LabourList

Andy Burnham’s pledge to the country is “good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart”. What would this look like in practice? The answer lies in the economic success stories of British companies – big, medium and small – across the UK and in building on these successes across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

MPs are preparing to vote on a renewed attempt to legalise assisted dying in England and Wales, in a division likely to go down to the wire. Labour MP for Rochester and Strood Lauren Edwards has introduced identical legislation to Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill to Parliament, after the Spen Valley MP’s proposed law was killed off in the House of Lords due to an unprecedented number of amendments.

It was a busy summer for the Labour government. Andy Burnham hit the ground running, combining progress on 2024 manifesto commitments with his own priorities. Here are seven of the most exciting breakthroughs and announcements from the past few weeks that you can use, whether you’re on the doorstep, sparring on social media, or debating in the pub. Labour is cutting the tax from 1 October. It’ll save the typical household around £45 a year once the next Ofgem price cap lands.

Andy Burnham has promised to rewire Britain by pushing power outwards from Whitehall to places and people across the UK. There is another less visible concentration of power that deserves the same attention. Britain’s pension system now gives millions of working people a financial stake in the economy. Through automatic enrolment, introduced by a Labour government in 2008, people who own few other financial assets now have savings invested in companies across Britain and the world.

The cheers that greeted the PM two days in a row were deafening. As Andy Burnham made his first and second commons appearances this week his backbenchers were keen to voice their newly positive feeling. Burnham had been away from Parliament for over a decade and the government dispatch box for 16 years. He was clearly keen to make up for lost time.

Every year, the state must rent thousands of homes for people in desperate need. Councils are required to find temporary accommodation for those at risk of homelessness. The Home Office needs properties for destitute asylum seekers awaiting a decision. Homes are needed for prison leavers, older people with support needs, and women at risk of domestic violence. The amount of taxpayers’ money involved in this crucial activity is enormous – and has grown in recent years due to the housing crisis.

There is a hidden threat in and around many British homes that wouldn’t even occur to most of us to watch out for: lead. It is easy to imagine this is a problem of the past, and no doubt progress has been made, but unfortunately lead poisoning and pollution hasn’t gone away. Out of sight should not be out of mind: we urgently need a national screening program to understand the scale of the problem, and identify where to intervene.

MPs will not vote on reform of the electoral system after an amendment calling for a national commission was ruled “out of scope”. An amendment to the Representation of the People Bill, proposed by Labour MP Alex Sobel, called for a commission to review alternatives to first-past-the-post for UK elections. The amendment was backed by more than 100 Labour MPs from across the party, including Luke Akehurst, Chris Curtis, Bell Ribeiro-Addy and Stella Creasy.

As I entered Parliament yesterday morning, I did so with the feeling of renewal. The return from recess was reminiscent of that feeling you got when you returned to school from the summer holidays. Another year older, with a touch more experience and a mild assumption you had earned your place in the mad social hierarchy of it all that little bit more. What’s more you have a new teacher. A different person to lead your experience. Excited and nervous – how will this all play out?

A week is a long time in politics. And it’s been a long year since we were last at Conference. With a new Leader, a new Cabinet and a completely different political world, there’s a lot to catch up on. This year at Conference we have a fantastic line-up.