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Rachel Reeves: Burnham needs worked-through plan to govern | Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

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July 12, 2026

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Rachel Reeves has warned the incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, that he needs to be properly prepared to govern when he arrives in Downing Street in a little more than a week.

Speaking exclusively to the BBC in what is likely to be her last major interview as chancellor, Reeves told Laura Kuenssberg that "it is important that when Andy walks through that door he has a worked-through plan, because governing is hard in Britain, and lots of challenges and shocks will come his way".

She said her toughest time as Chancellor had been when she was seen in tears in the House of Commons during a session of Prime Minister's Questions in July last year. Reeves said: "Don't cry on national television. That was probably my toughest moment, or perhaps even tougher, seeing the photos of me crying on national television on the front page of pretty much every newspaper the following day."

She said Burnham and his team coming into Downing Street must be "really clear about what they want to achieve", and that "he needs to stay laser-focused on those things that have always motivated him, have always driven him".

Asked why Sir Keir Starmer's time in office was coming to an end, she said: "People are impatient for change - I'm impatient for change and I totally get that people want to see their lives changed faster."

In the interview, Reeves wanted to focus on what she described as the "big picture" - government borrowing costs that have gone down, inflation way down from its peak, increased investment in infrastructure like roads and railways, and the economy growing faster than the UK's nearest competitors.

But by other measures, there are still big problems in the economy. Inflation is still above target and is expected to rise, growth has been slow, and just this week, the Bank of England warned that interest rates might have to go up again.

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Guests & Subjects Covered

Rachel ReevesAndy BurnhamDowning StreetLaura KuenssbergPrime Minister's QuestionsSir Keir Starmer'sBBC News

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Rachel Reeves: Burnham needs worked-through plan to govern | Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg · Bcc Politics · Sentinel