Labour party conference: A new prime minister and a new political era?

Submitted by Imran Mulla on Thu, 09/24/2026 - 10:41 Andy Burnham will aim to set a new tone when he heads to Liverpool - but enormous challenges lie ahead for Britain's governing party

Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham is pictured at a meeting at 10 Downing Street on 3 September 2026 in London (Leon Neal/Reuters) Off

Labour's annual conference opens in Liverpool on Sunday, and the UK's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham will probably be the undisputed star.

Just a year ago, the conference was overshadowed by speculation that Burnham, then mayor of Greater Manchester, could challenge Keir Starmer for the Labour leadership.

It didn't happen then, but months later, Starmer resigned - turning this year's conference into a very different affair.

Burnham's arrival as the premier has injected new energy and hope into the Labour membership, as well as the parliamentary party itself.

Polling shows that Labour is starting to regain some of the voters who had abandoned it in droves under Starmer for Reform UK on the right and the Green Party on the left.

The figures suggest Labour would be the largest party if a general election was held tomorrow, but may still fall short of a majority.

All eyes are on Burnham to use the conference to unveil a bold and comprehensive new vision for the government.

The four-day gathering will bring Labour MPs, councillors, activists and members to Liverpool, alongside trade unionists, business leaders and NGO representatives, and is expected to dominate the news cycle in Britain until Wednesday.

So far Burnham's government has mainly introduced small but popular policies. He has also set up a No 10 North in Manchester, a second seat of government, as part of a drive towards regional rebalancing.

But the country is still yet to see how radically different - or not - the Burnham premiership will turn out to be from Starmer's. This conference will be the key moment.

The scale of the challenge

In the past few weeks Burnham has been speaking in general terms about reforming the British state, in particular through devolution - giving more power to local councils and communities.

He has also highlighted the need for national resilience and tackling the issues of youth unemployment and the social care crisis.

But the scale of the country's economic woes is immense.

Burnham will need to confront the pervasive (as polling shows) sense that things don't really work any more in Britain: the infrastructure is crumbling, the trains don't run on time, the high streets are dying, the healthcare system is mismanaged, there aren't enough jobs, not enough housing is being built.

The rising cost of living is the most pressing issue for voters across the country as inflation rises.

This is largely subject to international factors beyond Burnham's immediate control, in particular the Iran war. The Treasury forecasts a growth downgrade next year if the war continues.

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So how will the government respond? Burnham has signalled a reluctance to raise income tax. He said this week that Britain is "overexposed" to global bond markets and repeated a previous assertion that the UK should not be "in hock" to them.

"It’s not the case that we were surprised when we came in - not least because I was in access talks and understood very clearly the position," Burnham said about the state of the economy.

"Because of the situation in the Middle East, the position changed, and has changed over the time I’ve been in. That’s just the reality."

He also told the New Statesman: "We don’t have sufficient control of our destiny and that theme will come through in what I say in Liverpool."

The Labour leadership will probably want to downplay the issue of immigration at the conference, which polling shows remains high on the list of the public's priorities and is the central focus for Reform UK and the Conservative Party.

Burnham has kept Shabana Mahmood, who aims to heavily reduce immigration, as home secretary. But the topic is uncomfortable territory for a prime minister who is trying to win back voters both from right-wing and left-wing parties.

It is also unclear whether Burnham will seek to emphasise the threat of the far right amid a rise in anti-migrant protests.

A new approach to Israel and Palestine

One major issue which is sure to dominate the conference, however, is foreign policy - in particular on Israel and Palestine.

Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband will be one of the big heroes of the conference. Miliband's recent announcement of comprehensive sanctions on Israeli settlements marked by far the most significant policy introduced since Burnham took office.

The sanctions are popular among the public, and almost universally approved of by the Labour membership. This is an issue on which Burnham and Miliband can speak confidently, using it as evidence that they are decisively lurching away from Starmer's approach to government.

But the continued salience of Israel and Gaza might also cause some problems for the leadership. There is expected to be a demonstration outside the conference where protesters will hold placards in support of the direct action group Palestine Action, which Starmer's government banned as a terrorist organisation.

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The spectacle of dozens or more peaceful protesters being arrested will be highly troublesome for the Burnham government, especially since it jars with the new approach to foreign policy.

The Palestine Action ban, a major grievance on the Labour left, is a legacy of the Starmer era, but Burnham has given no indication that he will seek to overturn it.

Tough decisions and a great deal of uncertainty lie ahead.

On 28 October, Chancellor John Healey will have to make his financial statement for the year ahead. This will be the government's first crucial test.

Over the next few months Labour will be examining the public mood, with a view to calling an early election in the spring if conditions seem favourable - or if it seems that they will only become more unfavourable.

But this conference is set to be a crucial moment. Burnham will probablty aim to set a new tone, bold and hopeful - not just for the Labour Party, but for the country itself.

Analysis Liverpool, England News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0