Andy Burnham will head into his first Labour conference as Prime Minister with the slogan “Hope Again”.
The “Burnham bounce” has put a spring in the step of the army of Labour activists set to descend on the King’s Dock on Liverpool’s waterfront this weekend.
After a turbulent first two years in power and a bitter power struggle – resulting in Keir Starmer’s resignation – they once again have a reason to be cheerful.
Nigel Farage’s right-wing Reform UK has hit the rocks after a series of damaging scandals over donations and gifts from crypto billionaires. Recent MRP polls appear to show the nightmarish prospect of a Reform-led government slipping away with the party on course to win fewer seats than both Labour and the Tories.
Burnham’s first months in power – including a cost-of-living blitz and a willingness to tackle Britain’s thorniest issues – have left voters with a good first impression.
It is a stark contrast to the winter fuel cuts, a row over freebies, and messages of a “painful” Budget that came from Starmer’s No10 in the initial weeks after Labour’s election landslide.
One government adviser said having a firmer grasp of the narrative will give ministers a proper opportunity to sell their policies at conference – instead of reacting to distractions.
They said: “The thing about conferences is there is always a surprise but I would say it feels like it’s all to play for and feels like we’re in charge of our destiny this year.
“We want to be in a place where we can let our own work do the talking instead of someone else doing the talking and we’re responding to it.
“It could’ve been Andy had a disastrous meeting with Donald Trump and we were talking about that for days and days. It wasn’t perfect but it went well. You want to go into conference in a place where you can set the agenda.”
Burnham will seek to build on his initial momentum this week in Liverpool and flesh out his vision for the country in one of the most important speeches of his career so far.
Speaking to reporters as he flew to New York this week, Mr Burnham – who became Labour leader in July after two failed bids – said he will set out a message that “it’s time for Britain to believe again, it’s time for Britain to have hope again”.
He added: “That will be the message… that a more stable Britain will be one that can then set out a new direction, drawing a line with the last decade. I will set out in Liverpool what that means in practice.”
In his keynote address to Labour activists – and the country – on Tuesday, the PM will firmly reject pessimistic attitudes that Britain’s long-standing issues – including rough sleeping, social care and jobless young people – are impossible to fix.
“It’s too hard” will no longer be used as a justification for not acting, he is expected to say.
But with the Iran war pushing up inflation and government borrowing costs, he will also need to address the scale of the difficulties he faces – and how he plans to tackle them.
His speech will likely be met with cheers from the sea of party faithful, as they did when Starmer promised he’d lead a “decisive government” into a “new future” for Britain just two years ago.
Yet, with a tough Budget approaching next month, Burnham will need to show how the jubilant vibes of conference translate to help for struggling families. And he will need to do it before his message of “hope” runs out of steam – as happened at pace under his predecessor.
While some Starmer-era loyalists will avoid the annual gathering for the first time in years, others sacked in Burnham’s reshuffle will likely use conference fringe events to offer their unvarnished opinions of his first months.
Former Business Secretary Peter Kyle will take part in a sitdown interview, as will ex-Chief Secretary to the PM Darren Jones, who has already made several interventions since leaving office.
This time last year, it was Burnham who was running around conference causing a headache for Starmer.
While Labour MPs have so far given the new PM the space to set out his vision, many will be listening closely for the detail behind his plans.
One Labour MP, who did not back Burnham to take over, praised his start but urged him to be more radical. They said: “I think he’s got as far as he can on vibes, he’s done everything he can, and now we need to see a little bit more.
“We’re approaching it, when you come up against the same issues that Keir Starmer, Rachel Reeves, and everyone else was coming up against.
“The political realities don’t change. In fact, they’re only going to get worse. He’s going to have to give some kind of big picture vision thing, and he’s going to have to show a willingness to at least confront difficult issues. Whether that’s stuff like triple lock or defence or something else, he’s going to have to say, ‘this is on the table’.”
One senior Labour MP suggested immigration and the economy were still areas the party needed to be stronger on. They said Burnham must tell a “clearer story about our plan” to end the small boats trade, adding: “That’s where I’ve seen Labour voters shifting to other parties.”
One union chief said the new Prime Minister had “almost saved the Labour Party” after putting it on the road to recovery after a rocky first two years in government.
Others welcomed the positive start to the Burnham premiership – but they are already looking beyond Labour’s annual gathering in Liverpool.
Their attention is firmly focused on next month’s Budget where they are expecting action on voters and their millions of members’ number one priority – the cost of living.
One government adviser echoed that they don’t see Mr Burnham’s honeymoon period at risk of being dented by the conference, adding: “The Budget is a bigger moment.”
