Family Business United Congratulates Andy Burnham On Appointment As Prime Minister

Family Business United has congratulated Andy Burnham on his appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and has called on the new administration to place the family business community at the heart of its plans for economic growth.

Mr Burnham was appointed on Monday 20 July 2026, succeeding Sir Keir Starmer, who stepped down as Labour leader and Prime Minister in June. The former Mayor of Greater Manchester, who won the Makerfield seat in a by election in June, has pledged to bring stability back to British politics and has made the rebalancing of economic power across the regions and nations of the UK a central theme of his leadership.

A Community Ready to Engage

Family businesses account for the overwhelming majority of private sector firms in the UK, employing millions of people and contributing hundreds of billions of pounds to the economy every year. They are found in every sector and in every constituency, and they are particularly significant employers in the towns and regions beyond London and the South East, the very communities that the new Prime Minister has spent much of his career championing.

Paul Andrews, Founder and CEO of Family Business United, said: "On behalf of our family business community we would like to extend our congratulations to Andy Burnham on his appointment as Prime Minister. We look forward to positive engagement with the new Prime Minister and his team in the weeks and months ahead."

"Family firms are the engine room of the UK economy. They are the businesses that stay, that invest for the generations that follow and that keep their people and their communities at the centre of every decision they make. That long term outlook is a national asset and it deserves to be better recognised, understood and supported by government."

"What family businesses need now is a policy environment that helps them get on with the job. That means action to reduce the cost of doing business, greater certainty and stability in the tax and regulatory landscape, and a clear commitment to backing investment in skills, technology and productivity. Give family firms the confidence to plan for the long term and they will deliver growth, jobs and prosperity right across the country."

Call for a Review of the Inheritance Tax Changes

Family Business United has also renewed its call for the government to review, and ideally reverse, the recent amendments to Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief, which have caused widespread concern among families in business and in farming.

As Paul continues: "There is one area where we would urge the new administration to act quickly and that is the changes to the inheritance tax rules affecting families in business. The reforms to Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief have created real anxiety across the community and are already influencing decisions about investment, succession and, in some cases, whether to continue in family ownership at all."

"We recognise the fiscal pressures that any government faces, but this is a measure that risks raising very little whilst doing lasting damage to the businesses and farms that underpin our regional economies. We would respectfully ask the Prime Minister and the Treasury team to look again at these provisions, to engage properly with the families affected and to find a way forward that protects the ability of family firms to pass from one generation to the next.

"Family Business United stands ready to work constructively with the new government, to share the evidence and to make the case for the family business sector. Our door is open and we hope theirs will be too."