Climate crisis
“I would like someone who listens to the public and not to the ultra-wealthy and lobbyists. I want a robust action plan to tackle the climate crisis and to ensure Britain is prepared to deal with the effects of climate change including improving infrastructure, investing in agriculture and renewable energy.
“I want someone who will stand up to the fossil fuel lobby and not crumble under the pressure, we need net zero and we need it now.” Samantha, 35, works in media, Oxfordshire
“I would like to see the next PM address climate and nature harm. We also need to put in place urgent adaptation measures against extreme weather, including in schools and hospitals.” Annie, 72, Devon
“Burnham needs to get to grips with the environment. Renationalise the water companies. Our rivers and seas are polluted while the private companies pay dividends and massive salaries to CEOs who destroy our environment.
“Likewise, fully renationalise our other utilities and speed up the transition to a green energy economy.” Robert, 62, retired, Kent
Cost of living and inequality
“We can’t have a society in 2026 that is so unequal that you’ve got people who can afford to have a financial adviser to pay whatever tax their moral compass points to, but then you have people like one elderly woman who died of severe hypothermia because she was terrified of putting on the heating and of high energy bills. Hopefully, Burnham will have that at the forefront of his mind.” Su, 65, retired, Suffolk
“I would like to see genuine structural changes to make a difference to people living in poverty, especially children. I don’t want just more tinkering around the edges. I want there to be proper investment in our public services and housing.” Louise, 49, stay-at-home mother, Stockport
“I would like to see Burnham work in the interests of the British people, people from all communities. His first action must be to deal with the ongoing and everlasting cost of living crisis and cost of energy crisis.” Laurie, public sector worker, West Midlands
“Three years is not much time to make many significant changes. What people will need to measure is a reversal in their standard of living – energy and food costs would be a start.
“If ordinary people do not feel it in their wallets then Burnham will be unlikely to gain a majority in the next election. Reducing inequality is the right way to go.” Douglas, 66, retired teacher, Aberdeenshire
Health and social care
“The number of people I talk to on a daily basis who want an absolutely tip-top NHS, but when you mention putting up taxes to pay for it, people aren’t willing to pay for it.
“I think we need to be honest with ourselves about what we expect from our public services with the resources we’ve got. A conversation could be had around what we can afford as a country, and what we are prepared to do without?” Su, 65, retired, Suffolk
“I want to see deliverables. On adult social care: we’ve been talking about this for years, but have done nothing. Care workers should be regarded as professionals (and paid as such), and it should be possible to register for an NHS dentist.” John, 60, statistician, London
“My partner is on Pip [personal independence payment] and I’ve had friends who have been on Pip their entire lives, but it becomes an exercise in point-scoring. It feels very impersonal, very dehumanising.
“What I would want from a new government is more care, to move away from having private firms doing assessments and to take into account the context of people’s situations.” Jakob, 25, works in higher education, Leeds
People who responded to the callout also wanted Burnham to focus on housing, international affairs – including closer ties to the EU – defence, work and education for young people and electoral reform.
Housing
“We have measured success by the number of houses built, but I think we should measure success by the quality of lives these homes create. Local authorities are used to having skills and teams that deliver housing at scale. Many have lost that expertise in infrastructure and I think that needs to be put right.” Stuart, 63, motor industry worker, Staffordshire
International affairs
“The next PM needs to be taking a firmer approach towards the USA and Israel, in the style of the Spanish PM. We have the economic and diplomatic leverage in terms of sanctions, trade and travel bans to put a spotlight on Israel’s actions in Gaza and the American administration’s decimation of international aid and domestic green energy.” Trudi, 52, charity worker, London
“He [Burnham] is right to say Gaza is a scar on our collective conscience and I would like to see something concrete done about it.” John, 47, editor and publisher, Lancaster
Defence
“Labour must not be afraid to increase income tax in order to afford their capital programmes and the necessary increase in defence spending. Also, Labour must end the scourge of offshoring unless it is necessarily a part of Nato and EU coordinated programmes.” Steven, 66, retired civil servant, Blackpool
“Fund an increase in defence spending through a wealth tax rather than making cuts that will affect vulnerable groups.” Michelle, Gateshead
Closer ties to EU
“Repair Britain’s economy by fixing our relationship with the EU and undoing as much of the harm of Brexit as possible.” Ruby, 25, student, London
Education and work for young people
“I feel that we are producing a generation of children who do not enjoy learning. I also think that hot-housing and spoon-feeding to achieve results is not equipping young adults with the skills they need to survive in the world of work (if they can get it).
“The rise of AI in the workplace is contributing to the unemployment figures and that is an issue that will only get worse. This is a problem that is going to need a lot of thought and possibly radical action.” Christine, 71, former primary school teacher, Birmingham
Electoral reform
“Electoral reform including abolition of the House of Lords could be the start of doing things differently, together with tackling political donations, the lobbying industry and the ‘revolving doors’ culture of MPs and civil servants.” Jeremy, retired, Bath
Other issues that were discussed included education reform, with people wanting schools to be more inclusive and less target-driven. Immigration was also something people spoke about. They wanted a fairer, more compassionate and economically pragmatic approach.
