Andy Burnham's success will depend on his ability to drown out the surround sound

For British politicians, this has been a long hot summer in more ways than just the weather. Parliament returns to business next week, and the political climate has also changed. Last month, Andy Burnham became the UK’s seventh Prime Minister in 10 years. It’s a shockingly rapid turnover after a series of political failures. Mr Burnham therefore inherits a widespread unease about the way Britain is governed, yet Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, the political party whose sudden rise contributed to that sense of unease, also faces serious problems. These include endless questions over multi-million pound donations, internal rows, divisions and this month’s pointless and farcical Clacton by-election in which Mr Farage defeated a comedian dressed as a dustbin. Even so, for Mr Burnham the political threat is still real. That’s why next month’s Labour party conference is so important. It’s Mr Burnham’s first big platform to gather support from party members and disillusioned voters who want to hear practical solutions to the serious problems the Prime Minister inherits. These include the international conflicts involving the US and Iran plus Russia and Ukraine; the economic damage to trade and the world economy; the threat of US President Donald Trump’s tariffs; the consequences of global warming and a host of other matters. At home, Mr Burnham also faces an impending crisis in Britain’s overcrowded prisons, a sluggish economy, worrying increases in the cost of living and continuing difficulties over illegal migration. People-smuggling gangs are now using enormous dinghies capable of carrying up to 230 people from France to the UK. That’s a payload comparable to a commercial passenger aircraft. Voters, of course, want quick solutions to all these chronic problems even though they long pre-date Mr Burnham. The prison crisis, for example, stems from the fact that the number of inmates in British jails doubled from about 45,000 in the 1990s to almost 90,000 today. Successive governments failed to build enough new prisons. In December 2024, the National Audit Office offered a scathing assessment, outlining cost overruns, slow progress and ultimately failure: “Government’s 2021 commitment to deliver 20,000 new prison places is not expected to be achieved until 2031 – around five years later than planned. Current expansion plans are insufficient to meet estimated future demand, with a projected shortage of 12,400 places by end of 2027. Expansion costs are expected to be at least £4.2 billion [80 per cent] above original estimates in 2021.” The prisons emergency means the government plans to release 5,000 prisoners early, although that is complicated. One particularly difficult “hard case” is that of two men convicted of the horrific killing of a police officer, PC Andrew Harper. Mr Burnham asked his justice secretary to find a way to keep these two criminals in jail. As the Prime Minister well knows, any prisoner on any early release scheme could break the law again in future. Newspapers and political opponents will then immediately condemn Mr Burnham for being “soft on crime”. Whatever he chooses to do or not do, political opponents will find an issue to stir up aggrieved voters. But perhaps Mr Burnham, as former mayor of Greater Manchester, should take heart from the example of another prominent city mayor – the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan . He has shown that political courage makes enemies but also reaps rewards. Mr Khan has been London’s Mayor for a decade representing one of the most diverse cities in the world. In that time, he has faced the usual political attacks for his policies but also attacks based on his race and Muslim faith. Nevertheless, he stuck to some difficult decisions. I interviewed him a couple of years ago to try to understand why he made tackling London’s air pollution such a priority. It was personal. He wrote a book – Breathe: Tackling the Climate Emergency – toeducate Londoners and others about the damage caused by airborne toxic particles. When he was in his 40s, Mr Khan developed late-onset asthma from London’s air pollution. In 2019, he introduced the Ultra Low Emission Zone – or Ulez. It’s a controversial London-wide road scheme charging drivers £12.50 daily for using older, more polluting vehicles. Mr Khan’s critics went wild. The Conservative party and Nigel Farage’s Reform strongly opposed Ulez and suggested Mr Khan was in some way punishing motorists. The Mayor stuck to his principles. Then this month, researchers from the Universities of Bedfordshire, Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh, Imperial and King’s London reported that Mr Khan’s clean-air policy had achieved remarkable results. Children in London whose lung growth had been stunted by pollution showed impressive improvements after the introduction of Ulez. Under Mr Khan, polluters pay. Children are healthier. Opponents oppose. Complainers … well, they complain. But there is a lesson for Mr Burnham here. When politicians inherit intractable problems, show courage and have a clear plan, then change happens and opponents eventually fade away. In coming weeks, perhaps Mr Khan should have a word with Mr Burnham and tell him to be courageous. Voters admire politicians who solve problems, and voters eventually dismiss the complaints of opponents whose only contribution is to be negative.