Up next in 10
Prime Minister Andy Burnham sits down with Nick Ferrari at the 2026 Labour conference in Liverpool. The pair discuss all the biggest talking points of the country's political landscape today.
00:00 | 'What's not to like, Prime Minister?' Delays regarding Heathrow airport's third runway
02:02 | 'I have spoken about it!' 'Very briefly...' Why have you not Nick grills the PM on the UK's defence
03:37 | 'Is there a genocide happening in Gaza?' Burnham comments further on Ed Miliband's sanctions
06:10 | 'What is "working-class aspiration?"' The PM talks about his background
07:42 | 'I can assure your listeners of that' The PM answers questioning on tax hikes and general cost of living
08:26 | 'How would dad made of how his boy did?' Nick offers his condolences to the PM and reflects on his big speech at the conference
Listen to the full show on the all-new LBC App: https://app.af.lbc.co.uk/btnc/thenewlbcapp
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0:00
Prime Minister, thank you for your time. I was struck you've talked about backing British industry, you've talked about a theory of growth, you've talked about the delight of the ferry here in Liverpool, and you want to see business optimising all conditions
0:12
So, you've talked about every postcode, what about TW6, Heathrow Airport, why the delay on that
0:18
There's been a consultation and it's really important, given it's such a decision of importance for the whole country
0:27
to take time to see the outcome of the consultation. Obviously, Heathrow Airport is a huge economic driver for the country
0:36
but there are concerns and those concerns need to be considered alongside that
0:40
It's 100,000 jobs, a £40 billion injection into the economy, 60% of which is to be felt outside London and the South East
0:47
What's not to like, Prime Minister? Well, ask some of the members of Parliament in London, the Mayor of London
0:55
There are other voices who don't... So the Mayor of London has more sway than you, Prime Minister
0:59
Well, no, but it's a very important voice that I want to..
1:03
How can we have growth if we haven't got a third runway? Schiphol, Amsterdam, six. Paris, four. London, two
1:09
I'm not saying that I've taken a position. You know, it's important that where there is a consultation
1:13
and then potentially a planning application, I need to handle that carefully
1:18
Are you minded to do it? Well, I'm on the record as saying that Heathrow could be a good idea
1:26
I have said that in the past. In my past role as Mayor of Greater Manchester, though
1:30
I looked at the second runway at Manchester and it has capacity
1:35
So I think we do need to have a wider discussion about what is the right airport configuration for the country in the long run
1:43
and where airports have got capacity, should that be used first before we allow further airport expansion
1:50
But I am on this one having to say that I am listening to both sides of the argument
1:56
There is a strong case for it, but we do need to hear those opposed. Do you see it as a key to growth
2:01
Certainly, of course, yeah. You talked a lot about growth, you talked a lot about the National Health Service
2:05
you talked about your family circumstances. Precious little on defence. Now, I don't expect you to comment or give a running commentary
2:10
But three days ago, it looks like we might have had some kind of terrorist event in Fairford
2:15
Now, you once said national security not at the expense of social security
2:19
Why nothing more on defence, Prime Minister? I did speak about defence today. And I mentioned our NATO obligations
2:25
I talked a lot about defence Nick since coming into this job I made a commitment to fully fund the defence investment plan and that will happen I was within two weeks of taking office and was in Ukraine
2:37
supporting President Zelensky. I was at the UN last week talking about issues related to defence
2:45
and our national security. It has taken actually more of my time probably since I became Prime
2:51
Minister. Then why didn't we hear it just now? You did hear it. Not in the same level
2:55
well obviously there's only so much you can put on the table in a uh in a conference speech there
3:03
were big themes that i put on the table i put forward i would say a prospectus that the british
3:09
public haven't been offered in a long time i did it with honesty i did it with clarity and i've set
3:15
out a 10-year plan for britain in which i've demonstrated how we can meet our defense
3:20
commitments by reforming welfare building more council homes so we can reduce housing benefit
3:25
taking a different approach getting young people into work so we can reduce the amount we spend on
3:30
out-of-work benefits and that is the route then to meet our NATO commitments. You did speak about
3:36
honesty you also talked about principle and principle was a grad Israel and Palestine
3:40
your senior colleague Ed Miliband talked about the ethnic cleansing that's gone on in Gaza
3:44
has there been a genocide in Gaza? Well we carefully consider these matters and that word was not
3:53
used in Ed Miliband's statement to the House of Commons, because always the approach of the
4:01
British government is to take the lead from the courts. And when the courts have made a
4:07
determination on something as serious as that, Nick, I think that is the case. And the issue is
4:18
still under consideration, isn't it, from the international... You mentioned the London Mayor
4:23
Lord Khan. He says there has been a genocide. What would you say to Lord Khan? In my position
4:28
I think it's right that I wait and I base what I say on those who've studied the evidence and the
4:35
legal position. And it's something that I think is important, given the feeling around these issues
