Burnham calls for defeating "the new British right", member of the right wing of the party could be finance minister

Andy Burnham pledged today to lead a united Labour government, free from internal conflicts and factional divisions, after taking over as leader, despite concerns from the party's left wing about the possibility of Shabana Mahmud becoming finance minister, the British newspaper The Guardian reports today.

The new leader of the Labour Party, who will become Prime Minister of Great Britain on Monday, presented a distinctly left-wing vision of Britain, promising to undo the consequences of Thatcherism from the 1980s, expand public ownership of utilities, find funds to reform the social security system and build a new generation of council housing, the Guardian reports in an article on its website.

However, he stressed that he would lead a pro-business Labour government, as he did when he was mayor of Greater Manchester.

Claiming his election represented the most significant change in British politics in 40 years, Barnam said this was the "last chance" for Labour to do the right thing and called for unity to "defeat the new British right".

"Factionism has haunted us for a long time. Today we have overcome it," he said, promising to lead a "recognizably Labour" government that would not try to emulate the Conservatives, the Greens or the UK Reform Party.

However, Burnham is already facing tensions within the party over the selection of key members of his cabinet, the composition of which will be announced on Monday, after Keir Starmer visits Buckingham Palace to hand over the post of Prime Minister.

He defended the decision to delay announcing the appointment, saying it would create "chaos" to do so before entering 10 Downing Street, and that he had not yet made any final decisions.

Although final decisions have not yet been made, Mahmud, who belongs to the right wing of the party gathered around the "Blue Labour" movement, is the main candidate to take over the Ministry of Finance, replacing Ed Miliband, who is supported by the left.

Barnam addressed MPs this afternoon, after being confirmed as leader earlier today at a special conference of the Trades Union Congress in London. Many MPs have privately expressed their displeasure at the idea of ​​Mahmud becoming finance minister, with one senior party official describing the move as "madness" and saying she was "not the solution". The moderate left had been convinced that Miliband, who had helped Barnam's leadership campaign, would get the job.

Barnam had considered Miliband for the role, but leading business circles were concerned that his choice could upset markets, while several major unions were unhappy with his stance on net zero emissions and drilling in the North Sea. Barnam now appears to have turned to Mahmud, but reactions within the party are divided, given her role in implementing controversial and restrictive immigration policy changes under Starmer.

Several unions welcomed Barnam's confirmation as leader today, but warned him to expect change. Unison said Barnam "must get this right and restore the hope he promises", while Usdav said "our members will now rightly expect his vision to be translated into action".

The former mayor of Greater Manchester has received overwhelming support from MPs, unions and party branches, making him the sole candidate to succeed Keir Starmer.

At a special party conference held today at the headquarters of the Trade Union Congress in London, Mahmud declared Barnam as leader. She is also the president of the party's executive and entered the hall with him.

Addressing the assembled senior Labour Party officials and supporters, Barnam said the country was "crying out for new politics." But he also warned that this was Labour's "last chance for change" and that the party must deliver it together, as a united movement.

"This is a moment of pride that you have given to me and my family, but also a very emotional moment. I am ready for it - ready to lead and build on the foundations that, more than anyone else, one man has laid. Under the leadership of Keir Starmer, we have gone from the heaviest defeat to one of the greatest victories in history," he said.

Although he praised Starmer, Barnam sought to draw a line under the past, questioning whether Labour had "been good enough" and promising to "do better".

"Above all, I will work tirelessly to build a culture of a unified Labour team, because change starts with us. We will not defeat the new British right if we are preoccupied with internal conflicts and if we are pulled in different directions. That is a luxury we cannot afford," he said.

Although he has not yet outlined detailed policies, Burnham said he wants to focus on several broad areas: devolving power to local communities, pursuing pro-business policies, and building more social and council housing.

"I want people to understand the thinking behind the political direction I'm setting," he said, arguing that too much power is centralised in Westminster or left to private companies.

Speaking to reporters later, he said one of the most urgent moves would be to "get to grips with" social care reform, stressing that the National Health Service could not recover while people remained stuck in hospitals because they were not being provided with care at home.

He said it would "require something difficult," but that he would not delay solving the problem any longer.

"I will spend political capital to present a plan for welfare reform and I will not waste time, because every time we lose another year, thousands and thousands of people are left without the care they need," he added.

Responding to criticism that, because of his mayoral role, he was too focused on the north of the country, Barnam said he would be a leader for the north, south, east and west, as well as for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

"This is a moment to speak for all parts of the country and unite people around a common goal. I love every part of the country, all the accents and different traditions, as well as some of the football clubs. But I also think they can be more than they are now," he said,

He promised to "take power back from Westminster and Whitehall and hand it over to where you live."

He also paid tribute to some of his role models in the Labour Party, thanking David Blanket, Neil Kinnock and Margaret Beckett for their support throughout his career and for influencing his political path.

Labour MPs decided to remove Starmer as leader in part because of the party's unpopularity in opinion polls, in which the government lagged behind the Reform Party and was at times tied with the Conservatives.

Nigel Farage, leader of the Reform Party, criticised Burnham as "vain" and called him "the great chameleon of British politics" as he celebrated his party's victory in the Norfolk police commissioner election.

Conservatives have expressed concern that Barnam was elected at a time when parliament is not in session, meaning he will not face questions from MPs until the end of the summer.

Kevin Hollinrake, the Conservative Party chairman, said: "Andy Burnham says he has a plan, so what is it? The Labour leader and future prime minister should come to Parliament and explain it. Instead, the government has spared him the embarrassment by cancelling the Conservative vote that would have brought him before Parliament on Monday. It is not too late for Andy Burnham to do the right thing, make a statement and answer MPs' questions on Monday about his 'plan'. But the truth is that whether it is Keir Starmer or Andy Burnham, the real problem is the Labour MPs behind them, who are advocating high taxes and high public spending."