UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has reacted to Andy Burnham’s emergence as Britain’s new prime minister, congratulating him while warning that the country needs decisive leadership instead of someone who simply seeks to satisfy everyone.
In a statement shared on X on Monday, Badenoch said she hopes Burnham succeeds because the country deserves a government focused on solving the issues that matter most to the public.
“Today, Britain has a new Prime Minister. I wish Andy Burnham every success. Because we need a Prime Minister and a Government focused on fixing the public’s priorities,” she wrote.
She stressed that her responsibility as Leader of the Opposition is to scrutinise the government rather than support it unconditionally.
“My job as Leader of the Opposition is to hold the Prime Minister to account, not to be his cheer leader. When he does the right thing, I will praise him,” Badenoch said.
She also backed reports suggesting Burnham intends to approve the Jackdaw and Rosebank North Sea gas projects but called on him to completely reverse restrictions on new oil and gas licences.
“In that spirit, I welcome press reports that Burnham plans to grant licences for the Jackdaw and Rosebank gas fields in the North Sea. But he must not stop there. He should end Ed Miliband’s destructive ban on new licences altogether. Let’s get Britain drilling so we can bring down the cost of energy,” she stated.
Badenoch went on to accuse Burnham of taking office without presenting a clear programme for government.
“Andy Burnham is becoming Prime Minister without having set out a clear plan for government. He has refused calls to come to Parliament to answer questions from MPs, meaning there won’t be a PMQs until September. He has avoided proper media scrutiny, giving an interview instead to Gary Lineker,” she said.
She added: “I have found Andy to be a nice man. But Britain needs a leader who can take difficult decisions, not a people pleaser.”
The Conservative leader further argued that Britain’s problems were not solely the fault of former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
“The problem wasn’t just Keir Starmer, it was the whole Labour Party,” Badenoch said.
She claimed Starmer left behind “a growing welfare bill, higher unemployment, and increased energy costs,” adding that “the tax burden is killing economic growth, and making the cost of living worse for families.”
