Burnham promises change as Budget pressures loom

Prime Minister Andy Burnham opened his first Labour conference as party leader promising to pursue major change while acknowledging that pressure on public finances will constrain the government’s choices. He said fiscal stability was necessary to create room for wider reforms, but did not specify which measures would be included in the Budget due on October 28. Speaking ahead of the conference in Liverpool, Burnham told the Guardian he was prepared to make difficult decisions and argued that stabilising public finances could make larger changes possible. He said the country faced a challenging economic outlook and that he and Chancellor John Healey had limited flexibility as they prepared the fiscal event. The reports attribute higher UK borrowing costs and reduced Budget flexibility to global turmoil, including conflict involving Iran. They do not provide a shared estimate of the effect or a common baseline. Burnham said the decade since the Brexit vote had seen too much drift and division, and promised to set out a new direction for the country at the conference. The government also announced Your First Home, a scheme intended to help first-time buyers.