Sir Keir Starmer has warned Andy Burnham that, as a future prime minister, he would not be able to focus less on global affairs because international events directly affect the UK’s domestic challenges. Sir Keir Starmer stressed in his first sit-down interview since his resignation that household bills, energy prices, trade and security all depend on international diplomacy. Andy Burnham has not said he would abandon foreign policy, but his priority would be to govern with a stronger domestic focus while maintaining support for Ukraine, Nato and key alliances. if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "inread-hb-ros-inews" } ); } As Sir Keir’s likely successor, he can be buoyed by the fact that British governments have often pursued transformative domestic reforms during periods of international crisis. Labour’s Clement Attlee took over as Prime Minister in July 1945 after defeating Winston Churchill and went on to lead the country through major international upheaval while spearheading a far-reaching domestic overhaul. Attlee’s government introduced the NHS and welfare state while managing the early Cold War and post-war reconstruction. Margaret Thatcher pursued extensive economic reforms during the Falklands War and the Cold War, and Tony Blair introduced domestic reforms while dealing with Kosovo, Afghanistan and Iraq. if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_mobile_l1" } ); } if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_tablet_l1" } ); } Burnham’s key domestic challenges Burnham will inherit deep-seated domestic challenges, including a struggling economy, the skyrocketing cost of living, youth unemployment and a public service system in severe crisis. The war in Ukraine has had major effects on European energy prices. Conflict in the Middle East has led to higher oil prices, while US tariffs and policies affect UK exporters and investment decisions. Sir Keir reiterated his stance that Burnham will not be able to spend less time grappling with the turmoil around the world than he has. He told the BBC: “If you’re prime minister and you care what bills are going to be like in any household around the country, you have to care about finding a lasting solution to the situation in Ukraine, you have to care about what happens in the Strait of Hormuz. “It’s not sensible to think you can just separate these two things out.” Asked if he believed it was possible for his successor to spend less time on diplomacy, Sir Keir said: “No, I don’t think it is possible. So this suggestion you can really, in the modern era, simply split up the international and domestic, is just… it just doesn’t make sense. “It isn’t true. It isn’t right.” if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_mobile_l2" } ); } if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_tablet_l2" } ); } Historical strategies on domestic issues Historically, Britain’s most successful reforming governments did not reduce their engagement with international affairs during periods of crisis. Instead, they tended to delegate effectively. They relied on strong Cabinet ministers and the wider machinery of government to continue delivering domestic reforms while the prime minister focused on international diplomacy. They tended to concentrate on a small number of flagship domestic reforms rather than attempting to tackle every issue simultaneously. For example, Clement Attlee focused on the NHS, welfare and housing, Margaret Thatcher prioritised inflation, privatisation and trade union reform, while Tony Blair concentrated on health, education and public service reform. Former prime ministers also used international engagement to support economic objectives by securing trade, attracting investment, protecting energy supplies and strengthening national security. Communicating clearly about how international events – from wars to supply-chain disruptions – affect everyday issues such as energy bills and the cost of living, helped governments build public understanding and confidence. Many governments have also used international crises as a catalyst for change and introduced structural reforms to address major events. if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_mobile_l3" } ); } if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_tablet_l3" } ); } Those strategies helped sustain domestic reform, although success also depended on economic conditions, parliamentary support and the scale of the international crisis. History does not show that international crises are irrelevant. Wars, financial crises and geopolitical instability have often forced governments to redirect money, parliamentary time and political attention, making reform more difficult. Mr Burnham’s policy directions Before Sir Keir’s BBC interview, Mr Burnham gave some indication of how he might govern on foreign policy during an “Ask Me Anything” session on Reddit. The Makerfield MP said he would “100%” give the same level of support to Ukraine as Sir Keir had, and suggested he wanted to continue with the outgoing Prime Minister’s efforts to broker a closer relationship with the EU. Elsewhere in the hour-long online question and answer session, Mr Burnham ruled out calling an early general election. “No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I’m going to work to the 2024 manifesto,” he said in response to a question about an early election. He similarly suggested he would stick to the 2024 Labour manifesto when asked whether he would scrap the state pensions triple lock, which protects the rate at which the state pension rises. if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_mobile_l4" } ); } if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mpu_tablet_l4" } ); } Elsewhere, Mr Burnham suggested he wanted to advocate for electoral reform as part of Labour’s next manifesto. Mr Burnham has previously expressed an interest in a form of proportional representation to replace the current first-past-the-post voting system. On Reddit he said electoral reform would “enable the change to a more collaborative politics, and one that is less about point-scoring and more about problem-solving”. He added: “I will seek to persuade my own party of the need for a manifesto commitment to it in the next manifesto.” Sir Keir’s resignation In the BBC interview, Sir Keir also spoke about how he came to the decision to resign, after spending a weekend with his family at Chequers, the grace-and-favour Buckinghamshire country estate available to all prime ministers. He said: “For me, and this may be different for other people, in the end it became an intensely personal decision, and that’s why it was a decision taken ultimately when Vic and I were away with the kids, we went to Chequers and just spent two days together as a family, and that’s when I came to my final decision.”

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