New PM Burnham begins with boldness and ambition for Britain

Andy Burnham begins his first full day as UK Prime Minister with a distinctly different approach from his predecessor Keir Starmer. Within 24 hours, he has reshuffled the cabinet, removing nearly a dozen Starmer loyalists and appointing a majority of northern MPs, including five from Greater Manchester. John Healey is named Chancellor, a move signaled to NATO as a statement of intent. Burnham has split the Department of Science and Technology and elevated Kanishka Narayan for AI work. His first speech outlined a new political and economic model focused on problem-solving over point-scoring. Key early policies include ending rough sleeping, removing VAT from domestic energy bills from October, and scrapping the unpopular digital ID scheme to fund the energy tax cut. The article notes risks, including potential backbench discontent from ousted Starmer allies, and the challenge of balancing Green and immigration-concerned voters while keeping borrowing costs low. Burnham's approach is described as a revival of Labour's economic populism tradition.