Chris Page
Ireland correspondent

Image source, PA Media

When Northern Ireland’s political leaders meet the new prime minister for the first time, their first ask is likely to be for more money.

The devolved government has said it doesn’t have enough funding to provide adequate public services.

The four parties in the power-sharing coalition haven’t yet agreed a budget - more than three months into the financial year.

Westminster has pointed out that funding for the Belfast administration has never been higher.

The biggest party in Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin - led at Stormont by First Minister Michelle O’Neill - will make the case to Andy Burnham that a referendum on Irish unity should be held in the coming years.

Sinn Féin’s main power-sharing partner is the Democratic Unionist Party.

DUP leader Gavin Robinson will press Burnham to strengthen Northern Ireland’s place in the UK - particularly by easing post-Brexit trade barriers with England, Scotland and Wales.

Could differing ideas of devolution divide Burnham and Welsh government?published at 13:56 BST 20 July

13:56 BST 20 July

Hywel Griffith
Wales Correspondent

Welsh Labour’s collapse in May’s Senedd election was a key moment in the downfall of Keir Starmer.

His successor now needs to deal with the Plaid Cymru government in Wales and rebuild his party in what was a stronghold for over a century.

In theory, Andy Burnham has plenty in common with Plaid, and the nationalist party’s First Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth.

As we've just reported, ap Iowerth says he and Burnham share the "belief in the power of devolution" - but their idea of what that means may be very different.

While there has been little detail, the Burnham model may mean empowering local regions, with Welsh councils working together to grow the economy.

However, the Welsh government has responsibility for local authorities and will not want to be overridden.

Plaid Cymru’s idea of greater devolution would be Westminster handing down control over issues like justice and policing to Wales.

Devolution may well be the idea that divides rather than unites the two leaders.

Hywel Griffith
Wales correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth says Andy Burnham's appointment as PM "presents an opportunity to redefine the relationship between the Welsh and UK governments".

"I know that Andy Burnham shares my belief in the power of devolution to improve the lives of the people we serve," ap Iorwerth says in a statement.

"In that spirit, I hope we can speak the same language when it comes to devolving powers out of Westminster by strengthening, not bypassing, Wales' national parliament and its ability to empower people and communities."

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent, at Downing Street

For Labour ministers, the wait goes on.

What normally happens in these situations is that those who are being sacked are told first - before appointments later in the afternoon.

Parliament is on its summer holiday, but I’ve spotted a few ministers waiting to find out their fate.

Iain Watson
Political correspondent

Andy Burnham will set out some of his policies and priorities as the week unfolds.

Last week he promised a "plan" but today he made it clear we will have to wait longer to see his 10-year blueprint.

Keir Starmer of course had a "Ten Years of National Renewal" mission - he, and it, lasted only two.

Quite a few areas where people want to see where he’s heading didn’t rate a mention.

We know he won't allow new oil and gas licences but he can do more drilling without doing so, adjacent to existing fields or exploiting unused licences.

Image source, Reuters

He steered clear of what will be a controversial policy within Labour's ranks today. But we know he will announce a new energy secretary later today.

On defence, he has indicated he’d fulfil Starmer’s plan but its not clear yet if he will go beyond this. Again, it didn’t rate a mention.

He did mention "public control" of essentials – note ‘control’ isn’t the same as ownership. In Manchester buses are regulated, fares are controlled but provided by private companies.

But he has nonetheless set a big bar himself, no less than a new economic and political model.

Voters - and markets - will be keen to learn the details.

Kevin Peachey
Cost of living correspondent

Some things - like the prime minister - change, while some remain the same.

It was only in January that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves declared the cost of living as their "number one focus".

Now Andy Burnham is having a go, promising some "breathing space" for people’s finances with announcements to come on Tuesday - his first full day in the job.

Given how the last administration was defined for some time by the early decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners, he will clearly want to start on a positive note.

There are plenty of options - tax changes, a social tariff on energy bills, help with the cost of food or fares.

Crucially, he also said he would explain how that would be funded - giving a wider sense, perhaps, of the financial winners and losers in a Burnham-led government.

Image source, PA Media

We spotted some familiar faces outside of 10 Downing Street as Andy Burnham delivered his speech.

Included were his mother Eileen, former England footballer Peter Reid and the new grandson of Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Burnham is trying to project a big message, and a different stylepublished at 13:37 BST 20 July

13:37 BST 20 July

Chris Mason
Political editor, at Downing Street

You get a sense of Andy Burnham's desire to project a big message on day one.

This morning he was out at the crack of dawn, meeting people who were rough sleeping - trying to show he is a grassroots pavement politician.

Later this week, Burnham is going to set out a 10-year plan - and how it will be paid for.

He is trying to project a different style. He spoke without notes and without an autocue.

The new prime minister has been clapped in to No 10 by civil servants and Downing Street staff. He will then sign those letters of last resort to the commanders of our nuclear submarines.

Burnham's track record on ending rough sleepingpublished at 13:28 BST 20 July

13:28 BST 20 July

By Lucy Gilder

In his first speech as PM, Andy Burnham said he would "issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country".

As we've just reported, Burnham made ending rough sleeping by 2020, external one of his priorities when he became mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017.

Local authorities in England record rough sleeping "snapshots" during a single night in autumn every year, but this does not capture all homeless people (for example, those living in hostels).

In 2017, the authorities estimated there were 268 rough sleepers across Greater Manchester, according to figures published by the Ministry for Housing, Communities, and Local Government (MHCLG), external.

