ANDY BURNHAM SAID THE INJUSTICE WAS “INDEFENSIBLE”. NOW HE IS PRIME MINISTER. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT FOR EXCLUDEDUK?
For six and a half years Andy Burnham has publicly backed those excluded from Covid support. At Labour Conference, ExcludedUK is asking what his Government will now do.
As the Labour Party gathers in Liverpool for its Annual Conference, ExcludedUK is asking a simple question of Prime Minister Andy Burnham: what happens now?
For 6.5 years, Andy Burnham has been one of the most prominent political voices speaking about the millions of UK taxpayers who fell through the gaps in Covid-19 financial support.
He is no longer speaking from outside Government.
He is now Prime Minister.
So, as Labour Conference begins in Liverpool today, ExcludedUK believes the commitments and statements he has made over the years deserve renewed scrutiny.
FROM SUPPORTER TO PRIME MINISTER
On 3 December 2020, speaking at an event involving ExcludedUK and Forgotten Ltd, Burnham said:
“You can’t be punished for being the people who contribute, you’ve got to show that the country backs you. We’ve got to help you.”
ITV reported that he described leaving around three million people without support as “anti-entrepreneurial” and pledged continued support from the mayors involved. ITVX
On 5 January 2021, he told LBC:
“It’s an issue of basic fairness and humanity. How can they go into another year with no support?”
He also warned:
“We will end up with a mental health crisis on top of a pandemic if this issue isn’t addressed, and addressed quickly.” LBC
In March 2022, writing in the Evening Standard, Burnham acknowledged the long-term consequences facing those excluded:
“Many of those excluded are carrying heavy debts into this cost of living crisis.”
He added:
“The Government hopes they will be forgotten but we can’t let that happen.” The Standard
Then, during an ExcludedUK livestream on 24 June 2024, his language became even stronger.
Among his statements were:
“The public see you and the public support you.”
“I supported you back in the pandemic, and we support you now. The passage of time doesn’t change that.”
“The support for you is strong and it will always be there, the reason being because the level of injustice that you have faced is indefensible.”
“We will work with you to make sure that the excluded is recognised as one of the injustices that this country needs to rectify.”
And, significantly, when discussing possible financial measures:
“I think there are ways we can start to frame financial asks that I think are fair, proportionate and doable.”
ExcludedUK’s contemporaneous account of that livestream records Burnham’s support and his commitment to continue working with the organisation. ExcludedUK
“MORE THAN HAPPY TO MEET AND DISCUSS WHAT MORE I CAN DO TO HELP”
The commitment continued.
In a reply to ExcludedUK campaigner Tim Pravda, @ExcludedFighter, dated 12 April 2025, Burnham wrote:
“More than happy to meet and discuss what more I can do to help. But it’s vital that people in Parliament pick this up as there is a limit to what we can do from outside.”
That final sentence now has particular significance.
Andy Burnham is no longer outside Parliament or Government. He IS Prime Minister.
Labour’s 2026 Annual Conference runs in Liverpool from 27 to 30 September, with the Leader’s Speech scheduled for Tuesday. Labour Conference
For ExcludedUK, that makes this an important moment to ask publicly what the Government intends to do about an issue Burnham himself has repeatedly described in terms of fairness, humanity, injustice and rectification.
JENNIFER GRIFFITHS, HEAD OF EXCLUDEDUK, SAYS:
“Andy Burnham has stood alongside the excluded for years. He has called what happened to us an injustice. He has described that injustice as indefensible. He has said it needs to be rectified, and he has spoken openly about financial asks that could be fair, proportionate and doable.”
“When Andy told Tim Pravda in April 2025 that there was a limit to what he could do from outside Parliament, none of us could have known that less than eighteen months later he would be standing inside Number 10 as Prime Minister.”
“That changes the question. It is no longer simply, ‘Will Andy Burnham support us?’ We know that he has. The question now is what his Government intends to do about an injustice he has spent years publicly recognising.”
“The passage of time has not repaired the financial damage caused by exclusion. It has not restored businesses, homes, savings or pensions. It has not erased the mental health consequences. For many people, the consequences of decisions made in 2020 are still being lived in 2026. However, some are no longer here to see what he will do…but their loved ones are”
“Andy once told us, ‘The passage of time doesn’t change that.’ We agree. Over six years later, the excluded have not forgotten, and we are asking whether the commitments made to us will now translate into Government action.”
“We are not asking the Prime Minister to discover this issue for the first time. He knows it. He has listened to our members. He has spoken publicly about it. He has acknowledged the injustice. That history is precisely why his next steps matter so much to our community.”
THE QUESTION AT LABOUR CONFERENCE
As Labour sets out its priorities in Liverpool, ExcludedUK is seeking clarity on whether the new Government intends to address the long-running consequences of gaps in Covid-19 financial support, including ExcludedUK’s calls for recognition, parity of support and acknowledgement of consequential financial loss.
Andy Burnham said in 2022 that those excluded “can’t” be allowed to be forgotten. The Standard
In 2024 he said their treatment was “indefensible” and an injustice requiring rectification.
In 2025 he said there was a limit to what could be achieved from outside Parliament.
In 2026, as Prime Minister, ExcludedUK is asking what comes next.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES
Journalists, broadcasters and producers wishing to discuss the history of the campaign, speak to affected members or arrange an interview should contact:
Jennifer Griffiths
Head of ExcludedUK
📧 jennifer@excludeduk.org
The quotations and accompanying screenshot supplied with this release may be reproduced in media coverage.
Background information, case studies and further documentation relating to the ExcludedUK campaign are also available on request.
#ExcludedUK
Dutifully paid in, Deliberately left out!
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