Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Andy Burnham refuses to commit to backing a third runway at Heathrow.

Instead he dodges the question saying "it is a contested issue", "a matter for London" and "there are different views".

The PM was previously critical about the scheme when he came to office.

Just yesterday Heathrow Airport warned its planned third runway might be delayed by four years due to planning and regulatory issues.

The government had previously hoped the new runway at the UK's busiest airport, estimated to cost £33bn, would open by 2035.

Will this major infrastructure project be delayed yet again?

Referring to protests that can be heard outside the building, at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool, Kuenssberg says "we're not sure what people are protesting" but that it "quite a normal thing" at party conferences.

Turning to Northern Ireland, and the ongoing protests after permission was given for Northern Ireland's Orange Order to parade down the national Garvaghy Road, Burnham says he has spoken to the Northern Ireland secretary this morning.

He says no recommendation has been received from the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland for the UK government to withdraw permission for the parade.

Burnham says his responsibility is "upholding the Good Friday agreement", a responsibility he says he "takes really seriously".

"Its a tense situation... we do appeal for calm," he adds.

Kuenssberg now asks Burnham whether he thinks Danny Tommo is a racist?

For context, this refers to anti-migrant activist Daniel Thomas who comes from Hayling Island near Portsmouth. He recently pleaded not guilty to criminal damage after a video appeared to show him slashing at a dinghy in the Channel with a knife.

Burnham says: "It's hard to conclude that he's anything other than someone who has racist views."

He says he doesn't "just throw labels on people" and hasn't read everything Thomas has said and done. But he calls Thomas's actions "the worst kind of hateful behaviour".

Switching topics, Andy Burnham is asked about anti-migration protesters wearing masks who describe themselves as patriots.

Burnham calls this behaviour "unacceptable" and says it creates fear on British streets.

He says there are "real worries" about immigration, but stresses: "Let's look at the facts."

Boat crossings, he continues, are down 50% this year compared to the early 2020s.

He says he will be relentless in addressing the issue, but suggests the public should be aware of when people are "playing the worst kind of politics" with this issue that leads to people feeling afraid in their communities.

Moving on to reports that plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport could be delayed further, the prime minister says it is "principally a matter for London".

Asked if he would back the plans, Burnham says its a "contested issue" and that the voices of people living nearby need to heard first.

"Its not right for me to just jump in," he says, adding that the government will consider the way forward following public consultation.

Burnham is now asked what he is "willing to ditch" to make the sums add up.

He says his policies are carefully thought through.

Giving examples, he says if you look at social care, "it's preventative" and means not having to spend "thousands of pounds" when people are unnecessarily in hospital.

If you support rough sleepers, that costs less than people doing in and out of police custody, he adds.

Asked about Peter Kyle's comments (urging Burnham to act with "more urgency" to boost economic growth), Burnham says Kyle is "absolutely right" and adds that he "oversaw the fastest growing economy in the country" when he was mayor of Greater Manchester.

He says Liverpool - where he is speaking from - is also growing faster than other places.

He urges people to avoid a "narrative of doom", and says the UK is the fastest-growing economy in the G7. "We're all repairing the damage of the Liz Truss mini-Budget," he adds.

"I won't do what previous Conservative governments did and take risks with the economy that are actually still hurting us right now," Burnham says.

He adds that the government will "support people as best we can through the Budget" but in a way that is "highly prudent".

PM commits to turn social care into election issuepublished at 09:32 BST

09:32 BST

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Andy Burnham knows the political dangers that come with this social care policy - remember Theresa May in the 2017 election facing accusations she wanted to introduce a “dementia tax”?

Precisely because of that, the PM’s pitch is to avoid political point-scoring and get cross-party consensus. He claims the alternative is continuing with the current system which he argues is as “unfair as American healthcare”.

And yet instead of avoiding social care reform becoming an election issue once again, the PM has committed to doing exactly that.

Today he has committed to introducing a new social system in the next Parliament, and using the next general election to ask voters to approve his proposition of care service which is free at the point of use and paid for by everyone.

Burnham says he is "not going to do politics as usual" as prime minister.

"Politics has let people down, backed away from difficult issues," he says.

"I am not going to do this."

There's more detail now on when exactly we might see firm proposals for a national care service.

The prime minister explains that because trust is important, he will develop a clear plan that is then put to the public at a general election.

Burnham says this is when the plan will be tested before it is introduced in the next Parliament.

When questioned by Kuenssberg, he confirms this will involve a care service that is free at the point of use, paid for by everyone, and with a "precise explanation" as to how it's going to be funded.

We'll hear more on this during a speech on Tuesday, he adds.

Joe Pike
Political correspondent

Andy Burnham signals his upcoming social care reforms may mean a system of universal free care.

That could involve people in England accessing free care at the point of use. He says the system needs to "work on NHS principles" and that he will set out more in his conference speech on Tuesday.

Burnham makes an emotive argument referencing the "humour, humanity and skill" of those who cared for his father Roy, who recently died after living with dementia.

