Andy Burnham faces UK Parliament for first time since taking office

UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will face lawmakers in the House of Commons on Tuesday for the first time since taking office six weeks ago. His government is operating against a backdrop of wars in Europe and the Middle East while promising to revive the economy and ease living costs.

Burnham took office on July 20, succeeding Keir Starmer, who announced Tuesday he would resign his parliamentary seat after 11 years. Since becoming prime minister, Burnham has traveled the country pledging renewed national optimism and has announced modest measures to ease financial pressure, including a tax cut on household energy bills and lower levies on pubs and nightclubs.

Tuesday marks the first opportunity for Parliament, returning from its summer break, to question Burnham in detail on these pledges. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, who reshuffled parts of her team on Monday, including her economy and foreign affairs spokespeople, will use the session to challenge him.

Burnham, who spent nearly a decade as mayor of Greater Manchester before returning to Parliament in June, is expected to set out his vision for a more active but less centralized state. His office said he will present a plan to turn the country's fortunes around, including greater public control over water, energy and transport.

Opposition lawmakers also have questions about a new prime minister's office in Manchester, dubbed "No. 10 North," which critics call an expensive gimmick but which Burnham says will help empower local leaders. He faces additional pressure over overcrowded prisons, having been forced to soften plans for early release of offenders after objections from the widow of a police officer killed in a hit-and-run.

On his first foreign trip as prime minister, Burnham visited Kyiv in August to affirm British support for Ukraine. Like other European nations, the UK faces pressure to raise military spending toward NATO's target of 3.5% of GDP by 2035. Burnham must also decide whether to approve expanded oil and gas production in the North Sea.