6 hours ago
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There’s no pleasing some people. For most of last week, all the opposition parties were moaning that Andy Burnham had taken a vow of silence ever since the Makerfield byelection. That no one had a clue just what the prime minister designate had in mind.
On Monday, Andy sought to answer some of those questions, but before he had opened his mouth, Kemi Badenoch accused him of trying to avoid the scrutiny of MPs. He should be doing this from the dispatch box, she said. Um … except he’s not a minister. Maybe she plans to give him a guest slot from the opposition benches. There again, she was also saying that all his plans were bound to fail long before he had even told us what they were. Never change, Kemi. Just keep saying the first thing that comes into your head.
The Engine Hall annexe at the People’s History Museum in Manchester was already rammed half an hour before Andy was due to speak. The location deliberately symbolic: this is a museum dedicated to democracy. No one, though, was quite in the mood to mention that Burnham is about to become yet another prime minister installed without a general election. Without even a leadership contest. His rivals have all melted away. Instead we have a coronation.
Nor was Andy planning on subjecting himself to questions from the media. That was made clear well in advance. There would be a time and a place when he would take questions in the weeks and months ahead, but now was not that moment. He wasn’t feeling the right vibes. He had a busy schedule. He needed to be somewhere else afterwards. Though there had been nothing stopping him from beginning the event half an hour earlier. Call him the people’s prince.
After a brief introduction from Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate to be the new mayor of Greater Manchester, and a prolonged standing ovation just for walking into the room, Burnham took to the stage. And you have to give it to him. He is a natural. Where Keir Starmer had the unfortunate knack of making any room feel awkward, Andy looked as if he was right at home. If you’re picking your prime minister on his ability to put you at your ease, then Labour have chosen the right man.
Sooner or later, Burnham is going to have to get used to wearing a suit more frequently. It’s is the prime ministerial dress code. But today he was in Manchester mode. Black T-shirt – not sure this one wasn’t dark blue – and jacket. He quickly let us know the museum was one of his favourite places, and he had already donated an old coat he had worn in the pandemic to go on show beside Michael Foot’s donkey jacket. Maybe, once the T-shirt has been retired, he can give that to the museum, too. Along with a couple of eyelashes. There will be queues around the block.
Fair to say, Andy was speaking to a home crowd. Not just because he was back in Manchester. But because for many Labour MPs and members he is the second coming. They had thought they were dead and buried under Starmer. Now they feel they have been given a second chance. Or at least an outside chance. No longer does it seem like a done deal that Reform, possibly in coalition with the Tories, will be the next government. When Burnham talks of offering the country a new hope, this is what Labour has in mind.
What came next felt worryingly familiar. Mainly because we have heard variations of it from every prime minister of recent years. Not just Starmer, but from the succession of Tory deadbeats, starting with David Cameron. Britain was broken. Yup, and who broke it? The country wasn’t working for many people whose lives were not getting better. We needed to change politics and do it now. Burnham had a bold 10-year vision of change. Which rather suggested there were no easy fixes. And also a spectacular level of optimism. Because these days a prime minister is lucky to be given two years. Butterflies broken on the wheel.
“I will build an inclusive team,” he said. Though he wouldn’t be naming any names just yet. Which wasn’t a total disappointment as many lobby journalists are enjoying the endless speculation. One Labour MP had said that if Andy’s speech was quite boring then it was likely Ed Miliband would be the next chancellor. In which case, Ed is a shoo-in. Because – not to put to fine a point on it – there were times when the speech was a bit dull. Something we had all heard before. There were times when people even forgot to clap. It could have been a Keir special. Only with a much more charismatic narrator. Maybe that’s enough.
Then came the promise to reach out to other parties. To collaborate in the national interest. A nice idea. Though one that’s fatally flawed. Because it takes a minimum of two to collaborate and you can’t see Kemi working with anyone. Not even herself. Her only mode is confrontation. Her contribution to the People’s History Museum would be an invoice from her therapist for anger management sessions. There again, Nigel Farage’s would be a £5m bank statement.
The big idea had been heavily trailed. A devolution of power to level the country up. The creation of a No 10 North. How all of this was going to work had to be rather taken on trust. This was a sales pitch. Mood music. The details would all come later. But there would be good jobs. Opportunities for all. He would build 1.5m new homes. It wasn’t clear where. Nor if these were the same 1.5m homes that Keir had promised to build two years ago, or whether we were starting again from scratch. High streets would become the new symbol of the British renaissance. Just as soon as someone finds a way of weaning the country off shopping online.
Andy ended with a message of hope. He would give Britain some breathing space when he could. He didn’t elaborate. A tax cut? Energy price caps? Or just a voucher for a spa day? Gong baths all round. Suits me. I’m up for it. “Imagine good growth, housing and jobs. Hope in every heart,” he said, nearing the end. “Imagine it no more. Let’s make it happen.” And why not? What else have we got? Surely the next 10 years can’t be as bad as the last 10. Can they? The audience rose to their feet as one. They could recognise a saviour rising from these streets. If anyone can, Andy can.
