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As we've been saying, Andy Burnham's spoken in the Commons
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for the first time this evening since his return to Westminster. Our political correspondent, Bethany Dawson, is back
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to give us an insight into what the incoming Prime Minister had to say. Bethany
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Andy Burnham indeed is up in the House of Commons right now
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delivering his first speech in the House for quite a while. Of course, this is on an incredibly sombre topic
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It's on the Hillsborough disaster. So this is not a sort of moment for laughs or really any levity
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and we can hear some of the really impassioned words that he gave the topic here
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I feel tempted to start this speech by saying, as I was saying 10 years ago in this place
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but it feels fitting to be here tonight, and particularly to be with my rights honourable friend
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the Prime Minister because I remember very clearly at the conclusion of the second Hillsborough
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inquest, how he worked with me as part of the Shadow Health team back then to draft the original bill
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that was presented to Parliament and tonight is before this House. It does feel
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tonight like life is coming full circle And as we pass this momentous piece of legislation a piece of legislation that will change the way this country thinks and works about justice it truly is a rewiring of the state and a passing of power from the authorities to the hands of ordinary people
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And it is happening because of the Prime Minister's commitment to a country based on justice and fairness and we thank him for that
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He has honoured his commitment to the Hillsborough families and what this House will do in passing this bill tonight
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is rebalancing the scales of justice so that we have justice for ordinary people going forward
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and that, Madam Deputy Speaker, is some legacy indeed. We have all recognised that we simply would not be here tonight
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were it not for the dignity and the determination of the Hillsborough families
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who are with us in this chamber this evening. Andy Burnham there paying tribute to the Hillsborough families
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But I think one thing that's also important to pick up there is he also paid tribute to Keir Starmer
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It was a very friendly interaction between the current Prime Minister and the future Prime Minister
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It must have seemed very, very weird, the two of them sort of standing, you know, quite close to each other
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I'm sure it was very strange, but I think an interesting insight into the sort of Commons
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performer we going to see in the next Prime Minister It also worth you know noting that he didn have a script in front of him He was speaking freely with just some handwritten notes and he got increasingly more passionate as his sort of 10 speech went on
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I cannot describe my pride, Madam Deputy Speaker, in being in this House tonight to see this bill
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plant the values of the city of my birth at the heart of this country
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And that is something of huge and profound significance that has been brought about by the Hillsborough families
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and we recognise the significance of that tonight. As Steve Rotherham has said
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the Hillsborough law can't do any more for the Hillsborough families. Indeed, it will do much more for those who come after them
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but that's what makes their campaign so special. They've done this for others, not for themselves
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And those others include, and it's very important to remind the House of those other campaigns who we hope now will be lifted by this legislation as we pass it this evening
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We do think, as the Prime Minister said, of the Grenfell survivors and families this evening
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and I'm sure all London members will want to echo that, who are still waiting for justice and accountability over nine years after the Grenfell fire
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Very interesting there He looking over his shoulder of course at Hillsborough but he looking ahead as well This law is supposed to trigger a whole series of rethinks about previous injustices
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We keep talking a lot about Andy Burnham's entry and what is flashing red. And one of those things
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is going to be compensation to those aggrieved by the infected blood scandal. There are still
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reports into Grenfell that are ongoing. There is still news around Grenfell. The Covid inquiry
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Of course, today a report was released. The scandals of public life are going to keep on going
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and this legislation is going to change the way we treat that. It's very hard to take something as unusual as this
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and say this tells us X or Y about what it's going to feel like
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under the new prime minister. It was interesting he was speaking without notes. He got quite emotional
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But he has said again and again he wants things like prime minister's questions
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to feel different. We haven't really seen any sense of what that will mean
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whether he will be able to be less partisan, less punchy than previous prime ministers
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And I do think that that's one reason that it's a shame we're not going to see Andy Burnham in the Commons for six weeks
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You know, we're not going to get any sort of feel of what he's going to be like when he spars with the Conservatives
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with the Lib Dems, with reform. If he will spar with them or if he will..
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Rise above it, maybe. Rise above it, bring this new politics. But I will say every prime minister says
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they're going to do politics differently and they all end up sort of almost calling each other unspeakable things in the chamber
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So I will be really interested to see actually how he does it. But this speech, as you say, was incredibly sobering
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It was very grounding and it was incredibly passionate
