Andy Burnham’s first speech as the new Prime Minister, outside No.10 Downing Street, earlier today, struck exactly the right tone. After years of political instability, he spoke of restoring trust, rebuilding Britain, devolving power and creating a new economic and political model. It was hopeful, ambitious and refreshingly optimistic.

Britain has been crying out for a politics that inspires rather than merely manages.
One pledge particularly struck me: his commitment to make ending rough sleeping his first instruction as Prime Minister. It speaks to values I share about dignity and compassion. Yet it also comes with a note of caution. Burnham made a similar commitment as Mayor of Greater Manchester, achieving significant early progress before homelessness later rose again amid wider housing pressures. National government gives him more levers than City Hall ever did, but this promise will ultimately be judged on results, not rhetoric.

His reshaping of the Cabinet (from what we know of it as I write) is equally significant. The departure of prominent figures associated with the Starmer era (Rachel Reeves, David Lammy, Steve Reed, Peter Kyle etc) signals that this is not intended to be continuity with a different face.

If Burnham genuinely wants a fresh start, he needs ministers who share his vision rather than yesterday’s assumptions.

For all of the excitement of today, however, governments are not remembered for inauguration speeches. They are remembered for what they achieve (or, perhaps more often, what they don’t. Burnham will have a honeymoon, but it may well only be a brief break.

I genuinely hope he succeeds. Britain needs stable, compassionate and effective government. The words outside No.10 were encouraging. The challenge now is turning them into lasting change. That is the test by which this premiership will ultimately be judged.

Where is the anger on Local Government reorganisation?

Labour’s Local Government Reorganisation represents one of the biggest threats to the Lib Dems local government base in a generation. By abolishing scores of district and borough councils and replacing them with much larger unitary authorities, it risks sweeping away many of the communities where our party has built deep and abiding roots, strong local champions and lasting electoral success.

That is precisely why I find the relative silence from Ed Davey and the wider party leadership on this so puzzling. This is not a technical administrative reform. It is a profound political and democratic change that will reshape local government for decades.

Liberal Democrats should be leading the argument for genuinely local government, not merely reacting to Whitehall’s latest restructuring exercise. Our councillors deserve vocal national backing, and our communities deserve a clear liberal alternative that champions local identity, local accountability and decisions taken as close as possible to the people they affect.

Democratise Lib Dem Lords appointments

Congratulations to the five new Lib Dem peers, I wish them every success. But if we’re serious about internal democracy, ordinary party members should have a say over who represents us in the House of Lords (until, as we want, it becomes a wholly and popularly elected chamber), as happens in the Green Party. A democratic party should practice what it preaches.

* Mathew Hulbert is a former Councillor, is a regular commentator on TV and Radio, and is Co-Host of the Political Frenemies podcast.