Burnham to Pitch 'Honest Conversation' on Britain's Hard Choices in First Conference Speech

Andy Burnham will use his first speech as prime minister at Labour's annual conference to offer Britain what he calls an "honest conversation" about the trade-offs needed to address the country's most entrenched problems, including social care and the control of utilities.

Speaking at a large conference centre in Liverpool on Monday, Burnham will argue that his government intends to break with "politics as usual" and offer a sense of hope he believes has been lost. According to extracts released by his office, he will say that hope comes from honesty and from addressing subjects politicians typically avoid.

"We can't carry on as we are," Burnham is expected to say. "Politics as usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn't good enough and isn't going to get us where we need to be."

The prime minister, a former mayor who took over from Keir Starmer in July, has faced pressure to provide more detailed plans beyond his early measures to give households "breathing space" from the cost of living. Those initial steps included capping bus fares and removing value added tax from electricity bills.

Businesses have said his broader ambitions — tackling the social care crisis, bringing some utilities into public ownership and creating more jobs — have lacked detail. On Sunday, Burnham adjusted expectations for social care reform, saying he would present his plans only at the next national election, due by mid-2029. The shift offers some relief to a government keen to avoid immediate major tax rises or spending cuts, though Burnham may consider arguments for ending the pensions triple lock to fund future social care reform.

In a speech his team describes as containing a range of policies and commitments, Burnham is also expected to give more detail on his pledge for greater public control of energy, water and housing. He will say he initially considered a traditional rallying speech but chose instead to respond to calls for "less drift and more direction" by setting out a more serious prospectus than has been offered in a generation.

"I accept people will not agree with every part of it, but I believe it can turn Britain around," he will say, describing a route to a country where people feel it is on their side again.