A new opinion poll has delivered an early boost to Andy Burnham just a week into his time as Prime Minister, with Labour drawing level with Reform UK for the first time in years. The survey, carried out by YouGov for Sky News and The Times, marks a notable shift in the political landscape at the very start of the new premiership, and has been characterised as a Burnham bounce in the polls.
According to the poll, Labour and Reform UK are now neck and neck, with both parties sitting on 22%. The Conservatives are close behind on 21%, followed by the Greens on 13% and the Liberal Democrats on 11%. The tightness at the top of the field underlines just how competitive the current standings between the main parties have become.
The headline figure is the significance of Labour catching up with Reform. According to the reporting, it is the first time in 15 years that Labour has not been behind Nigel Farage's Reform UK, a milestone that has been seized upon as evidence of a change in momentum since Burnham took office. Farage and Burnham are now described as being neck and neck at the top of the polls.
The improved numbers come as the new Prime Minister makes his first steps onto the world stage. On the same day, Andy Burnham welcomed Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky to Portsmouth, his first foreign leader as Prime Minister, using the visit to underline continued British support for Ukraine and to stress that the relationship would remain strong.
On domestic matters, Burnham has sought to set himself apart on some key questions. Unlike his predecessor as chancellor, Rachel Reeves, he moved to shut down suggestions that he might scrap stamp duty or council tax in the first budget later this year. Asked to reassure people looking to buy a home, he said clearly that changing or scrapping stamp duty in the next budget would not be happening.
At the same time, the new Prime Minister has struck a conciliatory tone, calling for cross-party talks on the long-running issue of social care reform. According to the report, both Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey reached out over the weekend to say they were prepared to engage in talks, although Burnham noted that saying so and then following through are two different things.
Looking ahead, Burnham is expected to turn his attention to youth unemployment and education, with a planned intervention that would shift emphasis away from university and academic routes towards technical ones. The approach is tied to a broader devolution agenda, under which central government would work with mayoral and local authorities, and in turn with schools, to identify the jobs needed in different areas and the local growth industries.