Incoming UK PM Andy Burnham rejects Thatcher-era policies, signals leftward shift

Britain's incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham used his first speech as Labour leader Friday to condemn the economic model established in the 1980s by Margaret Thatcher and promise greater public control of essential services, signaling a shift to the left from outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Burnham said: 'The country surrendered control of the essentials -- housing, water, energy, transport -- and left people exposed to higher costs.' An analyst quoted in the piece asked: 'If he thinks Britain has been on the wrong track for the last 40 years, what is the right track? Is it socialism of a past kind?' The same analyst said Burnham 'comes across as pretty economically illiterate,' criticizing his 'demonization of Thatcher polices.'