Andy Burnham sets out Labour's pitch to London

The party conference season is under way - with the Labour Party meeting in Liverpool this week.

BBC London's political editor Karl Mercer is sitting down with leaders and other senior party figures to discuss some of the key issues facing the capital, and what their party might do to tackle them.

On Friday he spoke to Labour Party leader and Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and asked about the party's performance in May's local elections and London's lack of progress on housebuilding.

Karl Mercer: Are you in danger of losing support in London? Voters gave you a bit of a spanking in May, you lost half your councils, a third of your councillors, and they've turned to the Greens and back to the Tories instead of Labour.

Andy Burnham: We never take anyone's support for granted and I certainly don't do that as prime minister. I'll work every single day to justify people's support.

So what am I doing, you might then say.

Well, next week VAT will come off people's electricity bills across the capital.

That is something that will help. I'm not going to claim to you it's everything, but it's a sign that I am doing what I can to help people as quickly as I can.

Karl Mercer: They'd be worried about housing in London as well, and possibly because it's fallen off a cliff, the number of houses being built.

The number of affordable homes in London: 4,500 last year instead of 26,000 the year before. Is that indicative of a mayor who is working with a Labour government who are both failing?

Andy Burnham: Well I think your analysis is a bit off beam there to be honest because I recently have agreed with Mayor Sadiq Khan a huge package of housing funding - particularly to see the biggest wave of council house building across London than we've seen in many, many, many a year.

I've agreed that since coming into office.

I think your question is unfair to Sadiq Khan, as well as it's unfair to the government because we've just agreed that, and it will make a massive difference.

And actually, I've faced pressure from other parts of the country saying that, why is London getting all of this money?

And I'll tell you why, because the housing crisis is felt in London more keenly than anywhere else.

It's right that I do that to support Sadiq and the councils in London who've brought forward plans to address the housing crisis.

Karl Mercer: Do you want Sadiq to be your candidate for mayor?

Andy Burnham: I'd always support him.

I think he's done a great job as the mayor of London. And I'm happy to say that it is the greatest capital city and it will always have my support.

Sadiq has done bold things in relation to air quality, improving the health of Londoners.

The quality of transport in London continues to improve. I am somebody who works very closely with him and he has done more, I think, to address the housing crisis than any of his predecessors and that's why he's got my full support and backing in whatever he decides to do.

Karl Mercer: How important is the upcoming by-election in Holborn and St Pancras for your position nationally, but also for the party in London and what it says about where Labour's now standing?

Andy Burnham: It is an important by-election, make no mistake about it, and we're not complacent in any way, shape or form.

We've got to justify people's support. And I think some of the things I have done show that I am listening to people and their concerns.

But also where Labour perhaps hasn't heard the voice of London communities and some of the concerns that people have, that we show that we're prepared to make changes.

Certainly I heard the voice from many Londoners about the situation in relation to Israel-Palestine and the need for the government to have a position that reflects public concern.

Working with Ed Miliband, we made a change and we announced that a couple of weeks ago.

We'll never in any way, shape or form accept any form of anti-Semitism whatsoever. We condemn the attacks of 7 October in unequivocal terms.

But at the same time, it is also right to say that does not justify what we've seen in Gaza or indeed in the West Bank.

And where I need to do that as prime minister, working with the foreign secretary, we will do that.

Where we can, we will make those changes where we listen to people, and we bring forward a position that I think reflects public concern of Londoners.

The interview was conducted on Friday, when BBC London reported that a sex offender was granted bail and allowed to return to his home overlooking the playground he targeted.

Karl Mercer: There was a prolific paedophile who was turned down three times to be remanded despite the efforts of the police.

Sir Mark Rowley, London's Police Commissioner, says dangerous and prolific offenders are routinely being granted bail. He has a point and it's not acceptable, is it?

Andy Burnham: Certainly he has a point and it needs to be heard. It's obviously a matter for the courts when these decisions are made, but obviously they need to hear the voice of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

I think this particular case is disturbing and I would ask those working across the criminal justice system to look at it and to make any necessary changes as a result.

Karl Mercer: Does it give you pause for thought about the prisoner early release scheme which is coming up in the next couple of weeks, because the Commissioner has been very clear that his officers face extreme demands and are overstretched?

And he expects that to get worse when more people are released, they will have to follow more people around.

Andy Burnham: I've shown that willingness to pause and give thought to this whole issue. I did that from day one when I came in as prime minister and the early release scheme is significantly different today than what it was when I came into office - and it was partly the voice of the Commissioner that I heard across the summer.

He pressed me to go further and I did go further.

Karl Mercer: And he's still very concerned about what it means for his officers.

Andy Burnham: So am I. This is not an ideal situation. The failure to build prison places over a number of years has led to this unacceptable situation.

I don't believe anyone would want this situation to have arisen. It results from that failure to ensure proper planning of prison places in the past.

But we are where we are. I have to deal with it, but I have faced it and I have made changes to ensure that those guilty of the most serious crimes will not be released early.

Those involved in the murder of PC Andrew Harper manslaughter will not be released early. These are the changes that I've made. But at the same time, I will also ensure that where release is happening, we have the highest level of restrictions in place too.

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