Andy Burnham has got off to a bright start as prime minister, as even his critics must admit, but difficult choices lie ahead. One concerns the shrinking international development budget.
Like Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves before them, the new prime minister and his chancellor, John Healey, face unprecedented demands for public spending to fix everything not working, including building prisons, reforming NHS dentistry, overhauling education, restoring lost bus routes, and regenerating high streets. This comes alongside even greater challenges like funding a National Care Service, maintaining the pensions triple lock, investing in energy security, and ramping up defence spending to Cold War levels.
