Burnham to vow public control of energy, water and housing while signalling end of pension triple lock in conference speech

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By JASON GROVES, POLITICAL EDITOR

Published: 00:00 BST, 29 September 2026 | Updated: 00:14 BST, 29 September 2026

Andy Burnham will today set out plans for greater state control of water, energy and housing, saying: 'We can't go on as we are.'

In the most Left-wing speech delivered by a modern British prime minister, Mr Burnham will tell Labour's party conference it is time for the state to take 'more control of the basics'.

Last night, there was mounting speculation that Mr Burnham will also signal the end of the pensions triple lock to help pay for his £18billion plan to reform social care.

Chancellor John Healey repeatedly refused to commit to maintaining the triple lock beyond the next election, despite warnings that ditching it would drive up pensioner poverty.

The PM is also expected to make a renewed push to move Britain back into the orbit of the EU. Mr Burnham will today admit that 'people will not agree with every part' of his new plan for the country.

But he will say he is determined to provide 'less drift and more direction' following Sir Keir Starmer's disastrous reign.

Pledging to sweep away the 'flawed thinking of the last 40 years', he will say: 'We can't carry on as we are. Politics–as–usual has taken Britain backwards. More of the same isn't good enough and isn't going to get us where we need to be.'

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Chancellor John Healey react during the Labour Party's annual conference in Liverpool

Andy Burnham will today set out plans for greater state control of water, energy and housing, saying: 'We can't go on as we are'

His intervention came as:

• Shabana Mahmood signalled she is ready to cave in to Labour opposition to her plans to make migrants wait longer before they can claim residence;
• Mr Healey warned the conference there is no money left after the party's first two years in power;
• The Prime Minister set a target to put in place a new 'free' social care system by 2030;
• Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband described the UK as a country of 'proud Europeans' whose future 'lies in a stronger, deeper partnership with the European Union';
• Ministers were urging the Chancellor to scrap Labour's plans to hike fuel duty by 7p a litre next year as diesel hit a record high;
• Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh ditched Labour's pledge to cut electricity bills by £300;
• Wes Streeting urged activists to drop their opposition to increased defence spending.

Renationalisation of the railways is already under way and the PM will today signal he wants further government control of other sectors, including water, energy and housing.

He will indicate that the Government stands ready to put Thames Water in a 'special administration scheme' if a bailout plan fails, effectively putting the debt-laden giant back in public hands. 

Labour sources said that full-scale nationalisation of the major utilities is unlikely at this stage because of the enormous cost. 

But ministers are exploring other ways to intervene in the market to give the Government greater control, including appointing elected mayors to lead regional oversight boards.

Andy Burnham, Chancellor of the Exchequer, John Healey and Housing Secretary Angela Rayner are seen making apple crumble together during a visit to the Independence Initiative on Monday

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Mr Burnham will claim the country is currently 'run for vested interests, not in the public interest, with power held in too few hands'. He will argue that the state needs 'more control of the basics so that we can make it more functional again'.

The PM has already pledged to oversee the construction of a new wave of council houses. And Communities Secretary Angela Rayner has unveiled plans to allow councils to seize private homes that are left empty for six months.

Mr Burnham, who is technically still bound by Labour's 2024 manifesto, will describe his plans as a 'more serious prospectus for Britain than people have been offered in a generation'.

Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake hit back last night, saying: 'Hope is not a strategy. 

If Andy Burnham wants to be honest with the British people, he must admit that Labour's tax rises have crushed businesses, killed jobs and hammered family finances – all so Labour can give more handouts to Benefits Street.

'Andy Burnham has the chance to show whether he's got the backbone to bring the welfare bill down and stand up to his welfare–obsessed MPs. 

Failure to do so will prove he's just a people pleaser who can't take decisions in the national interest, and that Labour really are the Welfare Party.'