In The Room | Andy Burnham is Prime Minister. Now what?

WorldPolitics
22 Jul 2026 • 4:32 AM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

In The Room | Andy Burnham is Prime Minister. Now what?

After weeks of speculation, Andy Burnham finally unveiled his first cabinet late on Tuesday, with John Healey the surprise choice as chancellor, Ed Miliband moving to the Foreign Office and Shabana Mahmood remaining as home secretary.

Then came his first speech outside Downing Street. Dispensing with the familiar prime ministerial lectern, Burnham promised to end rough sleeping, reviving one of the defining pledges of his time as mayor of Greater Manchester.

In the latest episode of In The Room, we pick apart what his appointments tell us about the government he wants to lead, who has emerged with real power, who has been cast aside, and whether the promises he's making now are ones he can actually keep.

New episodes of In The Room drop twice a week. You can listen on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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