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The King of the North has claimed the crown... now he must prove he can wear it, writes Andrew Marr

65 0
20.07.2026

Britain gets a new Prime Minister on Monday. Stay with the LBC app for full live coverage as Andy Burnham takes the keys to Downing Street.

Sometimes we overcomplicate things.

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Being prime minister is a hellishly difficult task. One of the first qualities is to have the zest, the oomph, the relish and gusto for it. In this, from what we have seen so far, Andy Burnham is well suited to the job, as I am afraid Keir Starmer, who rarely seemed to genuinely enjoy it, was not.

What we must all hope is that he has enough steel in him to take difficult, unpopular but necessary decisions. With well over a million young people outside education, the workplace or training, a lost generation, reform of welfare is essential.

The numbers and the cost also mean that breaking the triple lock is going to be essential – not something that can be done without a general election, but it should be planned for and announced before.

Then there is defence spending, not a popular cause on the labour Left but, given the international peril we face, now essential. Where does the money come from? I mention these because, quite clearly, Andy........

© LBC