Andy Burnham Launches Nationwide Drive to End Rough Sleeping on First Day as Prime Minister

On Monday, 20 July 2026, Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivered his maiden speech outside 10 Downing Street and announced a national programme to end long-term rough sleeping in the United Kingdom. The initiative is to be funded with an additional £340 million, the opening phase of a five-year plan that will acquire homes, identify those most in need and move at least 3,000 people into supported housing. Officials estimate the initial funding will deliver 1,200 new homes for rough sleepers.

Politics.co.ukAndy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’Andy Burnham is the UK's new Prime Minister

Burnham blamed successive governments for “turning a blind eye” to homelessness and cited the COVID-era “Everyone In” scheme as proof that decisive action is possible when political will exists. As former Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham pledged to tackle rough sleeping but achieved mixed results, a record that now frames his national ambition.

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The £340 million allocation is described as the first tranche of a five-year programme, with further details slated for release before the autumn. The funding is intended to secure suitable properties, provide intensive support services, and create a framework for local authorities to coordinate housing placements.

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Burnham framed the homelessness drive as central to his broader promise of a “more preventative state” that invests in people’s success rather than paying for failure. He also signalled a ten-year national plan to be published later in the year, aimed at addressing the cost-of-living squeeze, re-industrialising Britain through public procurement, and devolving power over “life’s essentials” to every postcode. Downing Street referenced the earlier “Everyone In” effort to underscore the government’s capacity for rapid implementation when priorities align.

Andy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch, in a welcoming letter, urged Burnham to commit to spending cuts and rule out tax rises, signalling fiscal caution toward the new programme. Green Party leader Zack Polanski called for rent controls, public ownership of the water industry and the introduction of wealth taxes, arguing that the homelessness plan alone will not address underlying affordability pressures. Observers also noted that Burnham’s earlier mayoral pledge produced only limited reductions in rough sleeping, raising questions about the feasibility of a nationwide rollout.

Andy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’

• “Burnham stated: “For too long, we’ve been told that ending rough sleeping will take decades or even that it’s impossible.” — Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

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• “On my first day as prime minister, I’m announcing this government’s commitment to finally end long-term rough sleeping across the UK at the earliest opportunity.” — Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

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• “We will change politics, to make it more collaborative, more about problem solving than point-scoring, and will take power out of here and carry it into every postcode in the land, so that they can do more, and in doing more, build a new economy where we put life’s essentials back under stronger public control to make them affordable to you again, reindustrialising Britain using public procurement to back British industry.” — Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

Andy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’

• “Mr Burnham, who was met with cheers by supporters in Downing Street, said: “I am acutely conscious that I am the sixth person in the last 10 years to walk up this street, the seventh prime minister since 2016, making this a moment for reflection and new resolution.” — Andy Burnham, Prime Minister

Andy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’

• “my work is done” — Sir Keir Starmer, outgoing Prime Minister

Andy Burnham uses first speech as PM to call for ‘national sense of unity’

Burnham indicated that detailed implementation guidance for the rough-sleeping programme will be published before the autumn, and that a comprehensive ten-year national plan will be outlined later in 2026. The government will also begin the process of selecting a new cabinet, with Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood widely expected to become chancellor.

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