Three years later - at the time of the Coronavirus pandemic - that estimate had more than halved to 125 and although Burnham did not meet his target, rough sleeping fell further to 90 in 2021.

However, the latest data for 2025 shows it had risen to 197.

Rough sleeping has also increased nationally in recent years. In autumn 2025, the number of people estimated to be sleeping rough on a single night in England was 4,793 - a record high.

Annabel Tiffin
North West political editor

Tackling rough sleeping was one of the first things Burnham wanted to do when he became mayor of Greater Manchester.

He gave a percentage of his wage to help rough sleepers and said he was going to eradicate rough sleeping in Manchester by 2020 initially, but that hasn't happened.

There is still a problem with rough sleeping. It has gone down in numbers, but it hasn't been eradicated.

So it's quite interesting that he made that one of his first pledges to do it on a national scale. We'll see whether he can actually achieve it.

Andy Burnham delivered his first speech as prime minister a short while ago.

Speaking into a microphone - without the usual lectern - outside No 10, he said:

• He is "acutely conscious" he is the seventh PM since 2016, calling this a moment for "reflection and new resolution"

• He stressed the importance of Britain regaining stability
• He also said politicians have "not been good enough" but pledged to be better - promising the biggest changes in the last 40 years
• Power will be taken out of Downing Street and into "every postcode in the land", he pledged
• He will set out measures from tomorrow to help give people "some breathing space" with the cost of living, he said
• And he said "I will soon go through that door behind me and issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country"

• "I will give this my all," he concluded

Alex Forsyth
Political correspondent

Image source, UK pool

As we've just reported, Andy Burnham spoke to reporters at the Passage shelter this morning before he became prime minitser.

He said he would work on the platform left by Keir Starmer - including setting up a new No 10 north, plans to shift power out of Westminster and Whitehall, putting "the basics" under stronger public control and re-industrialising Britain.

Burnham admitted he had "nerves" about taking up office, but is feeling "ready" for the role, insisting he has "legitimacy to lead things forward".

"I’m talking about a different type of politics," he added.

Kate Whannel
Political reporter

Andy Burnham has just said his first instruction as prime minister will be to "end rough sleeping in our country".

Earlier today, before he became prime minister, Burnham made an early morning visit to a homeless shelter in Victoria, central London, in a signal of what would be one of his priorities in office.

Speaking to reporters at the Passage shelter, he said ending rough sleeping required everyone "pulling together".

Pointing to the "Everyone In" scheme that was launched during the Covid pandemic he said: "We did it then, we can do it now."

Image source, PA Media

He said his first phone calls as prime minister would be to US President Donald Trump and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, adding that the UK’s support for Ukraine would be "steadfast and resolute".

Asked about negative anonymous briefings in the press about Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Burnham said he was "appalled" by the briefings and that his team had not been responsible. He promised to bring respect and teamwork to politics.

He said he was conscious of being the latest in a string of short-lived prime ministers, adding: "That isn’t good enough – we need to be better and we will be better."

After crossing No 10's front door, Burnham and his wife Marie-France are greeted by Downing Street staff.

The prime minister chats with some of them as he's ushered further into the building.

He will now start his work in the new role. Among the first tasks at hand, the selection of his new cabinet.

We'll bring you a closer look at the tasks he now faces in our next post.

Image source, PA Media

Burnham says he will focus on "putting the right values and right standards at the heart of government".

"The care of people will be at the heart of everything I will do", he continues, as he says "I will give this my all" to "build a new national sense of unity".

He urges the public and his supporters to stand by him, saying this is the moment "when Britain starts to believe again - the moment we bring back hope".

The prime minister ends his speech and is met with applause from the crowd. He then shares a kiss with his wife and waves for the cameras before entering the famous black door of No 10.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Burnham says he will also start laying out plans to give people more "breathing space" on the cost of living, starting from tomorrow.

The new prime minister says that more young people will be helped into work by changing the education system and more support including mental health support will be available.

He said more council homes will be built as the "fair and sustainable way" to bring the welfare bill down.

He mentions helping people to live well, and says: "I will issue my first instruction to end rough sleeping in our country."

Next, Burnham says that as prime minister he will take power out of Westminster and bring it into "every postcode in the land, so they can do more".

He pledges to build a new economy, putting "life's essentials back under public control" in order to make them affordable again, and to re-industralise Britain and "back British industry".

He goes on to say that later this year, he will lay out a 10-year plan for Britain, laying out the path of where he wants the country to be.

The new PM says he will also start laying out plans to give people more "breathing space" on the cost of living, starting from tomorrow, and will lay out how to pay for them.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, PA

Burnham says he knows people at home are fed up with politics.

"I hear 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 and there will be a new political model, he says.

He points to what he calls "wrong turns" in the 1980s, including privatisation and de-industrialisation.

Many areas still haven't recovered, he says, adding he will change politics to make it more collaborative and about problem solving than point scoring.

Andy Burnham says his appointment as PM is "a moment for reflection and new resolution".

He says his generation of politicians will need to "raise our game" and rise to the challenges in front of them.

Britain has to show "that we can regain our stability once again and that is our challenge".

Image source, PA Media

Andy Burnham is at the microphone - with no lectern - on Downing Street to make his first speech as prime minister.

There's a large crowd surrounding him.

Watch live at the top of this page, and we'll bring you the key lines.

Image source, Getty Images