Stephen Daisley/The Daily Telegraph
Labour’s tensions, divisions and policy disputes remain in place under new management at No 10
Given the public opprobrium in which his premiership ended, it was obviously necessary for the Labour Party to get rid of Keir Starmer. What wasn’t obvious at the time, and remains so one month on, is why it was necessary that his successor be Andy Burnham.
With the latest YouGov polling putting Reform back in the lead, the Burnham bounce is beginning to look more like a Burnham blip. The new Prime Minister hasn’t tanked the party in the polls, though given where its numbers stand it would be difficult to get much lower, but evidence of the turnaround expected by Labour MPs is thin on the ground.
Of course, we shouldn’t put too much store by a few weeks of opinion polls, but if they continue in this vein it seems unlikely that Burnham will be able to call an early general election. At a moment when the Right is hopelessly divided between the Tories, Reform and Restore, a strong and united Labour Party could go to the country before the end of the year and win a victory so resounding as to make Tony Blair’s landslides resemble photo-finish nail-biters.
For that, however, there needs to be a strong and united Labour Party, and there isn’t one in sight. The tensions, divisions, policy disputes, and philosophical splits remain in place under new management. Nothing has changed in this Government except the Prime Minister.
That in itself might be part of the problem. By all accounts Andy Burnham was a successful and popular mayor of Manchester, but there he was juggling limited responsibilities and doing so on his home turf. Since his arrival in Number 10, he has yet to say or do anything that seems overtly prime ministerial. He’s got the title but he’s still waiting for the gravitas.
If the past few weeks are anything to go by, his tenure doesn’t appear as promising as Labour MPs clearly hoped. There is activity – hyperactivity, even – but none of it amounts to much or even lingers in the memory.
Nothing embodies the problem like the constant stream of social media videos being put out by Downing Street in which the Prime Minister tries to come across as relatable, the most excruciating of which was a faux-surprise encounter with an old university professor so obviously ripped off from the famous Ian Wright video that it’s a wonder he didn’t exclaim “Mr Pigden!” at the don.
All politicians have to do social media, and while some do it begrudgingly others are only too keen for another few seconds in the spotlight. But I can’t think of any who come across as needy as Burnham. After the drift and indecision of the Starmer years, the voters were hoping for a prime minister, not a new mate. Andy Burnham doesn’t just want to run the country, he wants to be liked while he does it.
It’s exhausting having to watch him dash hither and thither, performing tricks for us as he goes (pub business rates cut! Rough-sleeping ended by Christmas!), all the while looking over his shoulder begging for our approval. It’s like having a German Shepherd for prime minister.
Unless he can break free from this style of leadership and give the British public what they want – vaguely competent bank manager who can pass for a world leader when necessary – Burnham will remain stuck where he is, a few points ahead of Reform one day, a few points behind the next, but never able to break fully free.
And if he can’t do that, what was the point of his coup? And why shouldn’t the Parliamentary Labour Party replace him, eventually, as it replaced Starmer? Andy Burnham needs to be liked, but the country needs to be led.
