Andy Burnham will make his first appearance at the House of Commons despatch box as prime minister, calling for greater public control over water, energy and transport services. He is expected to argue that essential services have not been run in the public interest and have become neither reliable nor affordable, and that stronger public control could act as an engine for economic growth, making this a priority for the government in the coming months.

The statement, on Tuesday, gives MPs a chance to question the summer's policy announcements, including a VAT cut on energy bills from October and reduced business rates for pubs and clubs, before a two-hour session of scrutiny. Burnham faces his first Prime Minister's Questions against Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch on Wednesday, following her shadow cabinet reshuffle that saw Sir Mel Stride and Dame Priti Patel sacked. He also confronts pressing issues including possible nationalisation of Thames Water, the future of the Rosebank and Jackdaw North Sea oil fields, immigration legislation, and a £4.7 billion gap in the defence budget left by predecessor Sir Keir Starmer, with Chancellor John Healey pledging clarity on defence spending targets.