Labour Party Conference: Burnham announces wave of reforms
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced far-reaching reforms in areas such as social care, pensions, energy and housing at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool. He also announced plans to seek closer cooperation between the UK and the EU. The UK had been on the wrong track for too long and its course must be corrected, he explained. Commentators see this as a turning point but their interpretations vary.
Honest, courageous and far-sighted
Handelsblatt is deeply impressed by Burnham's words:
“The prime minister's speech was honest because in it he laid bare three chronic problems the UK faces: the crisis of the welfare state in an ageing society, the failed Brexit, and a first-past-the-post electoral system that no longer serves its purpose in a fragmented political landscape. Burnham's address was courageous because his pension reform will require many citizens to make sacrifices in order to avert a national care crisis. ... The fact that he managed to link the UK's three central problems demonstrates the far-sightedness of a politician the likes of whom is so sorely lacking elsewhere.”
Europe most definitely not falling apart
In a Facebook post, political scientist Abbas Galliamov sees a Russian propaganda narrative crumbling:
“The new British prime minister's statement that he plans to discuss the prospects of his country being able to rejoin the EU at a summit later this year comes as a serious blow to the Russian propaganda machine. The latter had expended a great deal of energy promoting the narrative that Europe would soon fall apart, and now suddenly there is proof to the contrary. As it turns out, Europe was falling apart ten years ago when the British voted for Brexit – but what about now? Is it recovering? And who reversed this trend? Who has given European integration fresh impetus? Surely not Putin with his aggression?”
Popular thanks to people-centred stance
With his down-to-earth, approachable manner, Burnham has managed to set Labour on a new course, Falter writes:
“The party is behind him. Labour leads in the key polls with 25 percent of the vote, ahead of the Conservatives and Reform UK. What's more, after two months in office, Burnham is more popular than any other party leader and has managed to reverse a trend, something few believed would be possible to achieve. ... A year ago Labour was still languishing at historic lows under Keir Starmer. ... As mayor of Greater Manchester, the 56-year-old from the north of England pursued people-centred policies that earned him popularity. ... At a time when there is a tendency to rail against out-of-touch elites, Burnham can point to his regional ties with his electorate.”
Nostalgia to counter shift to the right
Burnham has managed to tap into feelings of nostalgia, explains the tageszeitung:
“'All Together Now – that's my rallying call!', Burnham said, adding that if the British stick together they will be unstoppable. Who needs Nigel Farage when you have this guy? Left-wing critics may grumble that Burnham is appropriating right-wing sentiment, but they would do better to ask themselves why Farage was able to tap into old left-wing sentiment for years: namely, the desire to build a better country together. Can Burnham take the momentum out of the shift to the right by evoking a new yearning for how things used to be? Admittedly, the Labour leader still has little in the way of concrete proposals. But no one makes vague statements sound as good as Andy Burnham does.”
Fiscal constraints remain
It is still unclear how Andy Burnham intends to fund the reforms announced at the party conference, observes The Irish Times:
“There is no doubt that a universal social care system would be a vast improvement on the current shambolic system in the UK. But how it would be funded exposes the challenges posed by the UK's low growth over the past decade and its impact on the public finances. The government has to stick with its fiscal rules to appease the markets and be able to continue to borrow, greatly narrowing its room for manoeuvre. ... It is difficult to see how he will successfully pay for radical reform of care services, or any other signature policies he wishes to pursue.”
Visions for distant future not enough
Burnham's reform plans fail to provide answers to the challenges of the here and now, writes the Financial Times:
“His speech to the Labour conference, complete with jokes and tears, demonstrated he can do the 'vision thing' and rouse the party faithful in a way his ousted predecessor Sir Keir Starmer never managed. The new Labour leader also showed he is prepared to think boldly and take risks – in his readiness to unlock the triple lock on pensions, to go into the next election pledging electoral reform, and to seek a new post-Brexit relationship with the EU. Yet his often worryingly Old Labour speech was more a manifesto for a poll that may not happen until 2029 than an urgent action plan for the years in between.”
On the way back into the EU?
The new Labour government no longer rules out rejoining the European Union, the Corriere della Sera notes:
“In his impassioned speech at the close of the party conference, Prime Minister Burnham made it clear that leaving the EU had done 'more harm than good', and that the focus must be on a 'long-term relationship with what is still our largest market'. ... The options range from Britain's return to the customs union to full reintegration into the European Union, possibly with a transitional phase modelled on the Swiss approach. In any case, this would involve crossing the 'red lines' set by the previous government.”