Andy Burnham offers Labour a refreshing new voice to reach lost voters – but with what message? |
Andy Burnham’s stint as health secretary in the final year of Gordon Brown’s government was not especially memorable, although one observation from a senior civil servant in the department at the time has stuck in my mind. Working for Burnham, I was told, felt like “revising for exams with a mate who might turn to you and say: ‘shall we sack this off for a bit and play football instead?’”
It was meant as a compliment, mostly. The secretary of state didn’t defer government business for kickabouts on Whitehall, he just had the vibe of someone who was tempted. That image confirms everything Burnham’s Labour supporters and critics already think about him.
Enthusiasts see serious purpose worn amiably. This, it is said, has been a winning combination in the Greater Manchester mayoralty. Transplanted to Downing Street, it might reconnect the government with audiences it has lost under Keir Starmer. Sceptics say Burnham’s congeniality comes with indecision; that the arc of his political career has been shaped by a preference for being liked over confronting hard choices. This trait can be compatible with municipal office but leads to paralysis and ruin in prime ministers.
The debate is premature given that there isn’t a vacancy in Downing Street. Burnham’s plan to create one, and then fill it, depends on him winning a tricky byelection in Makerfield. But, given the north-western battleground, and the Greater Manchester mayor’s popularity in the region, no other candidate would stand a better chance – or any chance – of keeping the constituency out of Reform UK’s hands.
The fact that the contest is competitive speaks volumes about Labour’s predicament. Makerfield was once a safe seat. Now there is no such thing. The era when........