Burnham's summer tour is over - now he has to prove himself in Parliament

Andy Burnham is set to come under the most intense scrutiny of his political life when Parliament returns on Tuesday.

Since coming to power six weeks ago, the new prime minister has largely been free to set his own agenda.

The timing of Labour's leadership contest meant he walked into Number 10 after the House of Commons began its summer break, denying MPs the chance to question him and creating what some have seen as a honeymoon period.

Burnham has embarked on what Downing Street called a "summer tour" of the UK, appeared on podcasts and announced a series of eye-catching policies, mainly aimed at tackling the cost of living.

But things are about to get a lot tougher, with MPs finally getting a chance to grill the new PM when he makes a statement to Parliament on his priorities as PM.

He has taken questions from MPs in the Commons before, when he was a minister in Tony Blair and Gordon Brown's Labour governments.

But Tuesday will be his first appearance on the government front bench for 16 years.

The team around Burnham view the start of his premiership as successful but say they will be relieved to get back to the "structure" of parliamentary politics.