Next UK Prime Minister Burnham: "More Public Control, Yet Pro-Business"

▲ Andy Burnham, Leader of the UK Labour Party

Andy Burnham, the new leader of the Labour Party confirmed as the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, pledged on July 17 (local time) to become a pro-business leader while upholding the identity of the center-left Labour Party.

In his inaugural speech at the ruling Labour Party's special conference that day, Burnham criticized the Thatcherism of the Conservative Party era, stating, "The UK took a wrong turn in the 1980s. Political power was centralized, and economic power was privatized."

He argued, "The country gave up control over essential goods such as housing, water, energy, and transportation, leaving people exposed to higher costs while wealth and power became concentrated in fewer hands and fewer places. The right wing talks about taking back control, but they were the ones who gave up that control in the first place."

His explanation is that the privatization of essential infrastructure has had the counterproductive effect of driving up prices while actually increasing public spending, and he intends to strengthen public control, particularly over essential infrastructure.

Burnham stated, "In terms of political orientation, we will cooperate with opposition parties, but we will clearly establish the Labour Party's direction. We will not try to be greener than the (left-wing) Green Party, nor more Reform UK than the (right-wing) Reform UK, and we will not wear the Conservative Party's clothes as much as we have in the past."

This is interpreted as a reflection of criticism that Prime Minister Keir Starmer lost the unique identity of the center-left Labour Party by pursuing a centrist, pragmatic path, which was a major cause of his plummeting approval ratings.

At the same time, Burnham promised to pursue "re-industrialization" and increase educational opportunities, stating, "Make no mistake. I will be a pro-business Labour leader, just as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester."

Having advocated for "Manchesterism," which promotes regional economic development by giving more power to local areas while remaining business-friendly, he again promised to strengthen decentralization, saying, "I will take back power from Westminster (central parliament) and Whitehall (central government) and return it to the regions where you live."

As this was an event for his inauguration as party leader rather than as Prime Minister, Burnham did not present detailed national governance plans in his speech, focusing instead on the overall direction of the government and the unity of the Labour Party.

Burnham stated that he has not yet finalized his cabinet, saying, "No decisions have been made on who will be in the top team."

Current Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is most frequently mentioned as the candidate for Chancellor of the Exchequer, the position that draws the most attention as the de facto second-in-command of the cabinet. However, it has been reported that resistance has emerged from the left wing of the party, as Mahmood is considered to be on the right side of the party.

Burnham said, "I want it to be that when a Burnhamite walks into a pub, the bartender says, 'Welcome, we don't like factional politics here.'"

This is interpreted as a call to reject factionalism, twisting a joke about Burnham having moved between various mainstream factions within the party: "When a Blairite, a Brownite, and a Corbynite walk into a pub, the bartender asks, 'What can I get you, Andy?'"

"I have a plan," Burnham emphasized, adding that he would "bring back hope."

Although Prime Minister Starmer led the Labour Party to a landslide victory in the July 2024 general election, his approval ratings plummeted due to frequent policy reversals, a lack of vision for national governance, and poor personnel decisions. Concerned about losing the next general election in the summer of 2029, the Labour Party pressured Starmer to resign and installed Burnham as the new leader.

Burnham will take office as the new Prime Minister on July 20, succeeding Starmer.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)

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