A tearful Andy Burnham told the Labour conference that he would prove John Swinney was wrong when he declared that he would be the last Prime Minister of the UK.
During his first speech to the conference since moving into Downing Street, he said Scotland’s First Minister had made the comment on the day his father died.
“He wasn’t to know that,” he said. “But I want you to know how it made me feel: utterly determined to prove him wrong.”
His voice breaking up with emotion, he added: “The United Kingdom my dad represented is the one I believe in. A union of nations that gave trade unions and the cooperative movement to the world, the National Health Service, a country that stood up to fascism, a country of solidarity not separation, that’s the country that my dad represented.
“Britain is not perfect, it can be better and we will make it so, but it still stands for something worth saving, worth fighting for. And we will always be stronger facing a changing world together, rather than separating.
“So I am going to use this job to build the kind of Britain my dad wanted to see, and fight with everything I’ve got to keep it together.
“Not the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, rather the first to re-wire it, to make it work for all people and places, driving power out of Whitehall and into every postcode in Wales, Scotland, North Ireland and England, and closing divides between people and places.”
He went on to say his plan will allow “Britain to rise again… confident of our place in the world.” In that respect, “we have to be honest – Brexit has not given us control. We have lost control over our economy and over immigration.
“I understand the anger. But we always thank those who have come here and are contributing to our country.”
He said control over immigration was lost because of the split with the EU. “Brexit has done more harm than good,” he said, promising to lay out options for Britain’s long-term relationship with Europe.
Daily Business Bulletin: Subscribe here for our free morning bulletin of breaking news
#Ill #prove #Swinney #wrong #jibe #Daily #Business