Burnham blames Brexit for low growth in first Commons speech as PM

Andy Burnham used his first major Commons speech as Prime Minister to blame Brexit and Margaret Thatcher for Britain's economic performance, drawing sharp criticism from the Express and GB News. The Sun reports he was accused of being "stuck in the past"; the Express says the argument "belongs on the ash heap of history".

GB News notes the timing: Burnham blamed Brexit for low growth just hours after his own government hailed a new trade deal that was only possible outside the European Union. The Guardian's editorial warns him to "take note" of rising global bond yields; John Crace's sketch suggests the new Prime Minister is offering "less policy, more vibes". The Express adds that Starmer, still an MP at the time of the speech, looked "absolutely fuming" - though whether at Burnham's argument or his own impending resignation is left to interpretation.

The category error is instructive. "Brexit" isn't a variable you can still adjust - it's the settled context within which every government now governs. A Prime Minister who runs the argument backwards, relitigating the referendum while the bond markets are moving, is a Prime Minister who has mistaken the Commons for a seminar. Thatcher left office over three decades ago; Brexit was confirmed by two general elections. Neither is on the ballot.

The test is simple: can Burnham govern the country as it is, or only the one he wishes had voted differently? The bond markets don't wait for nostalgia. Watch whether his next speech contains a plan, or just a diagnosis of whose fault it was that he needs one.