It’s a big day for the nation as we wave goodbye to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and welcome the new Labour Party leader, Andy Burnham. And it’s an even bigger day, not only for the man himself, but for his family, too. In the spotlight alongside Andy is his wife, Marie-France van Heel, who joined him at Buckingham Palace to meet The King, before arriving at the steps of Downing Street.
For the important day, Marie-France chose to wear a lilac-blue midi dress by Victoria Beckham, which is significant, as she’s chosen to support a British design house. At the moment when her husband takes the reigns of the nation, it makes sense to choose a formal dress designed by UK talent – especially given Manchester (where Andy was mayor) is a historic fashion and manufacturing hub. Marie-France wore the Edith Stretch Cady Midi Dress which is still available to shop online, but only in black or bright indigo.
Marie-France arrived outside 10 Downing Street alongside Andy, greeting and shaking hands with well-wishers as Andy made his way to the microphone (doing away with the ‘barrier’ of the usual podium) for his first speech on the job.
In his address, Andy Burnham said the government had ‘not been good enough’ in the past and promised to ‘be better’, with new political and economic models to be announced as part of a 10-year plan later this year. Andy added that his first priority – that he’d be issuing an instruction on as soon as he stepped through the door of Number 10 – was ‘to end rough sleeping in our country’. The new Prime Minister also pledged to change the education system and help more young people get support, including around mental health, as well as boosting council home numbers.
The new government will be more ‘collaborative’ and focus on ‘problem solving’ over ‘point scoring’, in order to provide ‘more’ to ‘every postcode in the land,’ Andy promised. He added that tomorrow (21 July), he would announce measures targeted at tackling the cost of living. As soon as he’d finished his address, Andy turned to kiss his wife, before going back to hug those who had come out to show him support.
Marie-France clapped as her husband finished his speech, and smiled as he gave her a kiss. The pair were then welcomed by rows of Downing Street staff as they made their way inside, walking hand-in-hand as they made their way past their new team.
Marie-France (known as ‘Franky’) and Andy met during their university days, having attended the University of Cambridge. Marie-France has had an impressive career working in marketing and strategy, with big names including Sky, BBC and England Rugby on her CV. She is currently Chief Customer Officer for an electric vehicle charging company called Be.EV and sits on the board of trustees for Plan International UK.
Marie-France grew up in Belgium and the Netherlands before moving to the UK, and speaks three languages. She and Andy have been married for more than two decades and share three children; Jimmy, Rosie and Anne-Marie.
