Andy Burnham Makes a Huge U-Turn Just Weeks Into the Job as Critics Compare Him to Starmer and Reeves in a Shocking Way

Harvey Jones says our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, appears to be doing everything possible to end his good start with voters much sooner than expected.

Burnham may look more confident in front of the cameras than his predecessor, Keir Starmer, but what really matters is the decisions he makes as Prime Minister. So far, some of those decisions have raised serious questions, especially over the early release of prisoners.

Going on holiday only 15 days after becoming Prime Minister was already likely to attract criticism. But the bigger problem came when Burnham told an angry public that he had done everything possible to stop serious offenders, including killers and rapists, from being released early.

Critics argued that this was simply not true.

Perhaps his time away gave him an opportunity to think again. Burnham has now accepted that the Government can take further action to keep some of the most serious offenders behind bars. This includes looking again at cases involving the men convicted over the death of PC Andrew Harper.

That is a major change from his earlier position, when he suggested that the Government had already pushed things as far as it possibly could.

It is better to change direction than continue with a policy that is causing public anger. However, critics believe Burnham should have understood the strength of public feeling much earlier.

The case of PC Andrew Harper has become particularly difficult for the Prime Minister. Harper was killed while carrying out his duties as a police officer, and the possibility of men convicted of his manslaughter being released early has caused anger.

His widow, Lissie Harper, has publicly fought for tougher treatment of serious offenders, and many people have supported her campaign. Against that background, Burnham’s previous response appeared too focused on legal arguments rather than the feelings of the public.

The Prime Minister has considerable political power. His Government has a large majority in Parliament, meaning it can change laws if it believes changes are necessary. It can also look at different ways of dealing with prison overcrowding.

For example, greater use of electronic monitoring could potentially be considered for some people awaiting trial or for lower-risk offenders. That could help free prison spaces for people convicted of the most serious crimes.

The argument from Burnham’s critics is simple: being Prime Minister means making difficult decisions. He cannot simply accept that something cannot be done every time officials tell him there are legal or practical problems. Sometimes a Prime Minister has to challenge the system and demand other options.

Burnham has now made a significant U-turn over the issue. It may not be his last.

His predecessor, Keir Starmer, faced repeated criticism for changing direction on major policies. Rachel Reeves also faced similar accusations during her time in senior government. Burnham will want to avoid developing the same reputation.

There are already other areas where the Prime Minister could come under pressure.

One is compensation for WASPI women affected by changes to the state pension age. Burnham’s comments have raised expectations among some women who believe they were not properly informed about those changes. If those expectations are not met, another political argument could follow.

His promises to help families struggling with the cost of living could also become harder to deliver if international events push energy prices higher. A prolonged conflict involving Iran, for example, could increase pressure on global energy markets and make household bills more difficult to control.

Immigration is another major challenge.

Burnham says his plan to tackle small-boat crossings is working, but his critics strongly disagree. The Government has continued spending money on cooperation with France while also arguing that more parts of Britain should accept asylum accommodation.

That approach could become politically dangerous if people believe the Government is asking communities to take more asylum seekers without first stopping illegal Channel crossings.

Burnham has also promised higher defence spending, but questions remain over exactly how quickly those increases will happen and whether the Government will meet its longer-term targets.

The economy may become an even bigger problem as the Budget approaches. Speculation about possible new taxes, including changes affecting property, higher earners and wealth, could make businesses and investors nervous if the Government does not quickly explain what it actually intends to do.

Burnham therefore has several difficult decisions ahead of him.

Changing course is not always a bad thing. Governments sometimes discover that a policy is not working and need to correct it. But repeated U-turns can create the impression that important decisions were not properly thought through in the first place.

The controversy surrounding the PC Andrew Harper case could therefore become an important early test of Burnham’s leadership.

If he shows that he can listen to public concerns while still making careful and lawful decisions, he may recover quickly from the criticism. But if similar controversies continue and he repeatedly changes direction under pressure, his political honeymoon with voters could end much faster than he expected.