Andy Burnham has three big tasks and left-wing Labour rebels must not stand in his way

Andy Burnham needs to boost the economy, increase defence spending and cut the benefits bill (Picture: Ryan Jenkinson) | Getty Images

After Andy Burnham became Labour leader, he issued a warning seemingly aimed at party rebels who helped bring down Keir Starmer: “We won’t beat Britain’s new right if we are consumed by infighting.” This was, he said, Labour’s “last chance to change”.

Cynics may suggest his pledge to eradicate “factionalism” was a bit rich, given his central role in ousting Starmer. However, his remarks may inject a sense of realism into the ranks of left-wing Labour backbenchers who appear to have developed a false sense of confidence based on the size of their Commons majority, rather than their actual standing in the country.

For reference, Labour’s supposed “landslide” victory in July 2024 was achieved on 33.7 per cent of the vote and their poll ratings have since slumped to about 20 per cent.

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Creating economic momentum

Burnham has three main tasks. First, he must get the economy moving. Starmer’s government may have imposed significant extra costs on business, but the economy has stubbornly refused to crumble, demonstrating an underlying strength that is cause for optimism.

If the new government can find ways to stimulate growth – for example, by approving the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea – it might not take too much for ‘green shoots of recovery’ to appear. Should that happen, business and investor confidence would improve, potentially creating a sense of economic momentum.

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Of course, as the Conservatives know all too well – having struggled with Covid and the Ukraine War-related energy price spike – international events may intervene.

And the risk of war between Nato and Russia by 2030 means Burnham’s second big task is even more important: dramatically increasing defence spending. This is made significantly more pressing by Donald Trump’s repeated suggestions the US could withdraw from the alliance.

Unfortunately, with taxes at historically high levels, there is limited scope for increased spending in one area without cuts to another. So his third task is to reduce benefits spending – hard to swallow for some but clearly necessary. Starmer tried, only to be forced to back down by Labour rebels.

They now need to recognise this really is the party’s “last chance”. If Burnham fails, it’s game over.