4:45
I did agree with Ed Miliband to talk about the illegal occupation and the war crimes that we
4:52
we believe have been committed. So we did call it where we have evidence
4:56
and where we believe it clear we have said that I not saying that it is or isn at this point in time That hasn yet been determined but we will take our lead from the courts How comfortable were you again in a
5:09
related conversation, a woman of 94 and some others were arrested here on the weekend for
5:14
wearing a t-shirt that said, stop the genocide in Gaza, I support Palestine action. Is that
5:19
terrorist activity? Well, obviously they are currently a prescribed organisation and I
5:27
have in the past considered how do we have a situation where
5:33
the most extreme elements of that organisation who have carried out attacks
5:40
at military installations, there's quite a spectrum there isn't there in terms of
5:45
what you've just described and the other end of the... But a 94 year old
5:50
grandmother wearing the t-shirt I understand the point that you're making and
5:56
And I also, though, would say there's another end of the spectrum here
6:00
What does that mean? What I've just said, that there are parts of that organisation
6:06
that have carried out attacks at military bases, and that's a different thing
6:10
You spoke very movingly about your background. You'd have had to have a heart of steel not to be moved by it
6:14
You talked about working-class aspiration on three separate occasions. What is working-class aspiration, Prime Minister
6:20
It is the desire of people from, if you say, humble beginnings to get on in life
6:29
That was my grandmother, my grandfather, who drove a lorry alongside the docks where we're sitting right now
6:35
They wouldn't have been able to take in the fact that their grandson was on this stage today
6:41
My gran bought her home by walking across fields from the city and put a deposit down on it
6:46
She was full of working class aspirations. She was determined that the life of her daughter, my mum, would be better than hers
6:54
And my mum, in turn, was determined that my life would be better than hers. And you painted a picture how you want that for Britain's today
6:59
I do. I think Britain is full of working-class aspirations. Middle class have aspirations, don't they, Prime Minister
7:03
Yeah, of course they do. Of course they do. But I was talking about my story today
7:07
I was trying to let the public and the country know who I am and where I have come from
7:12
and to tell the country how I feel about things. And that was what I was saying today
7:18
And often the people for whom life is hardest haven't been set up to achieve
7:25
And what I was saying in my speech is that the loss of the ability to have a council home
7:30
the school system that focused so much now on the university route and doesn offer technical pathways I think we taken away the flame of working class aspiration from too many
7:40
families. And lastly, you talked about a cost of living government. Can you give my listeners
7:46
the promise that the projected fuel duty hike next year will be halted, will be delayed
7:51
That's full of budget, Nick, and I can't give you those details now. Well, what I can give you..
7:56
You'll know, Prime Minister, diesel is north of two... Oh, don't worry, I know, and I'm watching that very closely
8:02
So I can assure your listeners of that. But what I can also say to them is VAT will come off their electricity bills on Thursday
8:10
And that was because of a decision I took as I entered Downing Street
8:14
So I'm not going to say that is everything, it's not. But I hope it does communicate to your listeners, many of them
8:21
that I've got my eye on what's going on. I'm doing what I can to help them, and that won't change
8:27
Looking down from above, what will Dad have made of how his boy did? That's a hard question
8:32
I struggled a little at that stage. His funeral is on Friday
8:37
Thank you. No, I appreciate that. I've walked a similar path. It's not easy
8:41
I wasn't doing it to seek sympathy because I had a choice to make with the speech
8:45
Do I just compartmentalise all of that away or do I talk about him
8:48
He was a son of this city. Indeed. You know, a very proud one. And he brought us up a certain way
8:54
and in the end, I thought it was right to talk about him and particularly in the context of the statement from the First Minister
9:00
that I might be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I didn't quote that to criticise him, but he raised that point
9:08
and it just gave me that theme that I wanted to talk about
9:11
about the patriotism, the quiet patriotism that my dad had, the Britain that he believed in and the Britain that was of trade unions
9:20
a union of countries, a country that fought fascism in the last century
9:24
He instilled in us all of that history and the idea that people do more when they work together
9:30
And it just gave me that moment to say, that is me. That's the Britain I believe in
9:35
It's the Britain I will fight for. And that's what I will carry on doing as prime minister
9:39
It was undoubtedly very powerful. Let's finish on a light note. Are you David Moyes or Alex Ferguson
9:44
I was a little confused there. I know it was. That wasn't a scripted line
9:49
And I shouldn't, my team were saying that I shouldn't do those things, but I'm very much the David Moyes in this
9:55
I'm the David Moyes in this situation. Bev Craig is the new mayor of Greater Manchester
10:00
and she will do great things. A memorable performance. Well done to you
10:04
Thank you very much. Thank you for your time. Condolences. Thank you, Prime Minister
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