Andy Burnham chairs first cabinet after Labour conference as Budget looms
Andy Burnham has chaired his first cabinet since the Labour conference, with ministers upbeat but facing a Budget, polling pressure and a delayed EU summit.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Parliament returned after the party conference season yesterday, and Andy Burnham chaired his first cabinet meeting as Prime Minister in four weeks this morning. The mood was broadly upbeat, according to a cabinet source, with the party buoyed by holding Holborn and St Pancras despite a challenge from the Greens. Burnham's conference speech was widely seen as decent and produced a poll bounce.
New polling from YouGov and The Times has since shown Labour dropping back a few points to 24 per cent of the vote share. That put Reform third in vote share for the first time since the general election. Burnham remains ahead in the poll, but is a couple of points behind where he was a few weeks ago.
Two major tests are coming. The Budget is a couple of weeks away. The Chancellor is dealing with inflation, which is expected to cause real trouble for household bills, even though the IMF has improved its growth forecast for the UK. The Chancellor's headroom is shrinking, with some estimates suggesting it could be in single figures. There is also a 4.7 billion pound black hole for defence spending and the defence investment plan. Estimates suggest about 10 billion pounds a year from 2027 may be needed to meet the 3 per cent target pledged for the next parliament. Questions remain about how the government will find savings.
The other test is the delayed European summit, now set for 20 November in Brussels. Burnham has spoken about a whole new relationship with the EU and suggested everything will be on the table. He has stuck to the manifesto red lines on the customs union, the single market and freedom of movement, though he has left open what could be in a future manifesto. His willingness to discuss Brexit and Europe marks a change from his predecessor and from Labour's recent approach.
That shift is opening old wounds. Some red wall MPs have said they do not want the Prime Minister to revisit Brexit, arguing it does not go down well on the doorstep. One cabinet minister was delighted, saying closer EU ties would be a massive boost for growth. The debates are playing out privately and could become public before long.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A YouGov and Times poll reported Labour at 24 per cent of vote share. | |
| Andy Burnham held his first cabinet meeting in four weeks. | |
| The delayed European summit is now scheduled for 20 November in Brussels. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
Sky News focused on the political mood in Westminster after the first cabinet meeting, framing it around conference momentum and immediate challenges. Its correspondent highlighted a new YouGov and Times poll showing Labour slipping, plus the Budget and delayed EU summit as the next pressure points. The tone was measured but stressed internal party divisions over Brexit and Europe.
- “Well, look, I think the mood is broadly upbeat. One cabinet source told me the mood's very good going into this meeting.”
- “I should say we've got a new poll today, Sam Coates with YouGov and The Times, which has actually seen Labour drop back a few points to 24% of vote share.”
- “The other big thing on the horizon is of course, the European summit that has long been delayed is now happening on the 20th of November in Brussels.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.