SOME Might Say . . . Andy Burnham is a shoo-in to be the next Prime Minister.
All eyes will be on the popular Manchester mayor at the Labour conference next week amid fevered speculation he’s ready to mount a leadership challenge.
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The stars are aligned for him to make a move.
Sir Keir Starmer’s grip on power is weakening by the day, with his popularity plummeting.
His much-touted natural successor Angela Rayner is, for now, out of the running after being forced to resign over the £40,000 tax-avoidance scandal.
Labour MPs are crying out for change.
This leaves “King of the North” Mr Burnham in pole position to snatch the crown.
He’s without doubt the most popular Labour politician, including among voters who have flocked to Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
If he is going to make a move, there couldn’t be a better time than now.
But a few questions are perplexing Labour MPs as they ponder whether to rally behind a man who could save their seats at the next election.
‘Chips and gravy’
Can he extend his appeal in the North of England to the South, the Midlands, Wales and Scotland?
Is there more to the man than good looks and telling us he likes “beer and chips and gravy”?
But, more crucially, what does grandee Andy stand for?
And can he be trusted not to change his tune?
Mr Burnham, 55, has shifted his thinking so many times that his stance on the big issues would put “Starmer Chameleon”, as he’s now known, to shame.
Liverpool-born Mr Burnham, a die-hard Everton fan, surprised pals when he moved down the East Lancs Road to be Greater Manchester’s elected mayor in 2017.
Since then, he has been chief cheerleader for the region and even had a bee — the symbol of the city of Manchester — tattooed on his right arm.
One senior Merseyside politician scoffed: “That’s typical Andy. Before too long, he’ll be wearing a Man City shirt and singing Oasis songs.”
He was an uber-Blairite when he first became an MP in 2001, but now blames the “Westminster elite” for being too “London-centric” and failing to understand the problems of people outside the capital.
As a junior Home Office minister, he was so hardline about tackling law and order that staff nicknamed him “Hang ’em and Burnham”.
A Blairite, a Brownite and a Corbynista walk into a pub. The landlord says: ‘Good evening, Mr Burnham’
But he was among those who agitated for a change of PM, helping install Gordon Brown in Number 10 in 2007.
After two failed leadership bids, Mr Burnham had no qualms about serving in the shadow cabinets of the hard-Left victors “Red” Ed Miliband and Jeremy Corbyn.
There’s a joke doing the rounds in the bars of Westminster.
“A Blairite, a Brownite and a Corbynista walk into a pub. The landlord says: ‘Good evening, Mr Burnham.’”
If he is to snatch the keys to Number 10, the wannabe leader is going to have to shape-shift again.
Grassroot party members made it clear they want a champion of the hard-Left to replace Sir Keir.
Ed Miliband topped their cabinet rankings in a poll of party members last month, and there are even whispers he is on manoeuvres, which he denies.
With Labour voters being wooed by Farage, the party needs a lurch to the left like a hole in the head
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Meanwhile, the effective Health Secretary, Wes Streeting — a sensible centrist tipped as a future leader — languishes in 17th place.
You only need to take a look at Mr Burnham’s new pressure group Mainstream — seen as a launchpad for a leadership bid — to see which way he’s looking.
Members include outspoken lefties Clive Lewis, Dawn Butler and Clare Short, and its agenda includes a wealth tax and scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
With Labour voters being wooed by Farage, the party needs a lurch to the left like a hole in the head — or in the public finances, for that matter.
Reform’s appeal is a promise of a crackdown on immigration, tougher action on crime, scrapping outdated human-rights laws and ditching the costly race to Net Zero.
Mr Burnham must use the week ahead to reveal his own programme for power and convince us it won’t collapse like the crust on one of his favourite meat pies.
The big question is, how does he plan to do things differently without tanking the markets?
A source
Starmer loyalists have already begun briefing against Mr Burnham, warning it would be “catastrophic” for the economy if he got the keys to Number 10.
Act of sabotage
One said: “I don’t even know what Andy’s economic policy is. Don’t forget, this is the same Andy Burnham who during Covid argued to keep schools shut for longer while opening up the pubs.”
Another source added: “The big question is, how does he plan to do things differently without tanking the markets?
“His big idea seems to be borrowing and spending lots more money, and soaking the better off through a wealth tax. It all adds up to an unforgivable act of sabotage.”
The ideas need to be scrutinised, and questions asked.
A former Labour cabinet minister said: “Andy’s going to have to make his mind up and fast.
“If he wants to be Prime Minister, he should say so and get on with it.
“If not, he needs to make it clear and tell his anonymous friends to shut up.”
Mr Burnham is expected to make some headline-grabbing interventions from the Labour conference fringe next week.
Will Mr Burnham flip-flop and dither? Or will he seize the moment and go for it?
Definitely Maybe.
SIR Keir Starmer is still looking for ways to cut illegal migration after deporting only three people under a deal with France.
The answer is on the shirts of his football team Arsenal: ‘Visit Rwanda’.
HAS anyone noticed that the Liberal Democrats are holding their annual conference this week?
Party leader Sir Ed Davey – the embarrassing dad of politics – arrived for the Bournemouth rally with a marching band.
But as usual, he’s big on stunts and small on policies. I wonder what his eye-catching initiatives will be this year?
Scrapping VAT on trampolines, perhaps? Or promising free bungee jumps for pensioners?
How about hobby-horse riding lessons for all primary school kids?
It’s hard to believe this clown once held a cabinet post under the Coalition government.
Now it really is time for the Lib Dems to show us some serious politics.
If the best Ed can do is to line up a photo op of him banging a drum, the voters will tell him to beat it.
