West of England Mayor Helen Godwin has described the appointment of Andy Burnham as Prime Minister as "a time for hope", but stressed that the moment is "not just about Andy" and that people in the West Country "want and need to see and feel change".
Mayor's Response to New PM
Godwin, who leads the West of England Combined Authority covering Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset and South Gloucestershire, welcomed her party's new leader on Monday as Burnham became the UK's sixth Prime Minister in a decade. She emphasised that the significance of the occasion extends beyond the individual.
"It's about the direction of our country, including the West of England as the fastest-growing regional economy over the last five years," she said. "Over the years, I have worked closely with Andy Burnham. He already knows our region well, which will set him in good stead as Prime Minister."
Burnham's First Speech
Speaking outside 10 Downing Street without notes or the customary lectern, Burnham pledged to "build a new economy" and announced a 10-year plan for the UK. He vowed to unveil a suite of cost-of-living support measures, potentially as early as Tuesday, and said his government would put "life's essentials back under stronger public control" while revitalising industrial heartlands.
"We will make this moment a circuit breaker for Britain, bringing forward the biggest changes in the last 40 years, a new political model and a new economic model," Burnham said. "We will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more, and in doing more, build a new economy where we put life's essentials back under stronger public control."
Regional Priorities
Godwin said she looks forward to working with Burnham to "make a difference for local residents" and highlighted the region's plan for further investment and job creation. "We have a proper plan to secure further investment and create more jobs here, working with ministers and officials across the new government to get greater funding just as we have done over the last 15 months," she added.
Key priorities include taking more control of buses, delivering mass transit, and securing more devolution from Westminster. The mayor's comments come as former Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer formally resigned earlier on Monday, announcing "his work was done" and it had been a "privilege" to serve in Downing Street.
