If in doubt, blame Thatcher! Burnham to vow to take Britain back to the 1970s before Tory PM took 'wrong turns' as he is officially 'crowned' Labour leader TODAY

By JAMES TAPSFIELD, UK POLITICAL EDITOR Published: 07:49, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 07:59, 17 July 2026 Andy Burnham will blame Margaret Thatcher for the country's problems today as he is officially installed as Labour leader. The Makerfield MP will hark back to a time before the 'wrong turns' of the 1980s as his 'coronation' at the top of the party concludes. He will hint at nationalisations and more public control at an event in London - and later a speech in the South East. However, Mr Burnham - who will officially replace Keir Starmer as PM on Monday - is still not expected to take any questions from the media. Instead he has been posting soft-soap social media clips, including him chatting about how he likes his tea, whether he wears socks with sandals, and his disapproval of Yorkshire puddings with Christmas dinner. Mr Burnham is becoming Labour leader after a token process that saw him nominated by nearly 95 per cent of MPs, weeks after he returned to the Commons in a by-election.  In his address this lunchtime he will promise to be 'unashamedly Labour in our priorities and in the decisions we take'. Andy Burnham will hark back to a time before the 'wrong turns' of the 1980s as his 'coronation' at the top of the party concludes Mr Burnham will say 'political power was centralised and economic power privatised' during Thatcher's time as premier He will say in a speech that his government will have the 'courage to fix the big things that politics has neglected' and the 'conviction to argue for our plans'. Mr Burnham will insist Britain took 'a series of wrong turns in the 1980s' when 'political power was centralised and economic power privatised'. Making the economy work for people across the UK will require 'a new path to the one we've been on for the last 40 years', he is set to say. He will pay a limited tribute to Sir Keir - who is not attending the event - for returning Labour to government, praising achievements on workers' rights, the NHS and the passing of the Hillsborough Law. Mr Burnham was backed by 369 of the party's 403 MPs, far surpassing the 81 needed, and secured the support of eight of the 11 unions affiliated with the party. He steps into the job at a time when his party has trailed Reform UK in opinion polls for nearly 18 months and Labour will be hoping his presence will spark a bounce and turn around its fortunes. Sir Keir has said he would have won the next general election if he had not been ousted, but is 'proud to hand over the party in good shape' to his successor. But there is no clarity about Mr Burnham's policies, or how they might differ from Sir Keir's agenda. Business and unions have been alarmed at the idea of 'Red' Ed Miliband being made Chancellor - a prospect that seems to have receded. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now being tipped for the crucial job.  Business and unions have been alarmed at the idea of 'Red' Ed Miliband being made Chancellor - a prospect that seems to have receded Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is now being tipped for the crucial No11 job Mr Burnham has spoken about how he wants to push powers to local leaders outside Westminster as part of his devolution agenda and to create a 'No 10 North' outpost of Downing Street based in Manchester. He has said he will stick to Rachel Reeves' fiscal rules as well as manifesto pledges not to raise income tax, VAT or national insurance, but declined to rule out a wealth tax in an interview this week. The Liberal Democrats have urged him to overhaul the water industry in his first weeks as prime minister and immediately place Thames Water into a special administration regime. Mr Burnham has drafted in Matthew McGregor, who has worked on elections in the UK and abroad and is currently chief executive of campaign group 38 Degrees, as his No 10 director of political strategy.