Stories
Burnham Pledges "New Social Contract" for Britain, Warns of High Political Risk
- •Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled ambitious plans for a "new social contract for the 21st century," including electoral reform and a reset of EU relations.
- •Burnham acknowledged economic constraints make delivering his sweeping plans a significant political risk, stating "Small things will not get us through what are difficult times."
- •Key proposals include establishing a "national care service" funded by taxation, which he would stake his political legacy on, and watering down the pensions triple lock.
- •He vowed to end a decade of "drift and division," promising to change Britain's electoral system to proportional representation and rethink the UK's relationship with the EU.
- •Despite the challenging global situation and recent terror arrests, Burnham's confident approach has buoyed the Labour Party, though experts caution against an early election.
Key Questions Answered
Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged to stake his political legacy on establishing a taxpayer-funded "national care service" that would be free to use. To help fund this system and fix what he called a broken sector, he announced plans to water down the pensions triple lock.
Burnham announced that the Labour Party will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change Britain's winner-takes-all electoral system to a form of proportional representation. He also stated he would set up a national commission to seek cross-party backing for these reforms.
Burnham stated that "Brexit has done more harm than good" and pledged to reset Britain's relationship with its European neighbours. He emphasized the need for the UK to have clarity about its position and the future of the European continent.
