Andy Burnham takes office as UK Prime Minister and promises to shelter the homeless

And he took the opportunity to mention one of them: sheltering people who sleep on the country's streets, a promise he was unable to fulfill as mayor of Manchester. "It's about putting the right values ??and standards at the heart of management," he said.

It's also about raising social policy to the headlines of British websites and newspapers, a feat that Burnham also achieved by visiting a homeless shelter shortly before taking office. He is known for maintaining good communication with the public, one of the most criticized points of his now predecessor Keir Starmer.

Hours before his speech in front of 10 Downing Street and accepting King Charles III's invitation to set up a new government at Buckingham Palace, the new prime minister had already explained that he would resume the policy he sought to implement as mayor on a national level. And to which he has contributed 15% of his salary since 2017, when he took over management of the metropolitan region 300 km north of London.

The donation slice will continue to come out of the highest salary now, that of the Prime Minister.

The symbolism of the announcement, important for the Labor Party's electorate, which lives in the shadow of the rise of the extreme right in the country, reinforces the character that Burnham has tried to convey in recent weeks when talking about his government's priorities. "Later this year, I will present a new plan for the UK. A 10-year plan that charts a path from where we are now to where I believe we all want the country to be, regardless of our background or the party we support."

He repeated criticisms of Thatcherism and successive conservative administrations. "In the 1980s, the United Kingdom took some wrong turns. Political power was centralized, economic power privatized, large parts of the country deindustrialized. They still haven't recovered."

He spoke again about a new, decentralized policy. "Many feel that they are still in decline and that they do not have the ability to reverse this situation. And that is why we are going to change politics, make it more collaborative, more focused on solving problems rather than seeking electoral gains."

He also said that the country "needs to show the world" that it has the capacity to regain stability. "I know people here in the UK are tired of politics. I understand what you're saying and I want to be honest with you: we haven't been good enough and we need to do better."

Last week, Burnham had already diagnosed that British political discourse had become "toxic".

The tone, considered "realistic" by the British newspaper The Guardian, was criticized by James Cleverly, one of the first conservatives to speak out about the prime minister's speech. “If he is really serious about government, he should put forward proposals to reduce welfare spending, fund defense and get the UK working again.”

Burnham promised to detail some of them during the week, but gave some clues when revealing the main names of his team on Monday night (20). Not without surprises.

The financial market was eagerly awaiting the appointment of Shabana Mahmood to the Finance portfolio. However, Labor, from the most right-wing wing of the party, was kept in the position of Interior Secretary. John Healey, former Secretary of Defense, was appointed to take charge of the economy, in a clear sign that Burnham prioritized loyalty in the formation of the cabinet.

Healey, a cabinet colleague of the new prime minister in the Tony Blair and Gordon Brown governments in the 2000s, was responsible for the first major defection of the Starmer administration. He left Downing Street after not agreeing with the Budget he had received, far below the 3% of GDP that the United Kingdom agreed to achieve in negotiations with European allies and NATO.

Now you will be responsible for finding the resources. "Fiscal control is the main duty of any chancellor [in British politics, Minister of Finance]. It is mine. And fiscal credibility is the basis of economic stability and national security", declared Healey, shortly after the appointment.

Hours earlier, British bonds rose after Burnham said she would seek a "new economic model" to maintain fiscal rigidity and, at the same time, "give people breathing space." Healey's appointment caught markets closed, postponing its effects on the cost of the country's debt until this Tuesday (21).

Another candidate for the portfolio, Ed Miliband, will take care of Foreign Affairs. Burnham, focused on domestic issues, shied away from any innovation in the area. He made contact with Donald Trump, inviting him to the G20 meeting in Manchester next year and commenting on the English Team's performance in the World Cup, which ended this weekend.

He also called Volodimir Zelenski and Ursula von der Leyen, reiterating the Starmer era commitments to support Ukraine in the war against Russia and rapprochement with the European Union.

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