On 20 July 2026, Andy Burnham became Prime Minister and leader of the Labour Party, following the resignation of Keir Starmer.

Andy Burnham, formerly the Mayor of Manchester, became an MP in the Makerfield by-election in June. The change in leader follows a period of speculation regarding Starmer’s leadership of the Government.

Despite rumours of other MP’s who might be interested challenging for the role of Prime Minister, Andy Burnham was the sole contender for the position. Procedurally, this guaranteed a swift ‘coronation’ rather than a more time-consuming debate between candidates competing to win votes.

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Andy Burnham spoke of stability and hope. He vowed to introduce a new political and economic model that is collaborative. At the same time, he has also committed to the existing fiscal rules set out under Keir Starmer’s premiership.

Andy Burnham’s philosophy focuses on reindustrialising Britain by using public procurement to back British industry, moving beyond London and the South-East. He stated that his government will publish a ten-year plan laying out where they want Britain to be, which can be expected later this year.

Implications for the PPA’s work

• Digital has moved back into the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), now overseen by Lisa Nandy. 
  
  

• Science, innovation and parts of the tech brief have moved into Business and Trade, forming a new Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (DBIST), led by Jonathan Reynolds as Secretary of State. 
  
  

• The former Technology and Business Secretaries of State, Liz Kendall and Peter Kyle respectively, have both left government. 
  
  

• Ian Murray remains a Minister at DCMS under Lisa Nandy. We’ve had confirmation that data protection work, including the cookie consent exemption reforms, will sit within DCMS. 
  
  

• Kanishka Narayan remains Minister for AI, but the role has been promoted to Minister of State, with the added position of attending Cabinet. He sits jointly across DBIST and the Cabinet Office. 

The PPA are in touch with officials who have been overseeing the government’s AI work, and are still awaiting final confirmation, but our understanding is that AI and copyright issues will sit with Kanishka Narayan at DBIST. 

Having digital back in the same department as culture, media and sport is likely to help our work. It further integrates the media sector’s interests into how tech policy is considered, particularly around platform regulation. 

We’ll continue engaging with the relevant government teams to understand how these changes affect the timelines of ongoing initiatives and will update PPA members as things develop. 

What does Burnham believe?

• Place based policy, investment outside of London and South-East 
  
  

• Committed to existing fiscal rules set out by Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves: reaffirmed 2024 manifesto commitments on tax, and business rates reform promised to support pubs and high streets 
  
  

• Intends government to be a “circuit breaker” by bringing down costs for business, creating a better environment for firms to grow and invest and delivering good growth in every postcode 
  
  

• He has committed to reduce frictions that make doing business and hiring people more difficult
  
  

• There have been discussions of a potentially “revamped” AI strategy, moving away from “unfettered tech boosterism” that is US centric, towards an approach that centres on British ownership. While the details of this revamp are currently all speculative, one rumoured policy has been more political license for the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) to address concentration of power in digital markets to protect consumers. 
  
  

Implications for Publishers 

This change in leadership is not a reinvention of the wheel as the government is still bound by the 2024 manifesto it was elected on. Where there’s a live workstream, there will likely be delays due to ministerial changes, but it is unlikely that things will get thrown out. However, there are some issues, like AI, where a change in personel could potentially have an impact. We will continue to monitor the political landscape and brief on any changes in direction from government. 

If you have any questions, please get in touch with Charlotte.Jeffreys@ppa.co.uk (Policy & Public Affairs Officer, PPA)