Burnham pushes Labour left with renationalisation and PR ahead of conference

LIVERPOOL, England — Andy Burnham, the mayor of Greater Manchester, used an interview with the New Statesman to outline a leftward plan for Labour, advocating renationalisation of housing, energy, water and rail to roll back the 1980s and a switch to proportional representation. The move signals a(high)-stakes moment for the party as it prepares for its annual conference in Liverpool this weekend, with Keir Starmer facing questions about the party’s direction amid a rocky month in the polls. Burnham is not an MP, a status that has long limited his immediate paths to national leadership, though he has been discussed as a possible alternative to Starmer should the party reconsider its approach to power.

The proposals come as Labour seeks to reset its narrative and appeal to voters in the North and working-class communities, where Burnham has cultivated a reputation for a centrist-left tilt dubbed Manchesterism. He used the interview to critique the current leadership and to warn of pressure from Reform and other challengers to the party’s positioning. He argued the conference must decide whether Labour has a credible plan to turn the country around and insisted that changing the party’s culture is essential, not just swapping faces at the top. The emphasis was on a broader, systemic shift rather than a mere reshuffle in leadership.

Renationalisation was placed at the heart of Burnham’s offer. He argued that control of housing, energy, water, rail, and buses is foundational to restraining costs and public spending; without it, he said, the country would struggle to manage living costs and public finances. The aim, he suggested, is to rebalance the economy away from market-driven instability toward state-led provision of essentials that shape daily life for ordinary people. Burnham described this approach as a bid to roll back the 1980s and to align Labour with a form of aspirational socialism that speaks to working-class ambition in the North.

On his own political future, Burnham stopped short of ruling out another bid for the Labour leadership, saying that he would not return to Westminster in the old way but that he was prepared to take any role that helps implement a country-turnaround plan. He stressed readiness to work with anyone who shares the objective of delivering transformative change, portraying the threat from economic and political instability as existential and urging the party to act with urgency.

In addition to renationalisation, Burnham argued for a stronger critique of Brexit, saying Labour should articulate a case that leaving the EU has been a mistake. He also signalled openness to a wider electoral reform, arguing that a proportional representation system could enable Labour to form a government with like-minded left-wing parties and thereby resist investor pressure and volatile bond markets. The overarching message was that Labour must offer a compelling alternative to both the current government and market-driven anxiety by presenting a long-term plan to stabilise costs and restore public trust.

The remarks come as Starmer faces a make-or-break conference in Liverpool, where internal debates over direction, tone, and policy substance are already prominent. Burnham’s intervention underscores the fault lines within the party between those who urge a clearer shift left to win back traditional Labour heartlands and those who caution against alienating moderate voters or complicating coalition possibilities. Observers say Burnham represents a potential rival to Starmer, given his organizational networks and northern base, even as his lack of a seat in Parliament remains a hurdle to any immediate leadership bid.

In outlining what he described as a wholesale change, Burnham also framed his call for mass renationalisation and a PR-based electoral approach as a practical response to economic pressures facing households. He argued that regaining control of essential services is a prerequisite to reining in public spending and delivering tangible relief on the cost of living. While the interview did not provide a formal policy platform from Labour as a whole, it offered a window into a vision that could shape the party’s debate at the conference and beyond. The response from Keir Starmer’s camp — and how it resonates with the party’s broader base — will be a key factor in shaping Labour’s trajectory through the remainder of the year.