Ed Davey says people have 'lost faith in politics' ahead of Burnham’s first address to Commons
Sir Ed said Mr Burnham needed to deliver on issues affecting people’s everyday lives, but also take action on political donations, corruption and foreign interference
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said people have "lost faith in politics", as Andy Burnham prepares to make his first major speech as Prime Minister.
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Speaking to Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC, Sir Ed said the new Prime Minister must show he can tackle both the cost of living and wider concerns about the political system.
He said: "When I chat to people, they have lost faith in politics. They've really lost faith in the political system to deliver. And he needs to restore that faith."
Sir Ed said Mr Burnham needed to deliver on issues affecting people’s everyday lives, but also take action on political donations, corruption and foreign interference.
He said: “He's got to deliver on all those key issues like the cost of living and so on, but I think he's got to show that he's going to take on the political system.”
This comes as Andy Burnham is expected to call for greater public control over water, energy and transport in his House of Commons debut later today.
In his first appearance at the despatch box in 16 years, the Prime Minister will argue that stronger public control over many of the country’s services can be an engine for economic growth.
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The Liberal Democrat leader called for action to get “big money out of politics”, adding: “I think we've got to have a donation cap.
"We've got to get tougher on these social media barons, the foreign interference. I think we've got to crack down corruption with new powers to deal with it."
Sir Ed singled out Elon Musk as an example of the influence he believes powerful overseas social media figures can wield over British political debate.
The Lib Dem leader said Mr Burnham had an opportunity to start rebuilding public trust this week, while also addressing the pressures facing households.
"Andy is optimistic about our country’s future," a No 10 source told The Guardian.
"He has a clear plan for how we turn things round. He is determined we make this the moment we bring back hope."
Mr Burnham is also expected to face tough questions about how he will fill a £4.7 billion funding hole in the defence investment plan, left to him by his predecessor Sir Keir Starmer.
As well as a reforged senior opposition team, Mr Burnham faces a host of political challenges as MPs return to Westminster for the autumn.
These include whether to bring struggling utilities such as Thames Water under Government ownership, and the future of two major fossil fuel operations in the North Sea - the Rosebank and Jackdaw fields.
Chancellor John Healey has vowed defence will be central to his plans at the Treasury, after last week being unable to commit to a 2030 deadline for when Britain will meet a target to spend 3 per cent of its economy on defence.