Burnham blames Brexit and Thatcher for ‘wrongturns’ in first Commons speech as PM
The prime minister said Britain needed to be brutally honest about the mistakes of the last 40 years of UK politics
This story summarizes reporting from The Guardian. Read the original for full context. Wire items stay in our news sitemap for seven days. Editorial policy.
Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot1 Sept 2026, 06:52 pmUpdated 13h ago2 min readEuropeUnited Kingdom
United Kingdom — Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot
Burnham blames Brexit and Thatcher for ‘wrong turns’ in first Commons speech as PM
The prime minister said Britain needed to be brutally honest about the mistakes of the last 40 years of UK politics
Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken “a series of wrong turns” in the last 40 years.
In his first Commons appearance since he took over as prime minister about six weeks ago, Burnham told MPs he wanted to build a new sense of optimism so “we can make this next decade better than the last”.
Hinted that he would commit to spending 3% of GDP on defence by 2030, saying he had appointed John Healey as his chancellor “precisely because” of his position on military spending .
Signalled he is open to renationalising the water industry – saying he is looking at “all possible solutions”, as the sector is a “leaking monument” to the failures of privatisation.
Opened the door to looking again at electoral reform in Labour’s next manifesto. “I do believe there needs to be a mandate to make that change. There are different views in this house, but I believe we will need to get a consensus at the next election. And if there is that consensus, then a change can be made in the next parliament.”
Announced he would attend the Cop31 climate summit in Turkey and continue pursuing green energy – but that he would be “pragmatic” on supply, amid expectations he will approve the Jackdaw gasfield. “The mistake is saying it’s got to be one or the other for political purposes. The truth is, it’s going to have to be both.”
Andy Burnham has blamed Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for a decade of low growth in the UK, arguing that Britain needs to be brutally honest about having taken “a series of wrong turns” in the last 40 years.
This report is published with credit to The Guardian. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on The Guardian →
Source: The Guardian · Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot. Published 1 Sept 2026, 06:52 pm.
