Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Andy Burnham has now been Prime Minister for a week. That is long enough to begin judging not just what he has done, but how he thinks.
So far, what we have seen is a series of relatively small policy announcements on bus fares, temporary energy bill reductions and business rates for pubs. Those may all be worthwhile gestures in themselves, but they raise a much bigger question. Is this really the agenda of someone who wants to reshape Britain?
In this video, I argue that the role of a Prime Minister is fundamentally different from that of a mayor. Mayors operate within rules set by others. Prime Ministers can change those rules. They can change fiscal policy, tax policy, the role of the Bank of England and the priorities of government itself.
If those opportunities are ignored, government risks becoming little more than a manager of inherited constraints instead of an agent for national transformation.
And that matters. Labour needs a coherent economic strategy for dealing with the serious challenges that may lie ahead, from geopolitical shocks to financial instability and energy insecurity.
The point I make is not just about Andy Burnham. There's a bigger issue about the kind of leadership Britain now needs and whether any of our mainstream political parties are prepared to provide it.
Do you think Britain has a government with a genuine long-term plan, or are we seeing politics reduced to a series of short-term gestures?
Take a look at the poll below: youtube.com/post/Ugkxhz9mnVX_a5MUxOGHuIVuHKoKEoywDNpZ
00:00 Andy Burnham’s First Week
00:54 A Prime Minister Thinking Like a Mayor
02:02 The Policies Burnham Has Kept
03:17 Why Small Gestures Are Not Enough
04:34 Accepting the Fiscal Rules
05:42 The Crises Burnham Could Face
06:54 A Prime Minister Without a Plan
08:03 Britain’s Coming Political Crisis
09:02 What Living Well Really Means
10:10 Why Britain Needs Big Thinking
11:18 The Failure of Small Solutions
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
IF YOU WANT TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ISSUES IN THIS VIDEO
If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions, here. taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06/20/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#richardmurphy #richardjmurphy #economy #economics #accountancy #accounting #tax #uktax #ukeconomy #greennewdeal #uk #money #economy #politics #government #tax #labour #health #life #AndyBurnham #UKPolitics #PrimeMinister #Labour #FiscalRules #Austerity #Economics #PoliticalEconomy #EconomicCrisis #Neoliberalism #GovernmentSpending #EconomicsOfHope #PoliticsOfCare #PublicServices #TaxReform #WealthTax #KeirStarmer #RichardMurphy #FundingTheFuture #BritishPolitics
Andy Burnham has now been Prime Minister for a week. That is long enough to begin judging not just what he has done, but how he thinks.
So far, what we have seen is a series of relatively small policy announcements on bus fares, temporary energy bill reductions and business rates for pubs. Those may all be worthwhile gestures in themselves, but they raise a much bigger question. Is this really the agenda of someone who wants to reshape Britain?
In this video, I argue that the role of a Prime Minister is fundamentally different from that of a mayor. Mayors operate within rules set by others. Prime Ministers can change those rules. They can change fiscal policy, tax policy, the role of the Bank of England and the priorities of government itself.
If those opportunities are ignored, government risks becoming little more than a manager of inherited constraints instead of an agent for national transformation.
And that matters. Labour needs a coherent economic strategy for dealing with the serious challenges that may lie ahead, from geopolitical shocks to financial instability and energy insecurity.
The point I make is not just about Andy Burnham. There's a bigger issue about the kind of leadership Britain now needs and whether any of our mainstream political parties are prepared to provide it.
Do you think Britain has a government with a genuine long-term plan, or are we seeing politics reduced to a series of short-term gestures?
Take a look at the poll below: youtube.com/post/Ugkxhz9mnVX_a5MUxOGHuIVuHKoKEoywDNpZ
00:00 Andy Burnham’s First Week
00:54 A Prime Minister Thinking Like a Mayor
02:02 The Policies Burnham Has Kept
03:17 Why Small Gestures Are Not Enough
04:34 Accepting the Fiscal Rules
05:42 The Crises Burnham Could Face
06:54 A Prime Minister Without a Plan
08:03 Britain’s Coming Political Crisis
09:02 What Living Well Really Means
10:10 Why Britain Needs Big Thinking
11:18 The Failure of Small Solutions
TRANSCRIPT
A transcript for this video is available at: taxresearch.org.uk
IF YOU WANT TO WRITE TO YOUR MP ABOUT ISSUES IN THIS VIDEO
If you want to write a letter to your MP on the issues raised in this blog post, there is a ChatGPT prompt to assist you in doing so, with full instructions, here. taxresearch.org.uk/Blog/2025/06/20/chatgpt-prompt-for-a-letter-to-your-mp
HOW TO SUPPORT US
Please consider donating: ko-fi.com/taxresearch
ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY
Richard Murphy is Emeritus Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School. He is director of Tax Research LLP and the author of the Funding the Future blog. His best-known book is ‘The Joy of Tax’.
This video was edited by Thomas Murphy.
RICHARD MURPHY ON BLUESKY:
https://bsky.app/profile/richardjmurphy.bsky.social
OR
ON MY BLOG: taxresearch.org.uk/Blog
HIT SUBSCRIBE & GET NOTIFICATIONS
Subscribe and get notified of new videos released.
INTRODUCTION: youtube.com/watch?v=HdHsRPy3060
PLAYLISTS:
The Wealth Series
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobQLeyZYAagFDMjEFTKbhRD
Ecenomics
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob54Gs-fOL-8OAQ-IpduwB4
Britain
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobwTT4ATvJjsf8OO6S7wD10
Tax
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoaMni_12J6ULp3yUJisUZoY
MMT
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoZ6jvRGSW5YXu8qogE6aClX
Money
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYnLk1c7syTvoIo8bKYUs5m
Climate Change
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgob4_wsYaVivWd2WumpPLYwJ
USA
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoYYd3dSyU2Oyl3x7bWJOP7H
Labour
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgoa-KhzG-fnjDSg1WROL1zMw
The Trump Administration
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvRueM6wBgobz41-GLimTho27A3flVWQx
#richardmurphy #richardjmurphy #economy #economics #accountancy #accounting #tax #uktax #ukeconomy #greennewdeal #uk #money #economy #politics #government #tax #labour #health #life #AndyBurnham #UKPolitics #PrimeMinister #Labour #FiscalRules #Austerity #Economics #PoliticalEconomy #EconomicCrisis #Neoliberalism #GovernmentSpending #EconomicsOfHope #PoliticsOfCare #PublicServices #TaxReform #WealthTax #KeirStarmer #RichardMurphy #FundingTheFuture #BritishPolitics
