Ed Davey hopes 'for the sake of our country' that Burnham is a better PM than Starmer
Ed Davey said Burnham had touched on issues the Lib Dems have long pushed, including social care and Thames Water, and said the approach "could be promising"
Sir Ed Davey has said he hopes “for the sake of our country” that Andy Burnham turns out to be a better Prime Minister, saying there are early signs the new government “could be really different”.
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Speaking to LBC, the Liberal Democrat leader said he was encouraged by Mr Burnham’s tone and his talk of doing politics differently, but warned he wanted to see far more detail before making a full judgment.
Sir Ed said: "If Burnham carries out the sort of things he's talking about, I think it could be really different. I like the way he says he wants to do politics differently."
He added: "I'm a little worried there's not an awful lot said on the economy, on growth, and on Europe.
"But I want to hope that for the sake of our country, he is a better Prime Minister than the six we've had in the last 10 years."
Sir Ed said Burnham had touched on issues the Lib Dems have long pushed, including social care and Thames Water, and said the approach "could be promising".
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"If he wants to engage in cross-party talks to solve the problems we face, if he wants to reform our broken politics, then that sounds good to me," Sir Ed said.
On social care, Sir Ed welcomed the prospect of cross-party working and said he had already written to Mr Burnham to offer talks.
He said: “I strongly welcome it, and I acknowledge the fact that, like me, he's got a personal experience."
But, he said Mr Burnham had not yet said enough about the role of unpaid family carers, arguing they are central to fixing the wider system.
Sir Ed said: "The vast majority of care is actually delivered by family members, by loved ones looking after their nearest and dearest.
"And my analysis is that, that family care is actually fundamental. If you're going to take the pressure off the NHS, you have to support family carers. You just have to."
Yesterday, the Liberal Democrats called on UEFA to completely withdraw from FIFA, claiming that football’s global governing body is "corrupt beyond repair".
This comes in the wake of accusations of corruption in the 2026 World Cup when FIFA overturned a match suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun following direct backroom lobbying from President Donald Trump.
The Lib Dems have also criticised ticket prices at the tournament, with dynamic pricing driving final tickets past £24,000, and border authorities turning away both fans and referees.