Keir Starmer is 'listening to Andy Burnham' and adopting his policies, mayor's office says

Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, is seeing the Labour Party shifting its stance on education, with the Prime Minister now embracing some of his policies. Sir Keir Starmer announced at the Labour Party conference that the outdated target of getting 50% of young people into university would be scrapped. Instead, the focus will be on a new goal where two-thirds of kids either head to university or pursue high-quality apprenticeships. Burnham has long advocated for alternatives to university, launching the Manchester Baccalaureate to enhance technical education. While he supports Starmer, there’s speculation about a potential leadership bid amid his critical stance toward the government. Interestingly, Burnham didn’t attend the keynote speech to avoid being a distraction, but his team is pleased that Labour is adopting his ideas. The PM’s reforms aim to create a “world-class” further education system that celebrates both university and apprenticeship routes, acknowledging the need for a shift in how success is measured in education.

Read the full article at Manchester Evening News