Andy Burnham addresses MPs in Commons after Keir Starmer bombshell.TA

The Prime Minister made his debut at the Commons despatch box on Tuesday, when he set out plans to devolve more power away from Westminster and into the regions, and to take back public control over utilities and services.

Mr Burnham blamed the legacy of Margaret Thatcher, the austerity era and Brexit for decades of slow growth, and insisted his plans to change the “failed economic model” would kickstart Britain’s economy.

“Britain is not where any of us would wish it to be,” he told MPs, adding: “Things are not working as they should, life is too expensive and too hard for too many.”

During his Commons outing, he described Britain’s water industry as “a leaking monument to that approach, a country run in the private rather than public interest”.

Throughout his three hour and 23 minute Commons grilling, the Prime Minister declined to say whether there will be tax rises at the October 28 Budget.

But he suggested that his Chancellor John Healey will find money to hike defence spending to 3% of GDP by 2030 by the time of the next spending review.

Andy Burnham has insisted the country is “moving in the right direction”.

In response to Kemi Badenoch, he said: “I will work with her where we can, and we should make that commitment to each other today. But I will still point out where she’s wrong, we are not in a position to take lectures when this country is moving in the right direction.

“You can see that on the economy, you can see that on small boat crossings, you can see that on the cost of living, and that is what we will continue to do to turn this country around.”

Kemi Badenoch urged Andy Burnham to “start taking this job seriously” as he criticised Labour U-turns.

The Tory leader said: “His own Chancellor said 3% was needed to keep British troops safe. Now apparently he doesn’t believe this. On illegal migration, Labour scrapped Rwanda. Now they appear to be considering a Rwandan-style scheme of their own.

“On prisons, he said dangerous criminals could not be exempted from early release. Then he changed his mind. This country cannot afford a government swerving all over the place.

“Labour have already tried government by U-turn. It doesn’t work. If he wants to be different from his predecessor, if he wants to live up to the optimistic vision he is painting, he’s going to have to start taking this job seriously.”

Kemi Badenoch tore into Andy Burnham for changing his position on the prison early release scheme.

She said: “He has had five different positions on early release in six weeks, putting the victims through hell with his indecision.”

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Andy Burnham of “living in the past” in their first Commons exchange.

Responding to his statement, the Tory leader said: “The Prime Minister said in his statement that everything has gone wrong since the 1980s, still complaining about Margaret Thatcher. He is living in the past, and he wants to take us back to the 1970s.”

She added: “His diagnosis is completely wrong. His theory of growth is completely wrong. He thinks that if Government spends more money, we will all get richer. That is not how this works.”

(Image: PA)

Andy Burnham has vowed to set out how the Government will take “stronger public control” over “essentials” such as water.

He said: “Later in the year, our 10-year plan for Britain will set out plans for stronger public control over these essentials, making them work for people and places again.”

Britain needs to be “blunt about what went wrong” over the last four decades, Andy Burnham has insisted.

He hit out at the deindustrialisation and privatisation of the 1980s, and the impact of austerity and Brexit on areas of the UK outside of the South East and London.

The PM said: “Unless we are blunt about what went wrong, we won’t turn things around. Far from taking back control, the combination of these policies took control out of the hands of communities up and down Britain.”

Andy Burnham defended the prison early release scheme in his statement to the Commons.

The Prime Minister said: “We are now confirming that anyone convicted of manslaughter, death by dangerous driving, or indecent assault will not now see any change to their prison term.

“We will find additional prison places by deporting more foreign national offenders, and finally grasping the nettle on an issue this House has ignored for too long: indefinite IPP sentences, a now abolished policy, but one … which to this day keeps people behind bars, despite already having served more than their sentences.

“None of this is easy, but I did what I always do, and that is to apply my values to a challenging situation, and a care for people, which I spoke about in Downing Street. I believe the public will support me in recognising the clear difference between those who have served their time and more, and those who have not.

“We will bring forward legislation soon, but we can find a solution to end this injustice, which balances public safety and basic fairness, and I urge colleagues on all sides of the House to help us do that.

“This is politics done differently, problem-solving over point scoring. It is what the country needs. It is what the public want more of, and it will characterise my time in office.”

Andy Burnham pledged to “meet the climate challenge” as he announced he will attend Cop 31 in November.

He said: “I know I also speak for the whole House in expressing my profound shock and horror at the devastating scenes on the Nepal-China border.

“My sympathies are with all those affected, including the families and loved ones of those missing in this appalling tragedy. The Foreign Secretary is doing everything he can to support the Nepalese government and British nationals in the region.

“This is what the climate crisis looks like. We have just ourselves experienced what is likely to have been the hottest summer on record. This Government will meet the climate challenge, and I can confirm to the House that I will attend Cop 31 in Turkey in November.”