# Burnham sounds like Starmer with a northern accent

> The new Labour leader is repeating his predecessor's rhetoric while pursuing timid policies on climate and energy.
- Title: Burnham sounds like Starmer with a northern accent | Shortify
- Summary: The new Labour leader is repeating his predecessor's rhetoric while pursuing timid policies on climate and energy.
- Keywords: andy burnham, keir starmer, labour government, climate policy, cop31, north sea drilling, electric vehicles, The Independent
- Source: The Independent — https://independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andy-burnham-cop31-keir-starmer-b3083637.html
- Published: 2026-11-12T09:43:25+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: andy burnham, keir starmer, labour government, climate policy, cop31, north sea drilling, electric vehicles, politics, news
## Burnham echoes Starmer at climate summit
Andy Burnham delivered a speech at COP31 in Turkiye using the same well-worn lines as his predecessor Keir Starmer, including "Britain is back" and "climate is a national security issue".

> "Britain is back"
## The "Britain is back" line rings hollow
The phrase is particularly jarring after two years of a Labour government already saying exactly the same thing, suggesting an attempt to claim credit without actually doing much.
## Burnham limited by manifesto commitments
Westminster observers note Burnham is proving the same as Starmer on policy, constrained by 2024 manifesto commitments on tax and offering only incremental retail policies that cost little.
## Climate talk masks contradictory actions
While Burnham talks up the climate emergency at COP31, he is allowing drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea and rolling back electric vehicle targets.
## Treading water until the next election
The government appears to be pursuing watered-down incrementalism rather than the radical change Burnham promised before summer, likely keeping to this course until the next election, still three years away.
## Key takeaway

Andy Burnham is delivering the same cautious policies as Keir Starmer, using identical rhetoric at COP31 in Turkiye despite promising radical change.