New Labour party leader Andy Burnham speaking at the Trades Union Congress in London, United Kingdom, on July 17, 2026. —Carl Court—Getty ImagesAndy Burnham, Britain’s incoming Prime Minister, vowed to be a leader “for all” of the U.K. as he formally accepted leadership of the Labour Party on Friday.The former Greater Manchester mayor, known as the “King of the North,” is set to move into Downing Street on Monday, when he officially takes over from outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Speaking at the special party conference at the Trades Union Congress in London, Burnham said he was ready to “beat Britain’s new right” and called for the dawning of a new political landscape in Britain.“I am for us, for all of us. And I want people to say once again that Labour are for us,” said Burnham, pointing towards his “for us” campaign slogan from last month’s Makerfield by-election, his victory of which gave him a path back to Downing Street. “Change starts with honesty,” Burnham said, pointing to shortcomings across the political spectrum. “We must recognize that this generation of politicians, myself included, have failed to challenge a political culture and an economic model that simply doesn't work well enough for ordinary people.”Although Burnham has previously introduced his vision for a “No. 10 North” and devolution plans, he has still yet to set out a detailed list of his policies.Instead, as he formally accepted the Labour premiership, he offered insight into his vision for both the political party and the U.K. as a whole. The Labour government has seen a decrease in popularity among the British public, cemented by huge losses at the local polls in May—the fallout of which ultimately led to Starmer resigning as Prime Minister.Burnham paid tribute to Starmer, thanking him for his service to both party and country, and said he was ready to “build on the foundation” established by his predecessors.The former mayor’s bid for Labour leadership remained unchallenged, as expected, but his challenges are far from over.Burnham will become the U.K.’s seventh Prime Minister in 10 years, and experts are already discussing his projected tenure, given that he’s set to confront the same deep-seated economic and structural problems as his predecessors.Yet Burnham is embracing the challenges and has vowed to give “hope” back to the people.Here are four key takeaways from his speech:Burnham calls for "new politics" and vows to end Labour's "insidious briefing culture"At the core of Burnham’s remarks was a call for instilling “new politics” in the U.K. “I will work to build a new politics. The country is crying out for it,” he said. “We might enjoy the ‘point scoring’ against others. The public don’t. How can politicians point fingers when living standards are falling and politics, as a whole, isn’t working for them? It infuriates them and makes them switch off.”According to the Office for National Statistics, 79% of adults in Great Britain reported in April an increase in their cost of living, despite a climb down in inflation to a current level of 3%.Encouraging a fresh perspective, Burnham called on his fellow Labour lawmakers to have the “self-confidence to find common ground” with other parties in the hope of making political discourse a “little bit less toxic.”“I will work relentlessly to build a culture of one Labour team, because change starts with us,” he continued. “We won't beat Britain's new right if we are consumed by infighting and pulling in different directions.”Burnham said eradicating infighting and the “insidious briefing culture that goes along with it” will help characterize his leadership. “A united Labour party and Labour movement is the best hope for our country,” he declared.Downing Street briefings have been criticized by some within the party, including Labour’s Deputy Leader Lucy Powell, who said she had experienced “unpleasant” sessions. According to Powell, Burnham is intent on changing this “boy’s club” culture.Burnham claims he has not yet made any final decisions on cabinet picksFor weeks, there has been much speculation as to who Burnham will pick to serve in his cabinet.Current Home Secretary Shabhana Mahmood has reportedly emerged as the front-runner for Chancellor in recent days, ahead of Ed Miliband, who currently serves as the Minister for Energy Security and Net Zero and was previously tipped for the role.The opposition party has been vocal in its disapproval of Miliband potentially becoming Chancellor, and his stance on restricting the extraction of North Sea oil has raised concern internationally. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly lambasted Labour’s approach to North Sea oil and gas production, arguing that Britain is unnecessarily restricting domestic energy supplies.Burnham, meanwhile, has signaled he isn’t against reconsidering British access to North Sea oil and gas. “I’ve got something of an open mind, you know. I don’t have a sort of fixed position,” he said in early June.Miliband is likely still being considered for a position, with Foreign Secretary just one option reportedly on the table. Ed’s brother, David, is also among those rumored to be in the running for a new role.However, Burnham on Friday insisted he has yet to make any final decisions on his cabinet picks.“Contrary to what you may keep on reading, I haven't made any decisions yet about who will be in that top team, but I will soon,” said Burnham, adding that he wants to “build unity by respecting all shades of opinion” within the party.Promises to be a pro-business leaderBurnham championed local businesses in his speech, positioning himself as a “pro-business leader” for the country. He harked back to his successes during his tenure in Manchester, which include restoring local public ownership of buses and capping single bus fares at £2.“Make no mistake, everybody, I will be a pro-business leader of the Labour Party, as I was a pro-business mayor of Greater Manchester,” he said. “We turn places round together, and that is the way we ran in Manchester, and we will take [that] to the whole country.” Burnham's pledge to working class communitiesServing all socio-economic sectors of the nation is a key part of Burnham’s leadership promise as he prepares to enter Downing Street. Burnham said “this country does not work for working-class communities.” Pointing towards the policies of the Conservative government under Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, Burnham criticized deindustrialization and the privatization of many public services.“Four decades of the neoliberalism that began in the 1980s, have not been kind to the places that built our party, nor to the communities across the U.K. in rural and coastal areas,” he said, “So we pledge today to them to be better.”Soon after this Makerfield by-election victory, the new Labour leader vowed to “oversee the biggest council house building programme since the postwar period.”On Friday, Burnham said, moving forward, lawmakers will need to consider a political culture and an economic model that works for the “ordinary people.”