LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been in the job for two months, and so far his party isn’t demanding his head. These days, that’s an accomplishment.
The governing Labour Party opens its annual conference beside the River Mersey in Liverpool on Sunday, with Burnham pledging to turn the page on a decade of economic and political turmoil that has made him the U.K.’s seventh prime minister since its 2016 vote to leave the European Union.
He says his message in a keynote speech on Tuesday will be: “It’s time for Britain to have hope again.”
“We’ve had a decade since Brexit and it’s been a decade of too much drift, too much division, and we need to draw a line on that,” Burnham said as he arrived in Liverpool on Saturday.
His message is aimed at both the British public and a center-left party that is hopeful but nervous — ready to embrace his promise of better times, but worried about economic damage rippling out from conflict in the Middle East.
University of Manchester political science professor Rob Ford said Burnham’s difficult task is to win over “a skeptical electorate" eager for change, "while at the same time doing that within the constraints of a very difficult economic and fiscal situation.”
In short: “How do you serve people a bowl of cold porridge and convince them it’s a pepperoni pizza?”
Britain’s main political parties all hold conferences in September and October, combinations of pep rally, social gathering and policy forum that set the political tone and agenda for the year ahead.
Last year’s Labour gathering was gloomy, as members despaired about Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s deep unpopularity, little more than a year after winning power in a landslide, and the seemingly unstoppable rise of the anti-immigration opposition party Reform UK.
Burnham, then the popular mayor of Greater Manchester, was followed around Liverpool by journalists as speculation grew that he would challenge Starmer.
Events came to a head months later when a panicky party forced Starmer’s resignation and his replacement by Burnham as party leader and prime minister in July.
Now, Labour is seeing a “Burnham bounce” driven by the new leader’s upbeat talk and modest moves to put money in voters’ pocketbooks by cutting tax on electricity bills and capping bus fares.
Meanwhile, Reform is facing parliamentary and police investigations over its finances – though it also recently received a whopping 72 million pounds ($95 million) from two cryptocurrency billionaires.
Burnham has already set out some priorities, including handing more power to local leaders in order to generate "good growth in every post code.” He says he’ll reform Britain’s privatized utilities, especially the expensive, leaky and polluting water network.
While the party is relatively united behind Burnham, he faces a divisive decision about whether to approve new oil drilling in the North Sea – opposed by environmentalists but backed by trade unions – and pushback over plans agreed under Starmer to make it harder for immigrants to settle permanently in Britain.
The next general election does not have to be called until 2029, but Labour’s revival has sparked talk of a snap election – something Burnham denies he’s considering.
“All of this speculation on an early election, I can knock that dead,” Burnham told broadcaster ITV on Friday.
But no matter how upbeat Burnham is, economic pain is coming.
Burnham must explain to party members and voters how he will deal with economic turbulence from the on-off U.S.-Iran war, which has severely restricted the movement of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
Treasury chief John Healey is set to deliver the Burnham government’s first budget on Oct. 28, with rising energy prices tightening a cost-of-living squeeze. Like other countries, Britain also needs to find money to increase defense spending to counter threats from Russia.
That means tax rises or spending cuts – or both – could be on the cards.
One thing that might bring an economic boost is to ease some of the trade barriers erected by Brexit. Burnham has pledged closer ties with the European Union, but it’s unclear how close.
Under Starmer, Labour was elected in 2024 on a promise not to seek to rejoin the bloc or enter its single market for goods, services and employment. Many Labour members would like to break that pledge, including former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said last week that the U.K. and EU should start negotiations “where everything is on the table.”
Burnham has said that’s a discussion for another time. Meanwhile, progress toward closer ties has been slow.
An EU-U.K. reset summit initially penciled in for July has slipped to November at the earliest because the two sides are wrangling over the bloc’s “made in Europe” rules, which the U.K. says will hurt British producers.
Ford said that unlike Starmer, who quickly squandered the public’s goodwill, Burnham has held onto his reputation “as an optimist and an effective communicator.” But he said Burnham's “really stern test” is yet to come.
“The bills are still going to land on the doormat,” Ford said. “He’s going to have to be the prime minister who can sell the average voter on, ‘Yes, that is indeed a bowl of cold porridge in front of you, but it will get better.’”
Britain's Prime Minister Andy Burnham and his wife Marie-France Van Heel arrive for the Labour Party Conference at the ACC Liverpool, in Liverpool, England,, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. (Stefan Rousseau/PA via AP)
HILO, Hawaii (AP) — Hurricane Nolo just skirted the Hawaiian Islands as it gained intensity on Saturday, but officials said it still posed a risk for flash floods, dangerous winds and extreme surf in areas recovering from previous storms.
Nolo was churning very slowly south of the Big Island with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph (150 kph). Its center was about 165 miles (266 kilometers) south-southwest of Hawaii's southernmost point and it was forecast to strengthen into a major hurricane late Sunday and early Monday while traveling westward to the south of the islands.
A hurricane watch was canceled and direct landfall by the storm's center was not expected. But forecasters said its outer bands could cause life-threatening flooding and mudslides, with parts of the Big Island expected to see rainfall totals up to 20 inches (51 centimeters). Heavy rain also was expected on the other islands.
