I hope new Prime Minister Andy Burnham learns from all our successes.. and mistakes | Burnley MP Oliver Ryan column

I hope you’re all well and enjoying the first week of the summer holidays. I was a bit of a ‘nerdy’ kid, so I always found myself missing school when I wasn’t there. That said, to all of our young people across Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield: make the most of the break because you’ve earned it.

Talking about making the most of things, today I want to talk about our new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham.

On Monday, Andy officially became Prime Minister after being elected Leader of the Labour Party the week before. As a Labour MP, I know how much is riding on what Andy can do for our country. That’s why his ‘For Us’ message resonates with me. For too long, politics has felt distant from people’s everyday lives. If families can’t feel the difference Government is making, then we have to ask ourselves whether we’re actually delivering the change people voted for.

That’s why I want Andy to learn from everything that’s happened over the past two years, from all of the successes to our mistakes too.

I may be a Labour MP, but first and foremost I’m the MP for Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield. My responsibility is to the people who elected me, (regardless of who’s name you ticked on that ballot paper), and that means being honest with you. We haven’t got everything right over the last two years, and I don’t think anyone could or should pretend otherwise.

But we have made real progress. We’ve delivered the Renters’ Rights Act, begun bringing NHS waiting lists down at the fastest rate in 17 years, and taken action on issues that matter to people here at home. Now we must build on that progress and deliver the rest of the change we promised.

That change has to be felt everywhere – not just in London or the South East, but from the Highlands to Plymouth to right here in Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield. Andy has my full support because he understands that. Time and again he’s shown that he knows opportunities shouldn’t depend on your postcode. Over the past few days, we’ve started to see what his priorities will be. If he can deliver what he’s setting out to achieve, I genuinely believe people across the country will begin to feel that change because it’s change designed with us in mind.

Making the commitment to end rough sleeping from day one set the tone for his premiership. It sends a clear message that Government shouldn’t accept long-standing problems as impossible to solve. We should be ambitious and bold enough to tackle them head on.

Many of you will also welcome the decision not to proceed with the proposed Digital ID scheme, with that funding instead being used to scrap VAT on household energy bills from October 1. That’s the kind of decision that reflects the pressures many families are facingand focuses on what matters most. I’m excited to see what the coming weeks and months bring, and I’m looking forward to playing my part in delivering the promise of change, but this time making sure it’s for us too.

As always, if you have any questions or need any help, you can email me at [email protected] or attend one of my constituency office drop-in sessions between 10am and 2pm, Monday to Thursday, at 5 Grimshaw Street, Burnley, BB11 2AS.

Until next time,

Oliver