Behind-the-scenes at No 10 as Andy Burnham became PM
BBC News · C · trust 53/100
By Laura Kuenssberg Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg "You can clap now," a Downing Street official with a clipboard instructed the staff eagerly lining the halls of No 10 in the moments before the new prime minister walked in.
The applause duly began before the famous door opened, so the first sight and sound to greet Andy Burnham and his wife were crowds of clapping staff, crammed into the Downing Street hall. They stretched up the long corridor all the way to the door of the Cabinet Room - left ajar for him to walk straight in and get down to work.
I've seen plenty of prime ministers come and go from outside No 10. But I'd never been allowed inside at that moment before , able to hover outside the Cabinet Room and grab a quick word with the country's new leader at such an intense, symbolic time.
I have rarely seen a politician look as thoroughly delighted as Burnham, pride bursting out of his buttoned-up suit - that's right, the T-shirt and bomber jacket didn't make it to No 10 - or a leader who has wanted to stop and shake as many hands.
Watch on iPlayer What kind of prime minister will Andy Burnham be? In his first major broadcast interview since taking office, Laura Kuenssberg asks about his plans - and the challenges ahead.
No 10 staff are already wondering if they'll ever be able to stick to a regular prime minister's schedule, normally designed with military precision. If Andy Burnham was able to take the time to stop and speak to everyone in the country, I suspect he probably would.
It's a sign of his different style that our team was given permission to be behind the scenes at three key moments in the 59th prime minister's first week in charge - when he became Labour leader, when he walked into No 10, and on day one at his new Manchester outpost, No 10 North.
Most important by far was our half-hour interview in that shiny new office, after weeks during which Burnham was chased by accusations he'd avoided tough questions. But the extra glimpses we were given, alongside Burnham's own voracious appetite for social media, display a prime minister that's not just at ease in front of the cameras, but a leader who wants to bring you along for the ride.
They included revealing moments that are normally hidden - his first steps into the Cabinet Room to appoint his team, rating pub snacks with his Chancellor, John Healey, in an Instagram post , external , and sharing pictures with us of the family dog, Axel, whom he describes as having "angry little man energy".
Burnham's exploits online have already brought mockery and launched a thousand memes. But if a leader can't get your attention to make their arguments - as Keir Starmer found so challenging - ultimately, they are not going to get very far at all.
And the biggest difference of the Labour reboot so far is how the government looks and sounds. They've put an obvious priority on punter-friendly announcements such as cutting VAT from energy bills and tax breaks for pubs - although it is important to note the details on how to pay for all of that are not yet clear.
For Burnham though, telling his story is the easy part. Joking about the unique stink that accompanies Scampi Fries, or showing me his gold disc on loan from The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr, won't help him deal with US President Donald Trump, find money for defence, or create a new service to care for the elderly and vulnerable in England. Nor will it be any use as he grapples with the country's huge debts, changing demographics or public concerns about immigration.
Listening carefully during our interview, it seemed Burnham had distinct gears. He was fluent and passionate on his familiar ground: his desire to sort out social care, his track record in Manchester, his desire to run a government that feels relevant and effective where you live, local leaders eager to make many more decisions and able to spend taxpayers' money more freely without permission from Whitehall.
Those are his core beliefs, arguments he's made hundreds, if not thousands of times.
But when it comes to how he'll apply what he thinks in principle to what he does in practice, that was not always so clear. On social care for example, he's long believed there ought to be a National Care Service, like the NHS. But in a speech on Wednesday, that's not likely to be what he unveils.
Instead, he told me he'd "brought it straight forward", understood to mean speeding up the government review by Baroness Louise Casey of what ought to be done, not saying, "here's the plan".
When it came to questions that are on his desk for the first time, there was a contradiction. Burnham told us all many times that he will stick to the manifesto the country voted for in 2024 .
But he's also vowed his arrival in office will usher in the biggest change in four decades. You don't have to be a student of political history to find a mismatch there - he's going to stick broadly to Sir Keir's plan, yet shift the government more fundamentally than leaving the EU, or the financial crash? Really?
And beyond the rhetorical tension in several areas, Burnham gave clear indications that he will apply "new eyes". Will he stick to the home secretary's plans to make migrants wait 10 years or more before they can permanently stay in the UK? He's looking at that again he told me, and hinted that care workers could possibly be exempt.
He didn't want to give much away about where he was going to find extra billions for defence, or pay for public services. He repeated that he'd stick to the promises on income tax, VAT and National Insurance made in 2024. But the prime minister clearly pointed to a possible shake-up of the council tax system, where those with the most expensive properties might have to pay considerably more. Changes like that to council tax, or to welfare, would be huge political moves that would put him on a collision course with some of his party, and some political opponents too.
Then, when it comes to matters of…
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