Andy Burnham is to deliver his first address as prime minister in the House of Commons on Tuesday as Parliament returns from recess this week.
The speech will focus on the cost-of-living crisis as the Labour leader makes a case for bringing more essential services under public control, according to reports in The Guardian.
Mr Burnham has announced a range of policies over the summer that have largely gone uncontested but will now face scrutiny by MPs.
The Guardian reports Mr Burnham is optimisitc about the country’s future, and that he will tell MPs he wants to “bring back hope”.
Sitting opposite will be opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, joined by her newly-reshuffled shadow cabinet, with Andrew Griffith replacing Sir Mel Stride as shadow chancellor.
Reform leader Nigel Farage is also expected to be sworn in again as a Member of Parliament after winning the Clacton by-election earlier this month.
Despite many in Labour pinning their hopes on Mr Burnham ahead of Tuesday’s address, polling experts have told The Independent that the “Burnham bounce” - a jump in support for Labour following his selection as leader - was over, and will not be enough to win the party a general election.
Key points
- Burnham to arrive as PM to Commons for the first time with pledge to 'bring back hope'
- What is happening today in the Commons?
- Kemi Badenoch sacks senior Tories in major cabinet shake-up
- John Healey says he will set out 'clear path' to ensure Britain sticks to Nato targets
- Labour's prisons plan will create 'hundreds' of new places
Prisons will still be able to function properly under new plans, minister insists
08:50 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe justice secretary has insisted prisons will “still function properly” amid concerns over government plans to turn laundries into accommodation in a bid to tackle overcrowding.
Asked where clothes would be washed if laundry rooms were converted into cells, Alex Norris told BBC Breakfast: “Of course we’re going to make sure that the prisons can still function properly.
“This is a creative look, as I say, around our estate and being able to use some space that we can re-prioritise.”
He said ministers “want to improve the prison environment”.
Live: Burnham to face off with Badenoch as he enters Commons as PM for first time
08:40 , Nicole Wootton-Cane‘Burnham bounce’ is over, pollsters warn
08:30 , Nicole Wootton-CaneThe “Burnham bounce” has ended, just weeks after the new prime minister entered Downing Street, leading pollsters have said, as they warned there would be no point in Labour calling an early election.
Labour surged in the polls by around five to six points – finally leapfrogging Nigel Farage’s Reform UK after 18 months – after Andy Burnham took over from Sir Keir Starmer on 20 July.
But experts say any bounce triggered by the change of leadership appears to have already peaked, with Labour failing to make any gains since last week – and even falling behind Reform again in some cases.
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox has this exclusive report:
‘Burnham bounce’ is over, pollsters warn
Davey says Labour's prison plans 'do not go far enough'
08:18 , Nicole Wootton-CanePlans by ministers to tackle overcrowding in prisons do not go far enough, the leader of the Liberal Democrats has suggested.
Sir Ed Davey told LBC Radio: “They’re talking about turning laundries into prison cells in existing prisons.
“I’m not sure if that cuts it, to be honest … and there’s no new money.
“If they’re going to get serious, they’ve really got to tackle it with a little bit more vigour and verve than I’ve seen so far. It’s really, really important.”
Victims whose perpetrators eligible for early release 'will be asked what restrictions they want imposed'
08:10 , Nicole Wootton-CaneVictims whose perpetrators are due for early prison release will be asked what restrictions they want imposed “so they can live their life fully”, the justice secretary has said.
Alex Norris told BBC Breakfast: “They will be written to. Letters start going out today.
“They will all be contacted individually by a victim liaison officer, who will then talk to them about, firstly, is their perpetrator coming out sooner than they expected? But secondly – and this is really crucial – that if their perpetrator is coming out sooner, or indeed when their perpetrator comes out in the future, what sort of controls do they want to see so they can live their life fully?”
He said offenders would be “subject to the widest range of tools we’ve ever had”, including restriction zones, tagging, bans on attending football games or night clubs.
