Burnham to seek greater public control of services in Commons debut as PM

Andy Burnham will call for greater public control over water , energy and transport in his House of Commons debut as prime minister .

Mr Burnham will use his first appearance at the despatch box in 16 years to argue that stronger public control over many of the country’s services can be an engine for economic growth.

He’s expected to set out his belief that essential services have not been run in the public interest, and that they have become neither reliable nor affordable, holding back British households and the wider economy.

The Guardian , which first reported details of the Commons statement, said Mr Burnham would make public control over important services a priority for the government over coming months.

“Andy is optimistic about our country’s future,” A No 10 source said. “He has a clear plan for how we turn things round. He is determined we make this the moment we bring back hope.”

The statement will also be a chance for MPs to probe the prime minister on the slew of policies that he announced over the summer .

This includes a run of proposals to help families and businesses deal with rising living costs, such as the cut to VAT on energy bills which comes into force in October, and slashing business rates for clubs and pubs.

Mr Burnham is expected to face a two-hour grilling from MPs when he stands up in the Commons on Tuesday and he will undergo further scrutiny in the chamber on Wednesday when he faces off against Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch for his first Prime Minister’s Questions.

Mrs Badenoch on Bank Holiday Monday reshuffled her shadow cabinet, sacking Tory big guns such as Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel, ahead of Parliament’s return.

As well as a reforged senior opposition team, Mr Burnham faces a host of political challenges as MPs return to Westminster for the autumn.

These include whether to bring struggling utilities like Thames Water under government ownership, and the future of two major fossil fuel operations in the North Sea, the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.

Crunch decisions on a flagship bill to tighten immigration law and calls for MPs to change electoral law are also on the horizon.

Mr Burnham is also expected to face tough questions about how he will fill a £4.7 billion funding hole in the defence investment plan, left to him by his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer.

Chancellor John Healey has vowed defence will be central to his plans at the Treasury, after last week being unable to commit to a 2030 deadline for when Britain will meet a target to spend 3 per cent of its economy on defence.