PM Burnham vows big shake-up for UK in high-risk political speech | South China Morning Post (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3369256/pm-burnham-vows-big-shake-uk-high-risk-political-speech) (../../../../../static/manifest.json) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/favicon.ico) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-256x256.png) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/icons/scmp-icon-192x192.png) (https://amp.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3369256/pm-burnham-vows-big-shake-uk-high-risk-political-speech) (https://apigw.scmp.com) (https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com) (https://cdn.i-scmp.com) (https://img.i-scmp.com) (https://cdn1.i-scmp.com) (https://cdn2.i-scmp.com) (https://cdn3.i-scmp.com) (https://cdn4.i-scmp.com) (https://cdnjs.cloudflare.com) (https://ad-tech.scmp.com) (https://c.amazon-adsystem.com) (https://cdn.keywee.co) (https://cdn.mouseflow.com) (https://cdn.opecloud.com) (https://cdn.petametrics.com) (https://connect.facebook.com) (https://fonts.gstatic.com) (https://js-sec.indexww.com) (https://securepubads.g.doubleclick.net) (https://widgets.scmp.com) (https://www.doubleclickbygoogle.com) (https://www.facebook.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.googleadservices.com) (https://www.google.com) (https://www.googletagmanager.com) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css) (../../../../../../fonts.googleapis.com/icon@family=Material+Icons&display=swap.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/4a9777f1b0526d0c.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/024d37ad54557c14.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/127ae35205af64c7.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/bd5ebf0790610eb8.css) (../../../../../../assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/_next/static/css/a070c9513bea1763.css) (https://www.scmp.com/?module=masthead&pgtype=article) Advertisement (https://www.scmp.com/topics/britain?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) Britain (https://www.scmp.com/news/world?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) World (https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe?module=breadcrumb&pgtype=article) Europe PM Burnham vows big shake-up for UK in high-risk political speech The prime minister promised a rethink of ties with the EU, a reform of Britain’s electoral system and a new social care service 3-MIN READ 3-MIN Listen (Britain’s Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivers his keynote speech during the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool on Tuesday. Photo: EPA) (https://www.scmp.com/author/associated-press-1) Associated Press Published: 4:16am, 30 Sep 2026 New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham set out a sweeping political vision on Tuesday, pledging to give Britain “a new social contract for the 21st century”, reform the country’s electoral system and reset its relationship with its European neighbours. But he acknowledged that economic constraints make delivering his sweeping plans a big political risk. “Small things will not get us through what are difficult times,” Burnham said in a tough-love speech to the centre-left Labour Party’s annual conference. Two months after becoming leader of the UK’s governing party, Burnham set out a crowd-pleasing vision of more social housing, better education and more affordable care for the elderly. But he warned that money would have to come from welfare and pension spending to deliver the changes. Select Voice Select Speed (0.8) 0.8x (0.9) 0.9x (1) 1.0x (1.1) 1.1x (1.2) 1.2x (1.5) 1.5x (1.75) 1.75x 00:00 (0) 00:00 1x AI-generated voice