Next PM needs to be someone who understands our towns | Burnley MP column

I hope you’re all keeping well following another sweltering few days. You’ve probably heard it a thousand times already, but please do stay hydrated and take care if you’re out and about.

Most importantly, if you’re using water to cool off, please do so safely. Avoid diving or jumping in, keep an eye on conditions, and remember how quickly cold water can lead to shock.

The weather hasn’t been the only topic of conversation this week as Sir Keir Starmer has resigned as Leader of the Labour Party and thus will be stepping down as Prime Minster of the UK.

I want to begin by thanking him for his service to our country.

Whatever people think of politics, it’s important we remember there is a person behind the role – a husband and a father trying to do his best in a demanding job. Keir led Labour from a devastating defeat in 2019 to a historic election victory in 2024, and that in itself is no small achievement.

After 14 years of Conservative government, his leadership helped begin a period of real change.

We’ve delivered the biggest improvements to workers’ and renters’ rights in a generation, started to bring down long NHS waiting times, and put more support into local government after years of pressure on council budgets. We’ve also seen the beginnings of economic stabilisation, with falling inflation and interest rates and growth in real wages compared to the previous decade.

These things matter, because they affect people’s everyday lives – from the weekly shop, to wages, to whether you can get an ambulance when you need it.

But I’m the first to say we haven’t got everything right. There’s still far more to do, and areas where we need to push harder than ever for change. Government is never about perfection. Instead it’s about steady, serious improvement in people’s lives. You have to deal with the world as it is, not as you might wish it to be.

I hear you when you say you now want the next stage of change: stronger growth, better paid jobs, money that goes further in your pockets, properly funded public services, and a greater sense that decisions affecting your life are being made with you, not for you.

I have supported Keir throughout his time as Prime Minister because I believed it was the right thing to do for the country at a difficult moment. I will always act in what I believe to be the national interest, and I will always be honest when you ask me why I’ve taken the decisions I have.

But now we need to focus on making politics feel less distant. People want leaders who understand what life is like in towns like ours – the pressures, the pride, and the everyday reality of making things work for your family.

My focus, as ever, remains on delivering for Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield and making sure that national change translates into real improvements here at home. That is why I want to make one thing clear: our next Prime Minster needs to be someone who gets it. Who get’s what it’s like to live and work in towns like Burnley, Padiham, and Brierfield.

Someone who’s seen what’s happening down in London and dared to ask: why not us too?

That is why I believe the right choice for the country now, and to win back people whose confidence we have lost, is Andy Burnham for leader of the Labour Party.

Until next time,

Oliver.