Andy Burnham will pledge to be “unashamedly Labour” when he takes over as Labour Party leader from Sir Keir Starmer on Friday.The newly elected Makerfield MP will be confirmed at a special conference in London at around midday, just days before he is set to become prime minister.In a bold speech outlining his vision for the country, he will also promise to undo Margaret Thatcher’s economic legacy, warning that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralised and economic power privatised”.Mr Burnham was confirmed as Labour’s next leader this week after he secured the backing of 349 Labour MPs and trade unions linked to the party.However, he will have to wait until Sir Keir formally recommends him to the King as his successor on Monday before he is coronated as prime minister.Meanwhile, speculation is mounting over who Mr Burnham will choose to appoint to his Cabinet. Sources suggest Shabana Mahmood could be his pick for chancellor, but he has so far remained tight-lipped over his plans.Recap: Burnham to promise to undo Thatcher’s economic legacy in first speech as Labour leaderAndy Burnham will double down on his vow to unpick the economic settlement of Margaret Thatcher when he delivers his first speech as Labour leader on Friday.The former mayor of Manchester will be confirmed as Sir Keir Starmer’s replacement unopposed at a special conference in London after he received nominations from almost all the MPs.With the support of 81 MPs needed to be nominated into the race, only Catherine West received one nomination from fellow MP Neil Coyle, while all the rest bar 26 MPs supported Mr Burnham.The new Labour leader will warn that “Britain took a series of wrong turns in the 1980s” when “political power was centralised and economic power privatised”.To build an economy and a country that works for all people and places, Mr Burnham will say that it requires “a new path to the one we’ve been on for the last 40 years”.The Independent’s political editor David Maddox has the full story below:Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 07:30What can we expect today as Andy Burnham becomes Labour leader?Today is the day - Andy Burnham will replace Sir Keir Starmer as leader of the Labour Party.The former Greater Manchester mayor secured the backing of 349 Labour MPs earlier this week, meaning it is impossible for any other candidate to gain the 81 endorsements needed to challenge for the Labour leadership.The TSSA transport union, Aslef, Community, GMB, Unison, Fire Brigades Union, Unite and shopworkers’ union Usdaw have also endorsed him.That means that a smooth transfer of power is expected during a special Labour conference in London at around midday.In his inaugural speech he is expected to lay out an argument for his policies, which he says will be “unashamedly Labour”. It will be the biggest day of the Makerfield MP’s political life until Monday, when he will be sworn in as prime minister.Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 07:00When will Andy Burnham become prime minister?Andy Burnham is set to take over the Labour leadership on Friday - but will have to wait a few more days before he becomes prime minister.Over the weekend, he will officially be Labour leader but Sir Keir Starmer will still technically lead the country.He will then travel to Buckingham Palace on Monday and formally hand his resignation to the King, recommending Mr Burnham as his successor.Mr Burnham will then be coronated as prime minister on Monday afternoon.Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 06:00Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 05:00Analysis: Andy Burnham needs both Miliband brothers in his cabinet – but there is only room for onePolitical editor David Maddox examines whether Andy Burnham will bring back one – or both – of the Miliband brothers, or whether history could repeat itself with one losing out on a top job at the expense of the other.Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 04:00Andy Burnham: I’m not afraid to disagree with Donald TrumpAndy Burnham has said he won’t be afraid to disagree with American president Donald Trump, adding that he would try to “meet him where he’s at” while “respecting the office”.The prime minister-in-waiting told Gary Lineker in an interview for Goalhanger: “Maybe in a similar way to the way I’ve just described, I’ll just meet him where he’s at. And, you know, I like to think I’ve got some personality myself and I’ll just, you know, I’ll deal with him very upfront in the same way. I think he likes people to deal with him.“He described Manchester as some town when he was referring to my position. And I might have to, you know what Mancs are like, Gary, that won’t have gone down fantastically well in the city I used to represent.“But yeah, you know, it’s about being yourself, isn’t it? It’s about respecting the office, the relationship, the UK-US relationship. But, you know, where you disagree, do it, but do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.”You can read more below:Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 03:00Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 02:00Recap: Tony Blair warns Andy Burnham ‘you are not going to be loved’ in leadership adviceSir Tony Blair has warned Andy Burnham over riding into No10 on a wave of popularity, saying he would have told himself “you may think you're going to be loved, but you're not going to be” after Labour’s 1997 landslide victory.In a frank discussion with comedian Matt Forde at the Tony Blair Institute (TBI)’s summer drinks reception at the National Theatre in London, the former prime minister also said Mr Burnham needed to maintain a strong relationship with the US “whoever is president” because of the threat of an invasion to Europe from Russia.And he warned Mr Burnham over continuing with energy secretary Ed Miliband’s net zero policies.But arguably his biggest advice was “you are not going to be loved”.You can read the full story below:Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 01:00Reform falsely claims Andy Burnham has not built any social housing in Manchester as mayorA Reform mayoral candidate has falsely claimed that Andy Burnham has not built any social housing in Manchester during his nine years as mayor.Sian Astley, who is standing in the race to be the next Greater Manchester to replace Mr Burnham who resigned to stand as an MP, told the Reform UK podcast on 6 July 2026: “I think there are over 20,000 households on the Manchester housing register, and they haven't built social housing for decades".Podcast host, Ray Addison, responded, saying: "Obviously, he's been mayor of Greater Manchester for 10 years. One might have thought he'd have made a bit more progress with that."But official government figures, analysed by The Independent, show thousands of social and affordable homes have been built across the region during Mr Burnham's tenure.You can read more below:Nicole Wootton-Cane17 July 2026 00:00Streeting decries 'crying in lift' rumour as 'bizarre speculation'Wes Streeting has dismissed rumours he was spotted “crying in a lift” near Andy Burnham’s Parliamentary office as “bizarre speculation”.Mr Streeting, who resigned as health secretary after he said he had lost faith in Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, wrote on X: Of all the bizarre speculation I’ve read in recent days, this is the best. “I wasn’t even present, let alone involved “Hope my doppelgänger is ok though.”Nicole Wootton-Cane16 July 2026 23:20