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‘I will give this my all’ – Andy Burnham’s speech in full as he becomes Prime Minister
Emily Sergeant
Andy Burnham has officially become Prime Minister.
After it was announced last month that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announce his intention to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.
Earlier in July, the former Greater Manchester Mayor delivered his first speech as part of his ongoing campaign, addressing how he plans to take the country in a ‘new direction’.
He declared that he wanted to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster.
Last week, he was then officially named leader of the Labour Party after the backing of 322 other Labour MPs, and now it’s official… the UK has a new Prime Minister.
Sir Keir Starmer officially stood down and gave his final speech this morning, and after meeting with King Charles III to form a new Government, Andy Burnham appeared outside the doors of Number 10 just after midday as the new Prime Minister for the first time.
“I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me,” Burnham said in his speech as he addressed the media and the millions watching at home.
Andy Burnham’s first speech as Prime Minister in full
“I have just come from Buckingham Palace, where I have accepted His Majesty the King’s invitation to form a Government. In doing so, I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh Prime Minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.
“It requires my generation of politicians to raise our game, and rise to the new challenge. Britain needs to show the world that we can regain our stability once again, and that is our challenge, to make politics work, to make it work better.
“I know people at home are fed up with politics. I hear you. And I want to be honest with you. We have not been good enough, and we need to be better. “We will be. We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years. A new political model and a new economic model.
“In the 1980s, Britain took some wrong turns. Political power was centralised, economic power privatised, large parts of the country de-industrialised, and they still haven’t recovered.
“Many feel as though they’re still in decline, and they don’t have the ability to turn things around. And that’s why we will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point scoring.
“We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land so that they can do more. And in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again. Re-industrialising Britain, using public procurement to back British industry.
“Later this year, I will bring forward a new plan for Britain, a 10-year plan, laying out a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want Britain to be, wherever we’re coming from, whatever party we support.
“But I can do something to give people some breathing space now, some help with the cost of living, and I will set out some of those measures starting tomorrow, including how we pay for them.
“We will help more young people into work by changing the education system and giving them more support, more mental health support. And we will build more Council homes. That is the fair and sustainable way to bring the welfare bill down, to meet our fiscal rules, and to honour our commitments on defence to our international partners.
“We will help people to live well, building a more preventative state, investing in people’s success, rather than paying for failure. And that work starts now. I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction – to end rough sleeping in our country.
Read more:
- Andy Burnham ‘deeply grateful’ as 322 Labour MPs back him to become Prime Minister
- Andy Burnham wants to bring the ‘Greater Manchester way’ to Westminster
- NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives thoughts on Andy Burnham running for Prime Minister
“It’s about putting the right values and the right standards at the heart of Government. I will put the care of people at the heart of everything I do.
“I will give this my all, and I ask you all to pull with me. Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity. Let us make this the moment when Britain starts to believe again. The moment we bring back hope.
“Thank you very much everybody.”
Featured Image – BBC (via YouTube)
News
When Manchester City’s cheap tickets for £10 or less go live, and how to get your hands on them
Danny Jones
For those who missed the news, Man City recently announced a new tier of affordable tickets for those living in the East Manchester area, essentially providing those living in the local area with match experiences for just a tenner.
In fact, those eligible for concessions can grab a seat for only £7.50 and nearby kids under 18 for merely a fiver as part of the scheme.
Now THIS is the kind of stuff we want to see from football clubs.
Essentially based on postcode proximity to the Etihad Stadium, Manchester City supporters who fit the native criteria can put their name in for numerous Premier League, domestic cup and European games this season; but how exactly does it work?
How to get affordable Man City tickets
Put simply, Mancs living in the Manchester City Council wards listed below, which immediately surround the ever-expanding home ground and wider Campus, can apply:
- Miles Platting & Newton Heath
- Ancoats & Beswick
- Ardwick
- Clayton & Openshaw
- Gorton & Abbey Hey
Man City local residents scheme – how does it work?
For starters, it’s worth noting that between 100-500 unreserved tickets will be put aside for each game in the coming 2026/27 campaign, all of which will be assigned via a random ballot.
Those who meet the criteria (i.e. live in the aforementioned areas) also don’t need to have an official Matchday Membership; you simply need a Cityzens account, which can be created totally free.
Once your address has been verified, you can enter the ballots for your chosen fixtures, and then it’s just a case of keeping your fingers crossed that your name gets pulled out of that.
You can see a full list of FAQs, along with the relevant terms and conditions, right HERE.
When do they go live?
At present, tickets for upcoming Manchester City games will be available across the board from 10am GMT on Tuesday 21 July.
However, fans are being encouraged to sign up to the club’s mailing list for all news and ticketing updates, especially when it comes to this new localised discount category.
With the Etihad currently in the middle of a major redevelopment, including even more seats up in the newly expanded North Stand, Blues should stand an even better chance of getting along to a game or two than ever.
It’s also worth noting that the section of the arena has been officially named after their beloved manager and club legend, Pep Guardiola, who left the serial winners this summer after a decade – a farewell period which will now be covered in an upcoming documentary.
With new head coach Enzo Maresca having now returned to the club in the top position after previous roles as assistant and U23s/EDS boss, plenty will be hoping to be there for the start of this next chapter for the Blues.
They’ll also be welcoming back their Champions League, Ballon d’Or, Euro 2024, Club World Cup and now World Champion in Rodri for the fast-approaching 26/27 term.
Rodri has completed football. pic.twitter.com/2kMkQaepWw
— Premier League (@premierleague) July 19, 2026
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Featured Images – The Manc Group