Andy Burnham is set to deliver his first speech as the party’s leader today at Labour’s Annual Conference, in what will be a defining moment of his premiership, reports BritPanorama.
The prime minister is expected to rally against “politics-as-usual” in his keynote address, articulating some of his long-term goals and clarifying the direction of the government he leads.
Mr Burnham will state: “We can’t carry on as we are. 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.”
His speech is scheduled to begin in Liverpool at 2pm and will be accessible via live stream and major television channels.
Among anticipated topics, the state pension triple lock is likely to be addressed, with suggestions that Mr Burnham and Chancellor John Healey are weighing the option of scrapping the Conservative-era measure to finance an ambitious social care plan.
The mechanism aims to ensure the state pension aligns with rising costs and wages, yet some analysts caution that its sustainability is in question. In 2024/25, the government allocated £138 billion towards the state pension, a figure projected to increase by £13 billion by 2029/30.
While ministers have committed to maintaining Labour’s 2024 manifesto pledge to preserve the triple lock at least until the end of this parliament, Deputy Leader Lucy Powell has refrained from promising its inclusion in future manifestos.
A senior government source suggested that Mr Burnham may position the scrapping of the triple lock as a “grand bargain” with pensioners in exchange for an £18 billion commitment towards free social care, according to The Telegraph.
Additionally, several new policy initiatives are anticipated during the address, which will build upon his earlier pledges concerning cost of living, homelessness, and public ownership.
This speech is poised to present “a more serious prospectus for Britain than people have been offered in a generation,” Mr Burnham will assert, concluding: “I accept people will not agree with every part of it, but I believe it can turn Britain around.”
