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said it will be \u201ca person-centred, high-quality\u201d service where \u201ceveryone contributes and everyone is covered\u201d and care \u201cis about people not profit\u201d, does not erode savings and gives \u201cproper recognition\u201d to care workers.<\/p>\n

There was also talk of adjusting the so-called \u201cpension triple lock\u201d that sets state pension rises. He said changes will be made by April 2030, after the next general election.<\/p>\n

Burnham said low-income pensioners would not \u2060pay income tax in the current Parliament. The planned changes meant pensioners would\u00a0receive annual rises to their state pension without \u200cadditional care charges, \u201cso that pensioners will always share in \u2060the rising prosperity of the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n

He also spoke on the need to make housing more affordable, confirming his party\u2019s intention to make it easy for young people to own a home by reducing the deposit needed to buy property.<\/p>\n

There was also mention of returning control of utilities, such as water and electricity, back to the public, by scrapping \u201c[former Prime Minister] Margaret Thatcher\u2019s ideological ban on public ownership of water companies\u201d.<\/p>\n

On electricity, Burnham announced a new publicly-owned \u201cGreat British Grid\u201d that will \u201cchallenge the private sector operators\u201d to \u201cincrease competition, drive down costs and speed up delivery\u201d, and make it easier to connect to the electricity grid.<\/p>\n

Russia, Iran \u2018threats\u2019<\/h2>\n

Burnham\u2019s speech also focused on foreign policy issues, saying he will \u201cstand up to\u201d Russian and Iranian \u201cthreats\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will be steadfast in my support for Ukraine and stand up to threats wherever they come from, whether Russia, Iran, or anywhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza, Burnham praised his foreign secretary\u2019s approach, since assuming office in July.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will be principled in our leadership in securing a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, as [Foreign Secretary] Ed Miliband has done,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\"epa13270857
UK Prime Minister and Labour Leader Andy Burnham (right) greets delegates after delivering his keynote speech during the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, UK, September 29, 2026 [Adam Vaughan\/EPA]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Al Jazeera\u2019s Milena Veselinovic, who was listening to the British prime minister at the conference, said Burnham\u2019s speech was laced with \u201ca lot of fiery rhetoric\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cBritain finds itself in a very dire position when it comes to finances,\u201d said Veselinovic, adding that there is immense pressure on Burnham\u2019s new government as it prepares to introduce its first budget at the end of October.<\/p>\n

The UK annual consumer price inflation (CPI) reached 3.1 percent in the 12 months to August, ticking up from 2.9 percent in July, according to the Office of National Statistics.<\/p>\n

Veselinovic said Burnham is aware he may have to \u201cpay a political price for all the reforms he\u2019s promising\u201d, but that he also understands, \u201csomebody has to rip out the plaster on that because the costs are too high\u201d.<\/p>\n

Danny Sriskandarajah, the chief executive officer of New Economics Foundation, said Burnham delivered \u201ca remarkable speech\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAndy Burnham has this knack to be able to come across as authentic, as genuine,\u201d Sriskandarajah told Al Jazeera.<\/p>\n

Burnham, Sriskandarajah said, \u201cwas tearful at moments\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was honest about what challenges Britain faces. But he also generates a sense of hope which I think is much needed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Sriskandarajah said the challenge for Burnham will be to fund the promises he made in the speech.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of these things that he wants to do will cost money, which means they\u2019ll have to raise those resources somewhere,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has promised to put the United Kingdom on a new path of equitable growth during his first Labour conference speech as leader of the country and party. Covering a range of topics including healthcare, pensions, electoral reforms, affordable housing and publicly-owned utilities, Burnham on Tuesday said it was time for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t