Remember me
As Andy Burnham prepares to become prime minister on Monday, his Conservative predecessors have lined up to give him their advice on succeeding in the job.
While Sir Keir Starmer has said he will not give his successor advice in public, other recent occupants of No 10 have been more forthcoming, stressing the pressures of time Mr Burnham will face.
Writing in The Sunday Times, Rishi Sunak urged Mr Burnham to “soak up every second” of his arrival in Downing Street, saying he regretted not allowing himself “a moment of reflection”.
But once inside, he added, it was “imperative” for a prime minister to “have a plan” for using their time most effectively, regularly engaging with MPs and driving “two or three” key priorities from No 10.
Amid speculation about Mr Burnham’s Cabinet picks, Mr Sunak also stressed the importance of appointing the “most able” ministers to the jobs that most mattered to a prime minister’s priorities.
Another of Mr Burnham’s predecessors, Boris Johnson, also offered the incoming prime minister some advice in an interview with Sky News’s Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips.
Mr Johnson said he wished Mr Burnham “well”, but like Mr Sunak said he “hasn’t got much time” with a public “doomscrolling through prime ministers”.
He added: “He needs to get on and he needs to give investors in this country a sense of hope about it.
“And that means he needs to find reasons to buy British, get stuck in and he needs to stop the haemorrhage of talent.
“And he needs to think about what he’s doing on tax. And Labour needs to get a grip on spending.”
Nicole Wootton-Cane18 July 2026 17:16
Badenoch vows to give Burnham ‘a rude awakening’The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:
Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives has told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that she will “score as many points as possible” against Andy Burnham if it is the “right thing for the country”.
In an interview to be broadcast tomorrow, Ms Badenoch warned the incoming prime minister might face a “rude awakening” in office, branding him a “people pleaser”, saying that she would not give him a “blank cheque”.
It came after he promised to end the points scoring culture in British politics in his acceptance speech when officially becoming Labour leader on Friday. He claimed that it turned the British people off politics.
But Ms Badenoch said his plans so far seemed ‘airy fairy’ and that he had run away from taking tough decisions.
“I will score as many points as possible if it means the right thing for the country. What I'm not going to do is give Andy Burnham a blank cheque.”
With Mr Burnham ducking appearing on the show himself and sending deputy leader Lucy Powell, Ms Badenoch said: “This is a man who doesn't want scrutiny, he doesn't want anyone asking him tough questions, he just wants to be a people pleaser.
“What the country needs right now is someone who can take tough decisions, who can face down the Labour MPs that don't want to do anything difficult. And that is what worries me.”
She added: “I've met Andy Burnham before, actually just before I think I was on your show in Manchester at party conference. I like him, he's a nice guy, but he's the people pleaser. The job is not a popularity contest. It is making the lives of all of the people outside this building better. And he has not said what he's going to do. It's all airy-fairy stuff.”
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also said incoming PM Andy Burnham should open up the North Sea for oil and gas if he ‘has any common sense’ (Michal Wachucik/PA)Nicole Wootton-Cane18 July 2026 16:27
Burnham set to cut energy bills as he enters Downing StreetAndy Burnham plans to cut energy bills through radical plans as rumours swirl around his Cabinet members.
The new Labour leader promised to reduce the price of “essentials” in his momentous speech on Friday, and is set to announce a cost of living package as one of his first announcements when he moves into 10 Downing Street.
Mr Burnham’s team are reportedly looking to make running a heat pump cheaper than a gas boiler, according to The Guardian.
Other media outlets have reported plans to cut VAT from energy bills, and even plans for more North Sea drilling.
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 16:00
MP tipped for ministerial role urges more action on crypto political donationsDavid Maddox, political editor, reports:
Joe Powell, a Labour MP tipped for a ministerial role, is pushing for the UK to tackle money laundering in London harder as a means of boosting international aid and preventing democracies being undermined by underhand money such as crypto currency donations.
In the wake of Sir Keir Starmer’s government put a temporary ban on crypto donations after Nigel Farage’s Reform UK started accepting them, he wants Andy Burnham’s government to go further and create an international alliance against crypto donations.
Mr Powell has been tipped as a potential anti corruption minister in Mr Burnham’s team.In a piece for the influential New Economic Forum, he warned: “There is surely no reason why political donations using cryptocurrency should be permitted, given the inherent difficulties in establishing the source of funds and making donor checks. The government has announced a moratorium on crypto donations in Britain, and it would be healthy for global democracy to build a coalition of countries to do the same.”
He wants a focus on the “opaque” London property market as part of an international effort to tackle the problem.
