Andy Burnham Driving Licence Proposals Explained: What Could Change For Young And Over-70 Drivers?

Claims about Andy Burnham driving licence proposals have spread online, but the measures were drawn up before he became Prime Minister. They include possible eyesight checks for older motorists, longer learning periods and tougher action against suspected drink and drug drivers, not blanket driving retests or automatic licence removals.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has inherited a package of potential driving-law changes that could affect motorists across London and the rest of Great Britain, although several widely circulated claims about the plans go considerably further than the official proposals.

Burnham became Prime Minister on 20 July 2026, after the Government’s Road Safety Strategy had already been published on 7 January under Sir Keir Starmer’s administration. The strategy launched consultations covering learner drivers, older motorists and motoring offences.

That distinction matters because the measures are increasingly being described as new Burnham policies. The new UK government will now have to decide how to proceed with consultations inherited from the previous administration.

Why Do Driving Licence Claims Cause Confusion?

Several reports and social media posts have combined separate consultations into claims that older motorists will have to retake their driving test or that younger drivers could automatically lose their licences.

The published proposals do not support either interpretation. Instead, the Government consulted on a series of distinct road-safety measures covering eyesight checks, learner-driver requirements and temporary licence suspensions in certain serious motoring cases.

Over-70s Are Not Being Told to Retake Their Driving Test

One prominent claim says motorists aged 70 and over will have to sit another driving test to keep their licence.

That is false under the proposals currently published.

Full Fact reported on 11 August that the Government is not proposing a compulsory driving retest for everyone over 70. Instead, ministers have consulted on replacing the existing eyesight self-declaration with mandatory eyesight testing as part of the licence-renewal process.

Currently, drivers must renew their entitlement when they turn 70 and at least every three years afterwards. They declare that they meet the required eyesight standard and disclose relevant medical conditions.

The consultation considered making an eyesight test compulsory from age 70, potentially every three years in line with licence renewal. It also examined who would conduct the test, how results would reach the DVLA and whether the driver or Government would meet the cost.

Options for cognitive testing have also been discussed as part of the wider Road Safety Strategy, but that does not amount to a confirmed requirement for all older drivers to take a new practical driving test.

What Could Change for Younger and Learner Drivers?

Reports have also suggested that drivers “born after 2002” could have their licences stripped.

The official proposals are more specific than that headline suggests.

There is no blanket rule in the Department for Transport consultation saying everyone born after 2002 would lose, or be at risk of losing, their licence.

One proposal would introduce a minimum period between passing the theory test and taking the Category B practical car test. The Government has considered a three or six-month minimum period, intended to give learners more experience in conditions including night driving, bad weather and heavy traffic.

Drivers aged 17 to 24 account for 6% of licence holders but were involved in 24% of fatal and serious collisions, according to the Department for Transport.

The learner-driver consultation also asked about minimum supervised driving hours and a mandatory learning syllabus. It applies to Category B learner drivers generally rather than using a 2002 birth-date cut-off.

Separately, ministers consulted on whether novice drivers should have a lower legal alcohol limit than other motorists.

Another proposal would allow temporary licence suspension for someone suspected of drink or drug driving while they await court proceedings or forensic analysis. A similar power was considered for people under investigation for serious driving offences resulting in death or serious injury.

Those proposals are linked to suspected offences, not simply to the driver’s age.

For London motorists following wider changes to motoring administration, Londoner has also reported on the separate DVSA rollout of MOT photographs, while further capital-focused updates are available in our transport and traffic coverage.

What the Proposals Could Mean for London Drivers?

If any of the measures are adopted, the practical effect in London would depend on the final wording of the rules and when they come into force.

Older motorists could face an additional eyesight requirement when renewing their licence, while learner drivers may need to spend longer gaining supervised experience before booking a practical test.

For younger motorists, the most significant changes under consultation relate to learning requirements, alcohol limits and possible temporary suspensions linked to serious suspected offences rather than a general age-based restriction.

What Happens Next With the Driving Law Changes?

The road-safety consultations closed on 11 May 2026. The motoring-offences consultation said a summary of responses and next steps would be published within three months, but the official consultation pages still showed the exercises as closed without a published outcome as of 12 August.

That means the measures remain proposals rather than confirmed new driving laws.

The Burnham government will now determine whether to adopt, amend or abandon the changes developed under the previous administration. Until ministers publish their formal response, motorists should be cautious about claims that new age-based driving tests or automatic licence removals have already been approved.