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Andy Burnham Runs Great North Run as PM Hands Over Salary Donation to Charity
Developing
In Short: Andy Burnham, the new UK Prime Minister, has donated 15% of his first month's salary to a homelessness charity while running the Great North Run.
Burnham's first speech as Labour leader in July described his ascension as "the most significant change moment in our politics for 40 years." His actions reflect a commitment to transparency and social responsibility. In addition to his donation to Changing Lives, Burnham also donates 15% of his MP salary to local causes within his Makerfield constituency.
The new prime minister's background is also noteworthy. Six of the 21 ministers in Margaret Thatcher's first Cabinet were educated at Eton, and the ten Cabinets before Burnham's contained 18 Old Etonian appointments between them. This has led to criticism, with Angela Rayner, the Communities Secretary, hinting that Reform UK, the party Burnham leads, could be forced to return money received from crypto-billionaires due to new rules on overseas donations that will be back-dated to March.
The TUC has commenced its annual congress in Brighton, calling for a ban on political donations from cryptocurrency billionaires. The two recent £36m donations to Reform UK came from crypto tycoons Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, prompting concerns about the industry's influence over UK politics. The TUC general secretary, Paul Nowak, stated that their priority was a ban on crypto donations and people hiding behind them.
In response to these concerns, a bill going through Parliament would cap overseas donations at £100,000 annually and require donors to have lived in the UK for a full calendar year. Angela Rayner confirmed that the bill would be backdated to 25 March 2026. Meanwhile, Burnham is keen to prioritize building more council homes, with £10bn just announced into a social and affordable homes programme.
What's still developing
- At the start of summer, in the pillared room in 10 Downing Street, Andy Burnham looked out at his new special advisers, the few dozen political officials tasked with driving hundreds of thousands of civil servants to deliver his government's agenda.
- At that meeting, Burnham's team mapped out four key moments in the coming months.
- And fourth, the 10-year plan for Britain which Burnham intends to unveil in November.
- Andy Burnham speaks during his first Cabinet meeting since becoming prime minister Going by the words of the new prime minister himself, he represents a profound break with the past, and not only the immediate past.
- Andy Burnham has given 15% of his first month’s PM salary to Changing Lives Andy Burnham has given 15% of his first month’s PM salary to Changing Lives Andy Burnham is running the Great North Run today as he hands over his first salary donation as PM to a homelessness charity.
- The PM is competing in the Great North Run in a personal capacity.
- He has given 15% of his first month’s PM salary to Changing Lives, fulfilling his pledge to contribute a share of his earnings to charity every month.
- Rachel Millward has said Reform UK represents “a vanishingly small elite” of the super rich, responding to questions about their recent £72m in donations.
Sources
- The Independentlink