“Major cities in many G20 countries are grappling with a common challenge. In my constituency of Kensington and Bayswater in London, 40 per cent of the foreign-owned property is held in anonymous trusts: approximately 4,000 properties with hidden ownership, despite the introduction, after the invasion of Ukraine, of a register of overseas-owned properties. This major loophole incentivises more opaque ownership structures, which are only thrown open through leaks and investigations like the Panama and Paradise Papers.”
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 15:46
Labour MPs lobbied by energy industry leaders to back North Sea oil and gasThe past week has seen a significant lobbying effort in favour of new licences, with energy industry leaders and trade union bosses publishing an open letter to Labour MPs calling for them to back North Sea oil and gas.
They argued this would reduce reliance on fossil fuel imports from “volatile regions” that involved higher emissions, making it a “more responsible choice for the climate”.
Enrique Cornejo, of industry association Offshore Energies UK, said: “While we use oil and gas, it is common sense that we prioritise our own production, our own jobs, value in our economy, delivered with lower emissions than imports.”
Opponents of further drilling say the global oil market means extra production in the North Sea would make no difference to energy bills, while being more expensive to extract.
There is also no guarantee that additional North Sea oil will be used in the UK, which exports most of the oil it already produces.
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 15:30
What voters really think about Burnham becoming PMAs Andy Burnham prepares to take office, promising radical change and looking to move power out of London, Dan Haygarth and Jemma Robinson ask people in the capital about the incoming prime minister.
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 15:00
Greenpeace UK warns Burnham not to allow new drilling in North SeaAmy Cameron, programme director at Greenpeace UK, warned Andy Burnham that allowing new drilling in the North Sea would be “a massive own goal” while the UK was “literally on fire”.
She said: “The science is crystal clear: our only fighting chance at a future with bearable temperatures and a thriving green economy depends on rapidly phasing out fossil fuels.
“Turning our backs on that to squeeze out the last few drops from a dying oilfield – which will not lower our bills, create many new jobs or secure our energy supply – would be sheer folly.”
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 14:45
Starmer loyalists expected to find themselves on the backbenchesDavid Maddox, The Independent’s political editor:
A number of the more high profile ministers who were key members of sir Keir Starmer’s government are now expected to be on the backbenches once Andy Burnham names his top team.
Rachel Reeves has already said goodbye to her job as chancellor with a warning to Mr Burnham that he needs a plan.
But those joining her outside government are expected to be housing secretary Steve Reed, chief secretary to the PM Darren Jones, business secretary Peter Kyle, tech secretary Liz Kendall and, Sir Keir’s closest ally, attorney general Lord Hermer.
Ms Kendall’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is expected to be abolished while Mr Jones tried to launch a bid to become leader instead of Mr Burnham.
Mr Kyle could be replaced by the man he replaced, Jonathan Reynolds who was moved by Sir Keir to be chief whip.
Incoming into the cabinet include party chair Anna Turley and close Burnham ally Anneliese Midgley.
David Maddox18 July 2026 14:29
Police and crime commissioners issue a challenge to Burnham over special needs education crisisDavid Maddox, The Independent’s political editor:
Andy Burnham has already been issued his first formal challenge less than 48 hours before officially becoming prime minister, with 21 of England’s police and crime commissioners from four different parties writing to him to take immediate action on special educational needs education (SEND).
The 21 commissioners - including 13 from the Tories, six from Labour, one from Reform and one Independent - have warned that a failure to tackle SEND in schools is seeing children and adults failed by the education system recruited into criminal gangs.
In a letter seen by The Independent, they warned: “As PCCs, we see at first hand the consequences of systems that fail vulnerable children. We recognise the immense pressures facing the SEND system and support efforts to improve outcomes for children, families and local authorities.
“However, we are concerned that reforms focused primarily on reducing costs or limiting access to specialist provision could have profound implications not only for education, but also for crime prevention, community safety and the long-term demands placed upon the criminal justice system.”
They have issued five demands:
Protecting access to specialist provision for children with the most complex needs. Ensuring early intervention remains at the heart of the SEND system. Recognising educational engagement as a key protective factor against criminal exploitation and offending. Assessing the likely impact of reforms on rates of exclusion, absenteeism and disengagement from education. Incorporating crime prevention and public safety considerations into the overall reform programme.Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 14:24
What are Andy Burnham’s key policies?Ahead of his move into No 10 on Monday, The Indepepndent’s political reporter Athena Stavrou delves into just what Andy Burnham’s key policies are.
Bryony Gooch18 July 2026 14:14