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| Volume 56 Number 27, September 26, 2026 | ARCHIVE | HOME | JBCENTRE | SUBSCRIBE |
Prime Minister Andy Burnham delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly on September 22, 2026. Burnham pitched his speech on the premise that "Britain Is Back", thus underlining his commitment to a society where the oligarchs call the shots and countering the declaration of the workers that "The Working Class Is Back".
The "turbulence of today", as Burnham put it, is something which despite his claims, he can do nothing about, except to add to this turbulence by "investing in our defence - meeting our NATO commitments and strengthening European capabilities". This is the very definition of "national security" used by his predecessors to step up preparations for war, pay the armaments industries, and militarise the economy. It is a way to join forces with the oligarchs who wish to obliterate anything progressive, and cover over that the security of the people can only come through the defence of the rights of all.
To underline the point, and to raise once more the spectre of Russia as a global threat, he says, "We will be relentless in building up our hard power and deterrence. But we will not play Russia's game of trading escalatory rhetoric. Unlike Russia, we do not seek confrontation ... True resilience depends on this military strength [i.e. Britain's hard power]." Burnham rehashes baseless claims that Russia "amplified far right narratives. And we have evidence that they tried to interfere with the 2019 General Election. We also know that they have tried to stoke tensions and unrest in the wake of horrific events."
As if this evidence of Burnham the warmonger was not enough, he emphasises, "We have tiptoed around this for too long." The Prime Minister is seeing things that are not there, contrary to his claim that the British government is going to face the new decade "with our eyes wide open".
Of course, to "make life more affordable", it needs a "new 10-year Plan for Britain". And what will this new 10-year Plan entail? "Today I am tasking our security chiefs to begin work on a new National Centre for Information Defence - to detect, attribute and disrupt these kinds of hostile state information attacks," says Burnham.
This "popular" Prime Minister seems to be trying to outdo all the warmongering governments of this century, in the name of "collective security and resilience". Britain will be made great again by continuing "to lead with others to fight this threat [climate crisis]".
In the same breath, Prime Minister Burnham, in the name of raising our sights, declares, "the UK has a unique position as an honest broker to help drive this forward. We are America's closest ally...". And he goes on to itemise other ties, and the alleged fact that "In a divided world, we have the ability to bring people together - and we will. We are going to step into that role."
After speaking of AI as a "vital tool to keep us safe", Burnham makes the rather chilling statement that "I am announcing today that we are developing a new AI defence partnership with the US to protect our critical national infrastructure." No matter, referring to statements of Charles III, Burnham quotes, "As His Majesty said, the task before us 'is not merely to advance technology, but to ensure that it remains firmly in the service of humanity'."
To our Prime Minister, this seems to clinch the argument. Secrets of state permit him to reassure the British people that "ultimately we will do whatever is necessary to protect them - including bringing forward new laws if that is what is needed. They need to know that we will protect their interests - and we will."
Cognisant that people want to have the power to control their own lives, Burnham thinks he is wise enough to say, "But on its own, that's not enough, is it?" This has been the Prime Minister's unique selling point in staking his claim to popularity. "In this dangerous, turbulent age," he says, "it is more important than ever that we give people the power to build their own resilience and do more for themselves. And give them the platform to stand up for what they believe in. I am working to rebalance power across all regions of the UK." This is a feint to put a veil over the fact that never have the people been so disempowered by the cartel-party system of so-called representative democracy. He says, "Nothing brings the British people together across age, race and class more than their hatred of injustice - the misuse of power against the powerless. We will always stand for the underdog against the bully." It is important to note the misleading use of the word "we", on which the deception hinges. What Burnham has in mind is "Ukraine. And let me say, we salute the Ukrainian people. They are showing depths of resilience and courage that is an inspiration to the whole world." What working people have in mind is their own struggles in defence of their rights and claims, on the one hand, and, on the other, the history of the British state in massacring and suppressing those who opposed its vicious rule, not to mention the aggression carried out in the "war on terror". Andy Burnham, however, devotes pages of his speech to painting Ukraine as a victim and Russia as an aggressor, completely falsifying history, as Workers' Weekly pointed out in its article last week.
Then we come to Palestine. The government thinks it can exonerate itself from complicity with genocide by declaring it will sanction trade with illegal Israeli settlements on the West Bank, and recognising that the "Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful". This "reset" comes with condemnation of the Palestinian resistance and standing "with Israel in the face of the ongoing threats - including from Iran". It should also be noted that Burnham has agreed to provide so-called "defensive" military assistance to Saudi Arabia in countering Ansarallah attacks in the Red Sea and blockade of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. It is reported that RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft are to be deployed, assisting Saudi fighter jets bombing "defensive" targets on land and along coastal areas, such as weapons depots and sites used to launch missiles and drones. It is also reported that one of the beneficiaries of Saudi's renewed conflict in Yemen is likely to be British arms manufacturer BAE Systems, which made at least £2.3 billion every year from contracts with the Saudi military during the 2015-2022 air campaign.
So Prime Minister Andy Burnham concludes, "This is the kind of leadership Britain is here to bring. We need to recommit together to make the decade ahead of us better than the last. My message to our partners around the world is this: You can count on us. Count on us to stand up for those long-standing British values of fairness and justice - our shared values - and for the UN Charter. Count on us to fight racism, discrimination and the abuse of power wherever we see it. Just as those Manchester cotton workers did in the nineteenth century, and the country did in the fight against fascism in the twentieth century. Count on us to bring people together. Not to point towards old problems, but to work towards new solutions for the 21st century." Rousing words, perhaps, but with no recognition that the Westminster system of governance is one thing, and the struggles and values of the working class and people are another.
These are not modest steps in the right direction, and despite Andy Burnham's remarks to the UN General Assembly, it is not bringing power "closer to the people". Burnham's speech rests on the same principles as the other cartel parties. It is a Britain of preparing for war with fiscal rules and austerity, but with what is imagined to be a "popular" face. That is not going to wash, and the resistance is going to grow. The challenge in these circumstances is to build something powerful, "unity works" as the TUC was declaring at this year's Congress, but unity around the defence of rights and the striving for an anti-war government.
The issue is how to solve the problems facing the working class and people, and find the way out of the crisis, a way out which favours the working class and people, an alternative which is urgently called for at this moment in history.
The lesson for working people from Andy Burnham's speech at the UN General Assembly is that it is up to them, the working class and people, to ensure that the struggle to fundamentally change the direction of the economy and bring about democratic renewal of the old political processes and institutions is fought with the aim of bringing about an anti-war government and defending the rights of all.