“Don’t venture out if you don’t have to into the dangerous flooding environment, but also high winds. We can have trees and power lines down,” said Michael Brennan, director of the National Hurricane Center.
Heavy rain continued to fall across the southern part of the Big Island in the afternoon, leading to partial closures of one of the main highways connecting Kailua-Kona in the west to Hilo in the east.
Near the community of Naalehu on the island’s southern point, National Guard members were seen guiding a man who was driving across flooded streets as he tried to leave his home in the heavy downpour. More than 120 guard members were activated on the island, part of roughly 400 statewide after the governor issued an emergency proclamation.
The humanitarian nonprofit group CORE and other partners spent the week packing and shipping supplies like camp stoves and hygiene products by air cargo from Oahu to the Big Island for a community relief hub that has been active since August's Hurricane Lala.
Residents are still recovering from Lala, which produced heavy rain and winds strong enough to sweep about 100 homes off their foundations on the Big Island.
About a dozen people were in the water Saturday morning at Carlsmith Beach Park in Hilo on the Big Island, despite signs saying the strand was closed. Andrea Gill was out for her regular swim before heading back home to hunker down with family.
Shop owners boarded up businesses, and events were canceled. Gill said storms are common, but hurricanes are rare. She was holding out hope that the islands might not get the full impact.
“We're used to lots of rain. We're not used to wind. So it's always a blessing when we don't get the wind from the hurricane,” Gill said.
President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration Friday, authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate assistance and provide funding support.
Hawaiian Electric, the state’s primary utility, said crews helping restore power in Kauai after this month’s Hurricane Lowell returned to Oahu, Maui and the Big Island in response to the storm.
On Maui, a brush fire broke out on the west side of the island Saturday, prompting mandatory evacuations for some residents and shutting down parts of a highway. The fire was burning near the Olowalu area, about 7 miles (11 kilometers) south of Lahaina, the site of the 2023 deadly fires. County officials set up two evacuation centers to the north and south of the fire.
The weather service issued a high wind warning for parts of Maui Saturday evening, meaning winds could be at least 40 mph (64 kph) with gusts over 60 mph (97 kph).
The Pacific has been unusually active this season, according to National Weather Service lead forecaster Bob Oravec, with storm activity running above average during what is already the peak of hurricane season. He said that pattern is consistent with El Niño years, when the Pacific often sees more tropical storms and hurricanes.
Meanwhile Mexico was under the threat of Hurricane Polo as it headed toward the Baja California Peninsula after bringing storm conditions to the southwestern coast. Polo had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph), making it a Category 4 storm, but it was expected to weaken somewhat before making landfall Monday.
One of the towns in the hurricanes projected path is San Juanico, a small fishing community on Baja’s Pacific coast where access to basic needs is already fickle.
“Our people are concerned about this event,” said Gloriely Robles Meza, a manager at a small hotel. “We haven’t faced such a worrying situation in many years.”
The town has only had full-time electricity for a couple of years, and it still experiences frequent outages. Without power, residents can’t refrigerate food or pump water. The closest gas station is so far away that fuel is stored in and sold from tanks, and supply frequently runs out if there is high demand.
Robles Meza said the community feels left to brace itself for the storm without the help of authorities.
“We must prepare on our own — each of us protecting our homes and belongings,” she said, adding that she wished officials would preposition heavy machinery for clearing roads, along with emergency generators.
For now, she said, the only plan is to convert the local elementary school into a shelter.
“While this is important, we also have other impacts to consider,” Robles Meza said, like what the town will do if it is cut off from help.
San Juanico has experienced late-summer storms, but Polo feels different, said Jeffrey Westman, an American who was first drawn to the town’s world-class surf break 40 years ago and owns a property there.
Washed-out roads could block access to the closest medical facility, about 80 minutes away in Ciudad Constitucion.
Westman, 63, said he hopes Polo behaves as some past storms have, losing intensity before reaching the peninsula.
“A lot of times they do start petering out,” he said. “I’m hoping that’s the case.”
Associated Press writers Christopher Weber in Los Angeles, Gabriela Aoun Angueira in San Diego, California, and Hannah Schoenbaum in Midway, Utah, contributed.
A member of Hawaii Army National guard removes a ladder from a vehicle as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo floods a section of Mamalahoa highway Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, near Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Fire Captain Lui Sales of the Hawaii Fire Department looks for residents to help as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo flood a section of Mamalahoa highway Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, near Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Members of the Hawaii Army National Guard help a resident leave his home as rainwater from nearby Hurricane Nolo floods a section of Mamalahoa highway Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, near Naalehu, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Ryanna Fry takes a picture of clouds as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby in Kona, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man crosses the road as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man walks among rocks while fishing as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A lifeguard walks back to his tower after adjusting a beach closure sign as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Kawika Ige fishes as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
A man walks past a closed ticket counter for Southwest Airlines lined with sandbags at Hilo International Airport as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Chase Gabin fishes among the rocks as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Louie Taasan places sand bags along his driveway as Hurricane Nolo sits nearby Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Hilo, Hawaii. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Kenzielynn Kekoa, center, of Hilo, Hawaii, helps her family fill sand bags as Hurricane Nolo approaches in Hilo, Hawaii, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eugene Garcia)
