Why my leadership will be different

By Andy Burnham / @andyburnhammp

There has been a lot of talk during this leadership campaign about the lack of difference between the candidates, that we’re all the same, that whoever wins it will just be more of the same. I disagree. I don’t want more of the same, Labour members don’t want more of the same and the British public don’t want more of the same either. That’s why my leadership will be different.

I’m not going to trash Labour’s record over the past thirteen years in government. We saved our NHS, gave hope to a new generation and changed Britain forever for the better. But we also began to lose sight of why so many people voted for us in 1997. At times we appeared dazzled by money, power and glamour. When the recession hit, the public thought we were helping bankers not ordinary savers. An impression grew that Labour was no longer on the side of ordinary people.

If we are to come back from our defeat in May, we have to recognise this and we need to act. We need to respond to the real issues facing people across the country – public sector cuts, job losses, getting the best education for their children – rather than tying ourselves up in knots over voting reform. Unless we do, we run the risk of distancing ourselves even further from voters and making a return to power more difficult.

We also need to inspire. I am delighted that more than 25,000 people have joined the party since May, but we need to give them more than just fire in their bellies to take on the Tories. We have to give them a philosophy to believe in too.

I want to bring forward ideas that are rooted in the traditions of the Labour movement, but are relevant to the 21st century. That is why, in today’s Guardian, I have announced my plans for Aspirational Socialism.

Aspirational Socialism brings together the best of old and new Labour. It’s about people looking out for each other and getting on in life. It is about giving hope and aspiration to those for whom life is hardest and who are too often trapped by their circumstances; such as people on short-term contracts or who don’t have job security and who end up paying more for their utilities just because they don’t have the right bank account. Aspirational Socialism responds to the needs of the first generation of property-owning pensioners who don’t want to lose all they’ve worked for just to pay for their care in later years. Aspirational Socialism gives kids without connections the opportunities they need to get on in life, through broader educational choice and greater access to the professions.

I want to rehabilitate the S-word. Our party card tells us we are democratic socialists. I’m proud of the democratic socialist, collectivist policies that Labour has delivered in the last century – from the NHS, to comprehensive education to the Open University – which have made this country the envy of the world.

Aspirational Socialism takes us further on and captures the important changes that New Labour built. This is the ethos that will underpin my leadership, that will provide a strong contrast to the Tories, who look after no-one but themselves, and to the Lib Dems who will betray their principles for a few seats at the table.

Tony Blair put aspiration at the heart of the modern Labour mission and we must never lose that.

That is why, as Labour leader, I will give hope to young people who can see no way of breaking into the elites of the media, politics, law and big business by making companies advertise work placement and internship opportunities to all, not just to those in the know. I will give people greater access to better, more secure housing by giving local authorities the power and resources to buy properties from absentee landlords to boost social housing stocks. And I will celebrate our ageing society, recognising the contribution to society older people continue to make and taking the fear out of getting older.

That’s my aspiration – and my inspiration too. And that’s why I am in this race to win.