Lower taxes for pubs and other promises: how Britain's new PM managed to win over many
Andy Burnham became the new prime minister of the United Kingdom two weeks ago.
His first week in office proved to be quite successful. Burnham’s debut speech received positive reviews from voters, his personal approval rating rose sharply, and the Labour Party returned to first place in opinion polls for the first time in a long while.
British politics, however, has repeatedly shown that a strong start does not necessarily guarantee a successful premiership.
Read more about the beginning of Burnham’s premiership and the difficult task facing him in the article by European Pravda journalist Uliana Krychkovska-Bohdanova: Voters' friend Burnham: what Britain’s new PM promises and why is popularity is growing.
Polls conducted after Andy Burnham’s first week in office showed that a significant share of voters across the political spectrum have grown increasingly favourable towards the new prime minister. They support his plans to reduce the cost of living in the UK and believe that the head of government will deliver on his promises.
According to YouGov, 38% of Britons have a positive view of the new prime minister, while 35% view him negatively. This is a stronger starting figure than that of his predecessor, Keir Starmer.
Another poll suggests that even among the most committed supporters of the right-wing populist party Reform UK, many have responded positively to some of the new prime minister’s measures.
At the same time, there are some worrying signs.
Almost half of Britons (46%) doubt that the government has a sufficiently convincing plan to fund its ambitious promises, while only 39% consider Burnham’s financial strategy credible.
And this could become the prime minister’s first serious test.
Burnham’s main political promise is a national development plan, which the government intends to present by the end of the year. According to the prime minister, the programme should go beyond party politics and become a long-term strategy for modernising the country, capable of winning support from politicians across the political spectrum.
At the same time, he stresses that he does not intend to wait for long-term reforms to be implemented before making life easier for the population.
"We need to do something to give people at least a little breathing space right now," he stressed.
The new government’s first practical step was to abolish VAT on electricity.
However, tackling the rising cost of living is only part of Burnham’s broader programme. He has also promised to put an end to the problem of people living on the streets without permanent housing ("rough sleeping").
Another priority for the new government is expected to be reforming education and the labour market. In his view, this will help reduce youth unemployment, address shortages of skilled workers and make the economy more competitive.
Burnham has also indicated that he is open to revisiting tax policy.
He has not ruled out reducing income tax for people on low wages, while leaving open the possibility of increasing the tax burden on UK’s wealthiest citizens.
Tax cuts for pubs, clubs, and concert venues have also been announced.
As for foreign policy, Burnham has already demonstrated a willingness to reconsider the approach to oil and gas extraction in the North Sea. This issue has long been a source of tension between Washington and London.
Such a move could potentially bring the positions of the new British prime minister closer to those of US President Donald Trump.
However, Burnham’s main challenge still lies ahead: he now needs to turn the political enthusiasm of his first few weeks in office into long-term public support.