OPINION:
Britain’s new prime minister, Andy Burnham, came to office on a wave of cliches. In the end, his administration promises to be SOS: the same old socialism that has led the nation to ruin.
Mr. Burnham is the seventh prime minister in the past 10 years. Perhaps the slogan “Rule Britannia” should be replaced with “No One Can Rule Britannia,” at least among the Labor and Conservative parties. It is tragic that a nation that produced such giants as Benjamin Disraeli, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher should come to this.
As mayor of Greater Manchester, Mr. Burnham touted what he called “business-friendly socialism,” which must be something akin to respectful rape.
Britain has gone from being the home of the Industrial Revolution, which started in Manchester, to an economic basket case.
Growth is sluggish. Taxes are at their highest level since 1948. The government spends almost twice as much on interest on the government debt as on national defense. Two decades of bloated budgets, supported by both Labor and Tory governments, have resulted in a growing welfare population. Net-zero policies have driven energy costs to among the highest in the world.
Britain has also become a nation struggling with immigrant integration, driven by misguided social policies.
This is characterized by the 2025 case of Henry Nowak, who was stabbed to death with a ceremonial sword by Vickrum Singh Digwa. When police arrived, Nowak was lying on the ground bleeding. Despite this, after Digwa informed them that Nowak had used a racial slur, the police (who had recently been trained in racial sensitivity) handcuffed Nowak and watched as he bled to death. Digwa was later convicted of murder.
White Britons increasingly feel like second-class citizens in what was once their own country. For more than a decade, Pakistani grooming gangs sexually exploited thousands of young women. The crimes were covered up by authorities fearful of being accused of racism.
The solution to Britain’s multiple crises is not another Labor prime minister cut from the same cloth as his predecessors. Waiting in the wings is the Reform UK Party of Member of Parliament Nigel Farage, which recently won more than 1,200 seats in elections for local councils. A parliamentary election is scheduled for 2029, but could come as early as 2027.
Reform UK could come to power before most Britons have forgotten Mr. Burnham’s name.
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