6 Things We Learned From Andy Burnham's Big Labour Conference Speech

Labour activists queued for hours to take their seats for Andy Burnham’s first party conference speech as leader.

Some were even left locked outside, such was the demand to see the prime minister in the flesh.

Burnham had promised to be “honest” with voters about the challenges which lie ahead as he sets about changing the country.

Burnham did not disappoint as he set out a raft of policy plans he hopes to will carry Labour to victory at the next election.

The PM said: “You may disagree with some or all of what I’ve said today but I have given you what you often say is missing from politics – honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love.”

Here, HuffPost UK looks at six things we learned from Burnham’s 70-minute speech.

Tory Triple Lock Axed

The prime minister’s big announcement was a change to the rules on the state pension triple lock from April 2030 to save billions to plough into a new “National Care Service”.

Under plans introduced by David Cameron’s government, the pension currently goes up by whichever is higher out of the rate of inflation, average earnings or 2.5%.

Under Burnham’s reforms, the link to inflation or 2.5% will remain.

But he would only pledge that the pension will “hold its value relative to wages over time”.

No.10 sources later said that meant in some years, the pension would go up by more than inflation and 2.5%.

Burnham said “this change will generate significant savings that we will use to build up our national care service”, although it is still unclear how much that will be.

The new “fully funded” care service, the PM said, would ensure free nursing care for all elderly people in the country once it is up and running.

He said: “This is the deal - a state pension that rises every year, no care charges and a high quality national care service to give peace of mind in later life.

“I am going to go out and argue for that - a good deal for our pensioners and for older people in the 21st century.”

Water In Public Hands

Mr Burnham vowed to strengthen public control of the water system with a Bill that will repeal “Margaret Thatcher’s ideological ban on public ownership of water companies”.

He said that will “start a 10-year journey to a very different water system”, giving local leaders new powers to hold water companies to account and closing loopholes used to pay big bonuses.

The Labour leader described the water industry as a “symbol of what has gone wrong with Britain” in which “shareholders never lose and the public never win, from which some have syphoned out easy money while the public picked up the bill for the sewage in our seas”.

Voting Reform

The next Labour election manifesto will contain a pledge to overhaul the electoral system “so everyone’s vote counts and everyone’s voice is heard”, Burnham declared.

He said the first past the post system is no longer fit for purpose as he slammed the “political turbulence” which has seen Britain have seven PMs in 10 years.

Replacing it with a system of proportional representation will be fairer, Burnham insisted.

In a clear reference to Reform UK, he said: “We will all have failed in our public duties if we carry on as we are and open the door of No.10 to a divisive government on 30% of the vote or less.”

Burnham Loves The Union ...

In the most emotional part of his speech, the PM mounted a strong defence of the United Kingdom as he paid tribute to his dad Roy, who died earlier this month after a battle with Alzheimer’s Disease.

He said SNP leader John Swinney’s claim that Burnham would be the last prime minister of the UK “made him “utterly determined to prove him wrong”.

Fighting back tears, Burnham said: “Whatever its flaws, this country gave my dad a good life. And it has given his sons opportunities he didn’t get for himself.

“He recognised that and was grateful for it and so proud of what Nick, John and I did with them.

“If only, if only, he had been able to appreciate that moment with the family on Downing Street.

“The son of a man who failed the 11-plus becoming prime minister.”

... But Hates Brexit (And Plans To Fix It)

The PM included the vote to leave the European Union among a list of decisions which he said had damaged the country, alongside “deindustrialisation, deregulation, privatisation and austerity”.

Brexit, he said, “hasn’t given us control”, instead “we’ve lost some of the control we had over our economy, as a decade of low growth has put us in a weaker position”.

“Brexit has done more harm than good,” Burnham said.

Later in the speech, the prime minister said he wanted to explore much closer ties with Brussels.

He promised to set out different options for the UK’s relationship with the EU in the future “and I will see if we can find consensus around one which will give us clarity about our position and the future of the continent that we live in”.

Great British Grid

As part of his attempts to bring down the cost of living, the PM said the government will set up a publicly-owned Great British Grid to improve competition in the energy sector, speed up connections for businesses and drive down bills.

Burnham said: “Within 10 years, I want our energy costs to be in line with other nations in Europe. That means we must reform a broken energy market so it serves the public interest.”

Listen to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.