But opposition parties will want to know: how will he pay for it? The PM says that the principle is "everyone contributes and everyone is covered" but "nothing is off the table".

The prime minister goes on to say that social care in England is "as unfair as American healthcare" where the "most vulnerable in society can lose everything, they can be wiped out".

Asked where the money will come from to tackle social care, Burnham says a review is ongoing and he will say more about plans "later this week".

He says he won't do anything where he cannot look the public "in the eye and say I think it is the right thing to do" and that he "will not dodge difficult questions".

Asked if reformed social care will mean more tax, the prime minister says it will be a system where "everyone contributes" but not necessarily in the same way as the NHS.

Kuenssberg now presses Burnham on whether he is proposing universal free social care.

He says he will set out more this week at the Labour Party's conference, including a timetable.

"I am talking about a system that works on NHS principles," he says, describing this as "the only way you can make it work".

He says there is free personal care elsewhere in the UK and he doesn't think it's right that people in England don't get the same.

He says it "has to be done carefully without putting extra strain on the public purse" but says he'll bring forward proposals. He also notes that Baroness Louise Casey is still doing her official review.

"I'm not going to do what others have done" and look "in a different direction", he says, adding that "broken social care will in the end break the NHS".

Andy Burnham is asked by Kuenssberg to clarify exactly what a new social care system might look like, and when it might happen.

The prime minister replies that he wants a "national care service", where the care system speaks the same language as the health system.

At the moment, he says, the two don't connect.

This is because the care system is so "threadbare" that it can't support people in care homes, or people struggle to pay for care support, Burnham explains.

He says this means people end up in hospitals, which are the most expensive part of the system, and that's not necessarily where they should be.

Andy Burnham is up first, when asked about plans on social care he says his government is "making really good process".

He says the death of his father "has been hard" but that it "pushes him on" to sort out social care, adding that he is going to "grasp the nettle".

"It's devastating actually to be here.. Parliament just ignoring this issue because they consider it too difficult," he tells Laura Kuenssberg.

Burnham adds: "Is it any wonder that politics is in such low esteem with the public if it can't fix something as basic [as this]?"

Cue the music... Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg has just started.

As a reminder, you can watch live at the top of the page. We'll also bring you the key lines here.

Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg is just about to get started.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is in the hot seat this morning, live from Liverpool as the Labour Party conference kicks off - his first as party leader.

Ahead of the conference, the PM has announced a new scheme to help first-time buyers get on the housing ladder.

The government also plans to make it simpler for councils to take over empty homes to provide housing for those in need.

We'll also have shadow home secretary Chris Philp on the programme, as well as former business secretary Peter Kyle and the BBC's new director-general, Matt Brittin.

You'll be able to watch live at the top of the page once the programme starts. You can also follow along on iPlayer or BBC One.

Ahead of Burnham's trip to the north-west of England for the Labour Party conference - his first as leader - the prime minister experienced another first earlier this week.

Here's a quick look at his visit to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York:

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, PA Media

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Reuters

Small boat crossings: Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ordered a review into how two boats reached the UK without being intercepted.

Elgin Marbles: The Greek PM, writing in the Guardian, reminded Burnham that in 2023, when he was mayor of Manchester, he had said the Parthenon sculptures should be returned to Greece with "no strings attached".

Tories push benefit restrictions: Kemi Badenoch said her party would prevent long-term jobless benefit claimants from spending welfare payments on alcohol, cigarettes and gambling, and cut universal credit by 30% for those unemployed for more than six months if they have not previously paid enough into the system, despite being able to work.

Lib Dems promise tax cuts: Speaking at his party's conference in Brighton, Ed Davey said his party would reduce the income tax paid by millions of workers.

UK to help Saudis counter Houthi attacks: Britain will deploy a military aircraft to help refuel Saudi Arabian fighter jets in the country's conflict with Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Burnham has attended his first UN General Assembly meeting, met Donald Trump for the first time and is about to face his first Labour Party conference as PM.

Other significant tests for his government also loom on the horizon:

• John Healey will deliver his first Budget as chancellor on 28 October, with the government facing pressure from the UK's unexpected borrowing surge
• The Holborn and St Pancras by-election on 8 October will determine who will succeed former PM Keir Starmer as MP
• Burnham will travel to Miami for the G20 meeting, which begins on 20 December - next year, he'll host the same summit in Manchester

The BBC's director general, Matt Brittin, told Laura Kuenssberg in an interview earlier this week that changing audience habits "may well mean" some channels and radio stations have to close in order for resources to be invested in on-demand services.

While his focus is to "minimise the impact on the audience", he says "the tight financial situation means that we're having to look at some of those decisions a bit sooner than we might like".

In recent months, the BBC has announced a series of closures including Blankety Blank, Celebrity Mastermind, Live at the Apollo and Football Focus, with further cuts expected.

Brittin took over as BBC director general in May after a decade as president of Google in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

You can read Laura's earlier story on her interview with Matt Brittin, and we'll be hearing more from him in the programme a little later on.