Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first statement to the Commons since replacing Sir Keir Starmer to blame Brexit as one of a "series of wrong turns" that has left Britain with a "decade of low growth". The remarks mark a notable shift in tone from Sir Keir's leadership, with Burnham framing decentralisation, public ownership and cross-party cooperation as central to his premiership, while pro-EU campaigners hope his criticism signals openness to closer ties with Brussels before the next election, even though he has pledged to maintain Starmer's red lines against rejoining the EU, single market or customs union.

Burnham told MPs the UK had taken wrong turns since the 1980s, citing centralisation of political power, privatisation, deindustrialisation and austerity, before Brexit "compounded the damage". His comments follow reporting that Brexit has cost British business £11.7bn a year in lost exports, with 98.2% of firms surveyed wanting to rejoin the single market; Best for Britain's Naomi Smith urged him to pursue rejoining, citing a potential £92bn economic boost, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised him for avoiding Commons scrutiny during his first 43 days in office.