Andy Burnham faces first Commons tests as UK PM

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham faces his first major Westminster tests this week as parliament returns from its summer break after his first month in office.

Burnham, who succeeded Keir Starmer on July 20, is expected to deliver his first speech to parliament as prime minister on Tuesday. His government will detail a watering down of contentious plans to release thousands of prisoners early to ease chronic jail overcrowding.

Burnham said Sunday that hundreds of more serious offenders would remain behind bars, but said he was pushing the prison system to “the very limits of what's possible” without risking it “collapsing within months”.

On Wednesday, Burnham is due to take part in his first Prime Minister's Questions session, the weekly Commons session in which the prime minister faces the leader of the opposition.

His first weeks in Downing Street have included lower-cost measures such as cuts to electricity bills and bus fares, along with a “listening tour” of Britain. A YouGov survey published on August 18 found 46 percent of Britons viewed him favourably, up 12 percentage points from when he first entered Downing Street.

The next major test is his government's first budget on October 28. Burnham has promised cost-of-living support and an end to rough sleeping, while also facing pressure over defence spending and strained public finances. He has committed not to raise income tax, employee payroll contributions or value-added tax on consumer goods.

Other decisions ahead include welfare reform, social care funding, whether to scrap jury trials for many offences, and whether to allow oil and gas extraction at the Jackdaw and Rosebank fields in the North Sea.

Burnham is also due to host French President Emmanuel Macron in London this week, his first European leader visit since taking office. He has said Britain should be “bolder” in moving closer to the European Union, while ruling out rejoining the single market, the customs union or allowing freedom of movement.

A possible first meeting with US President Donald Trump at the United Nations General Assembly next month could also test Burnham, who previously described Trump's policies as “poisonous”.