Story summary
Andy Burnham, newly elected leader of the Labour Party, delivered his first speech as leader at the party's conference in Liverpool on Wednesday. The speech was emotional and covered bold policies such as reforming social care and electoral systems, drawing mixed reactions from attendees and media outlets.
Burnham choked up while discussing his father who recently passed away, a moment that resonated deeply with the audience. He admitted to wanting to move faster on cost-of-living measures but stressed fiscal honesty about what Britain can afford. The speech was seen by some as one of the most memorable in recent years, with former BBC political editor Andrew Marr comparing it favorably to Tony Blair's speeches.
Critics like Mail Online’s Quentin Letts were less impressed, describing the emotional tone and policy promises as overly sentimental and sugar-coated. Meanwhile, supporters praised Burnham for his relatability and commitment to addressing working-class concerns, potentially appealing to voters who had drifted away from Labour under Keir Starmer.
The speech also touched on plans for electoral reform, aiming to introduce proportional representation in Westminster elections, a significant change since 1918. This move is seen as part of Burnham's strategy to transform the UK’s political system fundamentally, though some within the party are wary about such dramatic changes given current fiscal constraints and public opinion.
Written for “Andy Burnham Labour Speeches” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 24 other(s) covering the same event.
Good morning from Liverpool (and hello again to the newsletter subscribers I met in person, as I took First Edition on tour to Labour party conference).
asserted
I → meet → conference
It’s the first gathering of the party faithful since Andy Burnham ousted Keir Starmer in July, in what I’ve heard delicately referred to as a “soft coup”, and the theme of this conference is “Hope again.”
asserted
theme → ’ → conference
Yesterday, in an engaging and emotional speech that staked out bold positions on some of the most intractable issues of the day – social care, NEETs, electoral reform, the EU – Burnham added substance to the slogan that graces the banners hanging from the lofty ceilings of the exhibition hall.
asserted
that → stake → hall
You can read our politics team’s key takeaways here.
asserted
You → read → takeaways
Meanwhile, on the conference fringe yesterday evening, the debate continued between energised activists and “policy grownups” warning of dire fiscal headwinds.
asserted
debate → continue → headwinds
Today I’m passing on what I saw and heard during my 48 hours with the lanyard class – but first, the headlines.
asserted
I → pass → class
One of the five men arrested near RAF Fairford as part of a terror investigation that prompted fears of an Iran-backed plot called the police to report the incident.
asserted
that → arrest → incident
The call from the man, in his 20s and from London, was one reason armed police were scrambled to arrest the men.
asserted
police → scramble → men
The Premier League has confirmed Manchester City have been found guilty of all charges of breaching its financial rules over a nine-year period, with the club found to have boosted their income by a staggering amount of more than £900m.
asserted
club → confirm → 900
More than 400 people, most of them children, have been detained in France on Tuesday after teenagers across the country blockaded their schools in protest at class sizes, teacher shortages and long timetables.
asserted
teenagers → detain → sizes
The Trump administration can resume quickly deporting immigrants to a “third countries”, or countries other than those immigrants’ homeland, without giving them any opportunity to contest their removals, the supreme court ruled on Tuesday.
asserted
court → resume → Tuesday
A six-month trial of live facial recognition technology in London’s railway stations cost more than £320,000 and led to one false match against a watchlist of suspects and no arrests.
asserted
trial → cost → suspects
In depth: ‘He has a natural instinct for connection’
asserted
He → have → connection
As I wandered past the merchandise stall at conference, I noticed the Burnham-branded mugs had sold out within hours, with one lonely ‘hope again’ tote remaining.
asserted
mugs → wander → tote
“It’s good isn’t it?” said the salesperson giddily.
asserted
salesperson → ’ → ?
Her combination of relief and excitement marked most of my encounters with activists, campaigners and politicians around the exhibition stalls and fringe events during my two days in Liverpool.
asserted
combination → mark → Liverpool
Things are undoubtedly looking up since last year.
asserted
Things → look → year
Local members have a spring in their step; cabinet ministers are smiling; and party activists have a new message to offer on the doorstep.
asserted
activists → have → doorstep
Everyone tells me this is all about Andy: “His empathy cuts through,” says one Scottish politician, “He has a natural instinct for connection,” says a campaigner from Manchester, “People on the doors love him!” exclaims a branch organiser from Loughborough.
asserted
organiser → tell → Loughborough
But if you’ve never been to a party conference like this, how can I best describe it?
asserted
I → describe → it
First of all, it’s huge.
asserted
it → ’ → all
Merseyside police said they were anticipating 20,000 delegates and visitors to the city over four days.
asserted
they → say → days
And let’s not be coy: inside the secure zone, where people pay to attend, it’s pretty corporate.
asserted
it → let → zone
Business professionals, thinktanks, and members of the podcast industrial complex all stride around purposefully.
asserted
professionals → stride → complex
It’s a vortex of networking and not everyone can afford to join in: even with a cheaper members’ pass, if you include train fare and accommodation you won’t get change from a grand – which excludes a lot of the grassroots groups and smaller charities practising exactly the kind of community power that Burnham preaches.
asserted
Burnham → ’ → that
“How do I explain this to people back in Sheffield?” asks one community organiser.
asserted
organiser → explain → Sheffield
“It’s a bubble.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
If you don’t trust my exhibition hall chats on the mood around Burnham, get a load of these stats: according to the latest polling for LabourList, 92% of members surveyed in recent weeks believe Burnham is governing well, while 80% believe the party is heading in the right direction – compared with 48% under Starmer last summer.
uncertain
party → trust → Starmer
It’s the same Burnham bounce that Labour is enjoying in polls across the country.
asserted
Labour → ’ → country
Just as the party talks of the public “giving us another hearing”, Burnham, it seems, is succeeding in making members from every tribe, faction and level of the party feel heard.
asserted
members → talk → party
Already there’s a sense of what action under Burnham might look like.
uncertain
action → ’ → Burnham
Campaigners talk about a new openness around No 10, and a sense that he recognises the easy wins, a break from the party’s previous sclerosis.
asserted
he → talk → sclerosis
But as LabourList editor Emma Burnell cautioned at the fringe event launching the polling data: “it’s a double-edged sword because it does come with expectation and a more precipitous drop.”
asserted
it → caution → expectation
More granular data shows members’ focus is now all on delivery and the level of nervous anticipation can’t be overestimated.
asserted
level → show → anticipation
As one respondent fretted: “Is this just Starmer with better comms?”
asserted
this → fret → comms
This wariness around whether Burnham is more “good vibes” than workable policy is understandable, but I detect some snootiness too – that believers might just be too dense or naive to appreciate the economic context.
uncertain
believers → detect → context
Regardless, good vibes are what gets activists out leafleting on a rainy Saturday morning.
asserted
what → get → morning
The protesters
Burnham has caught some criticism this conference, with plenty of people with something to say outside the secure zone.
asserted
Burnham → catch → zone
Amira Campbell, an activist with Green New Deal Rising, was outside the conference centre early on Sunday morning with 50 jobless young people, arguing that the current employment crisis that’s affecting one in eight of our 16- 24-year-olds can be helped along by green jobs creation.
asserted
that → argue → creation
At 24, Campbell says the current Labour leader is “definitely the most progressive” she’s known, though – when we meet just after chancellor John Healey’s speech – she questions whether his framing of reforming welfare benefits to incentivise employment grasps the complexity.
asserted
framing → say → complexity
…and 49 more, not listed.
The Aporia
