UK’s new prime minister hits the ground running

In the first week of office, any new British prime minister receives a barrage of proposals and policies from every conceivable angle. This arguably is even worse when the new leader is not elected, and is less tied to manifesto commitments.
And so it is for the fresh new occupant of 10 Downing Street. Andy Burnham is the seventh UK prime minister in the past 10 years and will hope to hold office longer than his predecessors. Yet he has this burden of expectation. Everyone wants their issue prioritized, funded, and sorted.
Burnham has injected a sense of excitement and hope in British politics. This does not solve challenges like defense and the economy, but the mood upswing is tangible and will assist in this transition from the ousted regime of Sir Keir Starmer.
It will also dent, for the time being, the surge in support for the far-right Reform party and arguably the Greens as well. Already support for the Labour Party in polls has shot up, also helped by the string of corruption allegations being hurled at the Reform leader, Nigel Farage.
Burnham’s first week traded on this honeymoon period. First up were the significant changes to the Cabinet lineup, with Starmer loyalists eased out for a wide array of different figures. The new PM has ensured it is the least London-based Cabinet in recent history. He intends to back up his pledge to give more power to the regions.
Contrast Burnham’s high-energy first week with the low-key early days under Starmer. Several popular policies have been announced — a cap on bus fares and cutting VAT on electricity. He also vowed to end rough sleeping. How all this will be paid for needs to be explained, but Burnham is a more astute politician than his predecessor, and understands he had to hit the ground running, not crawling. His social media presence alone mimics the example of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani whereas Starmer was staid and pedestrian in all his comms.
Domestically, it will all come down to the economy. The harsh reality is there is little room for maneuver, and his team will have to make some tough calls. Will he cut the welfare bill? Will he raise taxes? None of the choices are appealing.
Internationally, all eyes will be on two figures. The new foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, was passed over for chancellor of the exchequer owing to unease from the Trump administration about his net-zero policies. Yet Miliband has baggage regarding Trump, too, as has been the case with many of his predecessors, such as Boris Johnson and David Lammy — he has made trenchant comments about the US president in the past. However, this adds to his domestic credibility.
What can we expect from Miliband? First, he is likely to have a fairly free hand as Burnham focuses on domestic issues. 

The audit of week one is that it has gone as well as Burnham could have expected.

Chris Doyle

Second, his track record gives clear markers, not least on key Middle East issues. He is no hawk — it was his decision as leader of the Labour Party to oppose the 2013 vote for military action against the Assad regime after a major chemical weapons attack. That decision led to Prime Minister David Cameron losing the vote and US President Barack Obama turning away from any military option in Syria. Miliband denounced the 2003 Iraq war back in 2010.
Miliband as Labour leader also made it party policy to recognize the state of Palestine. He pressed Starmer to enact this last summer. Essentially, he will back Burnham’s pledge to be tougher with Israel. Miliband made a visit to Israel and Palestine in 2014 and was profoundly affected by it. For starters, he is unlikely to stay silent if Israel moves ahead with the E1 settlement plan in the West Bank next month and may well support a full settlement trade ban.
Wes Streeting is the new defense secretary, despite having no military background. He will have to negotiate additional funding for defense. But like Miliband, he has a critical record toward Israel and has accused it of war crimes.
Yet looming over the international stage will be the US president. Burnham cannot hand this over to his colleagues. He had his first call with Trump on day one, which the US leader said went “very well.” That was the easy bit, as the imposition of a 10 percent tariff on Britain and other countries has just proved. Burnham accepts there will be disagreements, but will deal with Trump as he finds him. One decision he did make was to continue to permit US forces to use UK bases in defensive military operations against Iran.
The audit of week one is that it has gone as well as Burnham could have expected. He will need to use the next month to get his plans in order. His team is in place. The vibes are positive and enthusiastic. What is lacking is the detail on the plans and, above all, how these will be financed. Come September when Parliament returns, questions on this will be asked with more vigor. He has to decide who to please and who to disappoint.

• Chris Doyle is director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding in London.
X: @Doylech