The new Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, spoke just like his predecessors: lots of talk, but no action. He is simply the latest leader to warn that the NHS will collapse completely if it isn’t fixed. Starmer arrived with the same rhetoric, yet all he managed to do was reduce waiting times.
Unfortunately, no politician in this country has any plans or projects for the future. They simply assume the role of Prime Minister—destined by fate—only to encounter problems and immediately launch into speeches…
Andy Burnham failed to generate the kind of public sentiment that was expected. Perhaps he needs time, but there is a fitting Turkish proverb: “You can tell what a child will be like by the mother’s droppings.”
A major contradiction arose when Andy Burnham reappointed Angela Rayner to lead the very institution where she had previously faced controversy. It seems loyalty is what matters most to him; he caused his first major disappointment by bringing back the same ministers—or those who had previously been dismissed or forced to resign. Now, he is facing another disappointment regarding the NHS issue. Every Prime Minister since the Conservatives has kept saying the NHS needs reform, yet no one has managed to achieve it. That is because no one actually has a plan.
Andy Burnham is no different. There is plenty of talk, but so far, no action.