Burnham says Brexit brought ‘decade of low growth’ in first Commons address as prime minister – as it happened

From 1 Sept 2026Early evening summary

Andy Burnham has declared his government can make “this next decade better than the last” in a confident and relatively non-partisan address to MPs. Speaking in parliament for the first time since becoming PM more than six weeks ago, Burnham gave a wide-ranging opening statement and then took questions from more than three hours. Burnham said:

double quotation markWhen I stood outside Downing Street six weeks ago, I said Britain needs a circuit breaker after a decade of turbulence, negativity, point scoring and divisive politics.

This is what I have outlined today.

A clear, coherent, and credible approach to growth that can unlock a feeling of positivity and possibility in every postcode in Britain.