QUENTIN LETTS: At last the change the public needed. He ditched that terrible black T-shirt… just a shame about the moobs

He said this was a ‘moment for change’, and he really meant it: Andy Burnham had finally ditched the awful black t-shirt and black jacket he’d worn throughout the month-long campaign. At the victory celebration, he wore an open-waist white polo shirt, hoping to hide his sarcasm. However, a brief sketch of the 56-year-old man’s nipple was still visible.

He could have been a middle-aged gentleman who came to the steakhouse on Sunday for his nose bag.

‘This was our last chance to change,’ Mr Burnham explained. Thank God he got it, and not just because Sir Keir Starmer can now be destroyed. That black outfit must have matured a lot after all those door visits.

‘Andy’, as everyone called him, arrived at the facilities of Ashton Town FC (est. 1953) with his wife. It was understandable that Marie-France Burnham seemed uncertain. What kind of massacre will happen now? Here was a Rattigan play with a bomber pilot’s wife or Mrs. Goliath bidding farewell to her husband on the family’s doorstep. c. As he set out to rebuke the Israelites in 950 BC.

There were also a few Labor MPs in the crowd of approximately 30 people. Health Minister Stephen Kinnock did well to take center stage during Mr Burnham’s short speech. Former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh was there and after the renovation it is almost unrecognizable. Her pink glitter fringe was replaced by something more demure, worn with a pair of Sunnie Mann sunglasses.

Novices such as York’s Luke Charters and St Helen’s North’s David Baines were lined up alongside older men such as Rusholme’s Afzal Khan and Bolton South East’s Yasmin Kureshi, Sir Keir’s newly appointed trade envoy to Egypt. There is gratitude for you.

Quentin Letts writes that Andy Burnham has finally ditched the awful black t-shirt and black jacket he wore throughout the month-long campaign (Burnham seen after his win was announced)

Mr Burnham greeted them by hugging and applauding Josh Simons, the former Blairite/Corbynite/Starmerite MP for Makerfield who ratted out Sir Keir, triggering the by-election. “You have done an incredibly selfless thing,” Mr. Burnham told the tall Simons. If Mr Simons now takes the £100,000 job rumored to be at an operation in No10 Burnham, it might seem a less noble sacrifice.

But this, please, was a day for banana smiles and happy faces, not puns. They could finally see the end of the boring Starmer years. Mr Burnham talked about creating ‘an economy that works for everyone’. They drank deeply of this invigorating elixir, marveling at its brilliance, wisdom, and innovation. Ashton Town FC’s motto is ‘En Dieu Est Mon Esperance’. Rough translation: ‘Our Only Hope to Keep Our Seats is Andy.’

In the capital, Sir Keir Starmer’s normally flawless voice appeared a little loose in its moorings. A few strands of hair were offering freedom. But not the Prime Minister himself. ‘I haven’t talked to Andy yet yyyyy!’ he shouted, adding a strange amusement to the last word.

He wasn’t thinking of resigning. ‘I was chosen to serve my country. ‘There is no leadership election.’ Steve Reed, one of Sir Keir’s few loyalists, tried a similar line on Sky News, sending presenter Sophy Ridge bursting into laughter in the studio. He claimed that he denied it. ‘No, I do not deny it,’ he denied.

Poor Nigel Farage is back in the field. A Grand National player returned to his paddock. The reform leader shot a video clip outdoors, saying that he was not yet ready for the masters’ garden. Meanwhile, there was no sign of the Greens’ Zack Polanski. It hasn’t happened for weeks. It cost Mr. Polanski courage to agree not to fight at Makerfield. Can it be recovered?

Instead it was all ‘Andy-Andy-Andy’ now. And Kemi. Ms Badenoch’s fantasy Tory team won Aberdeen South by defending the oil and gas industry. He flew there for his own victory rally. ‘Makerfield was a one man’s business. “There were thousands of jobs in Aberdeen South,” he said. He concluded: ‘Shall we all go and have a drink?’

With such an attitude he will never be able to play in the England cricket XI.