Andy Burnham warmed up with a run today as he prepared for his first major Commons test, six weeks after entering No 10.
The Prime Minister was seen working up a sweat ahead of his debut appearance in the House of Commons following the summer recess.
Mr Burnham may face a bruising session, with pressure building over the Government’s early prisoner release scheme and growing speculation that the Budget could bring tax rises to pay for increased public spending.
The scale of the challenge facing ministers was underlined again this morning as UK Government borrowing costs rose sharply. Global markets have been unsettled by the crisis in the Middle East, persistent inflation pressures and fresh warnings about a possible AI market crash.
Mr Burnham succeeded Keir Starmer just as Parliament broke up for the summer, giving him what amounted to a political “soft launch” while much of the public’s attention was fixed on the sunshine rather than Westminster.
Labour has been enjoying a bounce in the polls with the new leader.
However, that looks to be fading somewhat and the former Greater Manchester mayor has already been forced into a bewildering variety of policy shifts.
Andy Burnham will make his debut in the Commons as it returns from the summer recess
Mr Burnham geared up for the Commons clashes with a run this morning
Underlining the issues confronting ministers, Government borrowing costs spiked again this morning. The chart shows the interest rates on 10-year gilts
The PM will gather his Cabinet this morning before making a statement to the House this afternoon. As well as being his first since entering No10, it will be his first appearance at the despatch box since he was a minister 16 years ago.
Aides say Mr Burnham will flesh out his vision for the country, but not make significant policy announcements.
He is expected to argue that stronger public control over utilities can be an engine for economic growth.
However, that could cost billions of pounds, and in an interview today Chancellor John Healey admitted there are already ‘difficult’ decisions looming in the Budget.
A No10 source said: ‘Andy is optimistic about our country’s future.
‘He has a clear plan for how we turn things round.
‘He is determined we make this the moment we bring back hope.’
The session this afternoon will see Mr Burnham clash directly with Kemi Badenoch for the first time.
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Mrs Badenoch used the Bank Holiday to reshuffle her shadow cabinet ready for an early election, axing Tory big beasts such as Mel Stride and Priti Patel.
MPs are poised to probe the PM on the slew of policies he announced over the summer – which critics say were unfunded.
That includes the cut to VAT on energy bills which comes into force next month, and slashing business rates for pubs and clubs.
Mr Burnham must explain how he will fill a £4.7billion funding gap in the defence investment plan, left to him by predecessor Keir Starmer.
Chancellor John Healey conceded last week that the Budget will not set a timetable for spending 3 per cent of GDP on defence.
Instead that schedule will be laid out at the spending review next year, even though Mr Healey quit Sir Keir’s Government in protest at the lack of a firm commitment.
Mr Healey told The Times he was still determined to scale up spending on defence.
‘For the first time at the spending review, we will set out a clear path about how we meet that Nato commitment in 2035, of 2.5 per cent of GDP,’ he said.
‘And as part of setting out that clear path, we will set that target date for 3 per cent.’
Mr Burnham could also be quizzed on his commitment to bring Thames Water under public ownership, and whether drilling will be allowed at the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields in the North Sea.
Crunch decisions on a flagship Bill to tighten immigration law, and calls for MPs to change electoral law are also on the horizon.
In an interview today Chancellor John Healey (pictured with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the G20 summit yesterday) admitted there are already ‘difficult’ decisions looming in the Budget
The session this afternoon will see Mr Burnham clash directly with Kemi Badenoch (pictured) for the first time
After Mr Burnham’s statement, Justice Secretary Alex Norris will give the Commons details of the plans for an early release scheme to relieve prison overcrowding.
Over the weekend, the PM said the killers of Thames Valley Police officer Andrew Harper will not be eligible for the scheme, following a backlash.
Mr Burnham initially resisted calls to limit the scheme further after it emerged that Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole, who were convicted of Pc Harper’s manslaughter in 2020, would be eligible from next year.
Ministers also plan to create capacity in prisons by building hundreds of new places with a £110million investment, by deporting foreign prisoners and releasing inmates who are serving indefinite sentences under imprisonment for public protection sentences (IPPs).