Mr Norris continued: “We will be talking through our victim liaison officers to victims and survivors to ask them how they live their lives, so that we can design the restrictions on their perpetrator, so that they live around their victims and survivors, rather than the other way round, which has been the case for far too long.”
He encouraged victims to join the victim contact scheme.
Labour's prisons plan will create 'hundreds' of new places, justice secretary says
08:00 , Nicole Wootton-CaneJustice secretary Alex Norris has declined to say whether there are fewer prison places than a year ago and insisted Labour’s plans will create “hundreds” of new places.
Speaking to Times Radio on Tuesday morning ahead of setting out the plans to tackle overcrowding in the prisons estate in Parliament, he was asked about the Conservatives’ claim that there are 700 fewer prison places than in 2025.
Mr Norris said: “Those wouldn’t necessarily be the numbers I’d use, but it is possible that places come out of the estate. For example, you know, there can be damage, fire damage. We’ve got a very old estate.
“I talk about the biggest prison-building programme since the Victorian era. Well, that means that a lot of our estate is Victorian estate.”
The estate “fluctuates” because of planned and unplanned conditions, the minister added.
Mr Norris said the plan to convert unused spaces inside prisons, such as shared use areas and offices, into new cells would create “in the hundreds of places”.
“In a system that’s running very hot, a few hundred places here and there makes a really big difference,” he said.
Badenoch's shadow cabinet reshuffle shows Conservatives 'have learned nothing', Labour chairwoman says
07:40 , Nicole Wootton-CaneBridget Philipson, Labour Party chairwoman, said Kemi Badenoch’s shake-up of her shadow cabinet shows the Conservatives “have learnt nothing since they were kicked out of office by the British people”.
She said in a statement: “Promoting a key architect of Liz Truss’s disastrous mini Budget tells you all you need to know about Badenoch’s complete lack of judgement.
“The Tories’ top team is crammed full of the same vandals who hammered family finances and left our public services crumbling. No wonder they’ve made no progress in the last two years.
“Meanwhile, Andy Burnham’s Labour Government is driving good growth in every postcode, giving vital breathing space on the cost of living, and bringing back hope to Britain.”
Kemi Badenoch sacks senior Tories in major cabinet shake-up
07:30 , Maira ButtKemi Badenoch has completed a reshuffle of her team by sacking Sir Mel Stride as shadow chancellor and bringing a new generation of Conservative MPs into the shadow cabinet.
Claire Coutinho, previously the shadow energy secretary, replaced Andrew Griffith as shadow business secretary, while Sir Mel will join influential Tories including Priti Patel and Sir James Cleverly on the back benches following the shake-up.
Burnham to arrive as PM to Commons for the first time with pledge to 'bring back hope'
07:17 , Maira ButtAndy Burnham is expected to arrive at the House of Commons on Tuesday to give his first address as prime minister.
The content of the speech is expected to emphasise the cost-of-living crisis, with Mr Burnham expected to make a case to bring more essential services back into public control, according to The Guardian.
Mr Burnham has announced a series of policies over the summer since his election as Labour leader, and these will now face fresh scrutiny in Parliament for the first time.
A No 10 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.”
John Healey says he will set out 'clear path' to ensure Britain sticks to Nato targets
Monday 31 August 2026 23:42 , Maira ButtChancellor John Healey has said he will set out a “clear path” to ensure that the UK sticks to a Nato target of contributing 3.5 per cent of its GDP to defence spending, according to The Times.
He said he remained “100 per cent” committed to hitting the target by 2035.
Earlier this year, he quit Keir Starmer’s cabinet over a target of 3 per cent by 2030.
What is happening today in the Commons?
Monday 31 August 2026 21:48 , Maira ButtParliament returns from a summer recess on Tuesday.
The House will sit from 2.30pm, starting with Foreign Office questions.
As well as Mr Burnham’s address, justice secretary Alex Norris, is expected to present plans to cut the numbers of prisoners eligible for early release. This includes the killers of PC Andrew Harper.
