The new Labour leader will become prime minister on Monday, but questions remain over his cabinet, taxation plans and how quickly he can deliver the change he has promised.
Andy Burnham is preparing to enter Downing Street after being elected leader of the Labour Party, completing a remarkable return to Westminster for the former mayor of Greater Manchester.
Burnham is expected to formally become prime minister on Monday, when Sir Keir Starmer tenders his resignation and King Charles III invites the new Labour leader to form a government.
Speaking after his victory, Burnham said he had not yet finalised his cabinet and rejected suggestions that he should begin announcing appointments before formally taking office.
Ed Miliband and Shabana Mahmood are among those being discussed as possible successors to Rachel Reeves as chancellor, although Burnham has said his eventual cabinet will represent different traditions within Labour and communities across the country.
His arrival promises a considerable change in political tone. Burnham has pledged to move power and investment away from Westminster, rebuild British industry and restore hope to working-class communities which he believes have been neglected by successive governments.
He has also spoken of creating a more collaborative style of government based upon “problem-solving rather than point-scoring”.
Council tax reform
One of the most controversial areas facing the new administration will be property taxation.
Burnham has previously described the council tax system as deeply regressive. Homes in England are still placed in bands largely determined by their estimated value in 1991, despite enormous changes in property prices during the intervening 35 years.
He has supported proposals to replace council tax and potentially stamp duty with a tax linked more closely to the present value of property or land. One model discussed by campaigners would impose an annual levy of approximately 0.48 per cent of a property’s value.
This would not mean that every household would simply stop paying council tax and pay nothing in its place. Lower-value households and many renters could benefit, while owners of expensive properties—particularly in London and the South East—could face considerably higher bills.
Any suggestion that Burnham has announced a new “mortgage tax” would therefore be misleading. No such tax has been confirmed. What is under consideration is a wider reform of taxes connected with land and property, which could affect homeowners, buyers, landlords and the housing market. Reuters’ policy overview describes land-value taxation as an option rather than a settled government policy.
A National Care Service
Burnham has identified social care as one of his most urgent priorities.
As health secretary under Gordon Brown, he proposed creating a National Care Service offering care free at the point of need. He has now returned to the idea, saying the existing system is broken and that previous governments have repeatedly avoided difficult decisions about its funding.
The issue is also deeply personal. Burnham has spoken about his father’s experience with Alzheimer’s and the pressure placed upon care workers and families.
Creating a National Care Service would be a historic reform, but it would also be extremely expensive. Burnham will have to explain how it would be funded without placing unsustainable pressure on public finances or ordinary taxpayers.
Calls for an election
Nigel Farage has argued that Burnham has no personal mandate from the electorate and has called for an immediate general election.
However, Britain elects a Parliament rather than a prime minister directly. Labour continues to command a majority in the House of Commons, meaning Burnham is not constitutionally required to call an election before forming a government.
That may settle the legal argument, but not necessarily the political one. Burnham must now demonstrate that he can command public confidence as well as the support of Labour MPs and trade unions.
His promises are ambitious: a rebuilt social-care system, greater regional power, more council housing, industrial renewal and a fundamental reconsideration of property taxation. The direction is becoming clear, but the difficult details—and the bill attached to them—are still to come.
Andy Burnham has declared that he is ready. From Monday, Britain will begin discovering whether his plan can survive contact with the Treasury, Parliament and political reality.
