Andy Burnham, the seventh British prime minister in 10 years, and a crisis that has no end: “He has the advantage of being popular”

Andy Burnham walked among the applause of his followers and the public to number 10 Downing Street, now becoming the seventh prime minister of the United Kingdom in a period of only 10 years, and the seventh to occupy the official residence in the midst of a political crisis that led to his predecessor, Keir Starmer to announce his retirement at the same door that this Monday the 20th received the also leader of the Labor Party.

But it is not only about the instability of Brexit.

For the internationalist Jorge Chávez Mazuelos, we must also address the increase in prices, migratory pressure, the reduced fiscal space, COVID-19, the greater demand for investment in defense that closes the fiscal space for other social sectors and political scandals, among other problems.

“Many things have come together that have made this crisis become stronger,” details the professor at the Diplomatic Academy of Peru.

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“It is a different logic of power than that which occurs in a presidential (regime) like ours”he points out. And the United Kingdom is a parliamentary monarchy, “where the government is formed on the basis of the House of Commons.”

Although the United Kingdom is on its seventh prime minister in 10 years, the head of state remains King Charles III.

“The head of state is King Carlos III, but the prime minister is the head of government. And the head of government arises from an election that takes place within Parliament,” explains Chávez Mazuelos, so “the system processes the crisis in a different way.”

On this occasion the crisis manifested itself with the departure of Starmer, after losing the confidence of the Labor Party, something that was noted in the last partial and municipal elections. Then the figure of Burnham appeared, who became a parliamentarian and the new leader of the party, as well as Labor’s only card to be prime minister.

“New political and economic model”

Burnham arrives with promises. In his first message he announced a “ten-year plan” that involves a reform of the educational system, reindustrialization, construction of housing and ending the “homelessness phenomenon.”

“We have not been good enough, and we have to do better (…) We are going to bring the biggest changes of the last 40 years,” announced the new prime minister. He even proposed “a new political model and a new economic model” for the United Kingdom.

The former mayor of Manchester seems to show intentions of change, but it still remains a doubt.

“Burnham has the advantage of being popular, but he faces the same problem that Starmer had. What’s more, the financial markets are worried about Burnham because he is a guy from the left wing of the party,” remarks Belaunde.

Regarding the 10-year plan, for the analyst this may seduce many people but “there is a short-term issue, and the financial margin for maneuver that it has now is very narrow.”

“He is going to have to take unpopular measures because obviously there is a fiscal deficit and a debt that is becoming unmanageable, and that has to be reduced. So, even if he has a 10-year plan, he has to resolve the immediate issue,” says Belaunde.

Along those same lines, Chávez Mazuelos also finds Burnham at a crossroads. In addition, remember the predisposition of the now prime minister to increase defense spending.

“He has a debate now. What comes first: butter or cannons? And he has an orientation to invest more in defense, in a context in which he feels that the country needs it more. So, I believe that one thing is the will and another thing is the capacity,” says the teacher, which is why the debt and taxes would have to be increased.

Forced to talk

The United Kingdom is also a key player on the international stage and, in a first sign that shows its point of interest, Burnham appointed Ed Miliband as Foreign Minister this Monday, the 20th, and announced that Shabana Mahmood will remain at the head of the Home Affairs portfolio.

He also held telephone conversations with the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen, with whom he agreed that their teams work in “close collaboration” to hold a bilateral summit.