UK Conservative Party leader, Kemi Badenoch, has congratulated Andy Burnham on becoming Britain’s new prime minister but said while he is “a nice man,” the country needs a leader capable of making difficult decisions rather than “a people pleaser.”

In a statement released on Monday on X following Burnham’s assumption of office, Badenoch wished the new prime minister success but vowed to hold his government accountable as Leader of the Opposition.

“Today, Britain has a new Prime Minister. I wish Andy Burnham every success. Because we need a Prime Minister and a Government focused on fixing the public’s priorities,” she said.

Badenoch said her role was “to hold the Prime Minister to account, not to be his cheer leader.”

“My job as Leader of the Opposition, is to hold the Prime Minister to account, not to be his cheer leader. When he does the right thing, I will praise him,” she stated.

She welcomed reports that Burnham planned to approve licences for the Jackdaw and Rosebank gas fields in the North Sea but urged him to go further.

“In that spirit, I welcome press reports that Burnham plans to grant licences for the Jackdaw and Rosebank gas fields in the North Sea. But he must not stop there. He should end Ed Miliband’s destructive ban on new licences altogether. Let’s get Britain drilling so we can bring down the cost of energy,” she said.

The Conservative leader, however, criticised Burnham for assuming office without presenting what she described as a clear governing agenda.

“Andy Burnham is becoming Prime Minister without having set out a clear plan for government. He has refused calls to come to Parliament to answer questions from MPs, meaning there won’t be a PMQs until September. He has avoided proper media scrutiny, giving an interview instead to Gary Lineker,” she said.

Badenoch added, “I have found Andy to be a nice man. But Britain needs a leader who can take difficult decisions, not a people pleaser.”

She also criticised the Labour Party’s economic record under former Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, arguing that changing the party’s leader would not automatically solve Britain’s problems.

“The problem wasn’t just Keir Starmer, it was the whole Labour Party,” she said.

According to her, Starmer leaves office with “a growing welfare bill, higher unemployment, and increased energy costs,” adding that “the tax burden is killing economic growth, and making the cost of living worse for families.”

Badenoch said the solution was to reduce government spending, particularly on welfare, and offered to work with Burnham on that objective.

She further argued that the Conservative Party had learnt from its mistakes in government and had changed direction on key policies, including net-zero commitments and Britain’s relationship with the European Convention on Human Rights.

“The Conservatives have changed, and the choice at the next election is becoming clearer. Andy Burnham’s Labour offering state control and forced redistribution or my new Conservative Party—offering enterprise, responsibility and growth,” she said.

PUNCH Online reported that Sir Keir Starmer formally resigned as the United Kingdom’s prime minister on Monday, telling the country that “my work is done” before handing over power to Burnham, who was later invited by King Charles III to form a new government. (The PUNCH)

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