Andy Burnham pledges a big shakeup for Britain in a high-risk political speech

LONDON -- LONDON (AP) — Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledged Tuesday to give Britain “a new social contract for the 21st century," reform the country's electoral system and reset its relationship with its European neighbors. But he acknowledged that economic constraints make delivering his sweeping plans a big political risk.“Small things will not get us through what are difficult times,” Burnham said in a tough-love speech to the center-left Labour Party’s annual conference.He set out a crowd-pleasing vision of more social housing, better education and more affordable care for the elderly. But he warned that money would have to come from welfare and pension spending to deliver the changes.Anticipating opposition to his plans, Burnham said: “I have given you what you often say is missing from politics: honesty, ideas and a clear direction for the country we all love.”Some of Burnham’s announcements in the hour-long speech will spark big political fights. Burnham said he would stake his political legacy on establishing a “national care service” to fix what he called a “ broken” social care system. He said that like the much-loved but overstretched National Health Service it would be ...