Andy Burnham looks increasingly desperate – fans have short memories | Politics | News
Leo McKinstry fears Andy Burnham’s record is slim (Image: Getty/Express)
The funniest moment at the State Opening of Parliament this week was when Black Rod performed the venerable ritual of knocking three times on the locked doors of the House of Commons to summon MPs to the House of Lords for the King’s speech. As the sound of his wand echoed through the Palace of Westminster, a Labor backbencher shouted: “Not now, Andy”, mocking the Mayor of Greater Manchester’s increasingly desperate efforts to secure a seat in Parliament so he could stand as a candidate in the leadership contest. If Burnham is successful in her quest, she will be the favourite. He already has the highest approval rating of any politician in his party, while he is known as the “King of the North” in his home north-west.
But the Burnham cult is hard to follow given her limited track record. For all the positive public relations he has created, there is a worrying softness about him, an anxiety to please, a willingness to bow to the prevailing wind. A former minister who served with him in the cabinet quipped: “What does Andy believe in today?”
Read more: Readers debate whether Wes Streeting is a better Prime Minister than Keir Starmer – vote now
He failed badly in his two previous bids for the leadership in 2010 and 2015, when he was outmaneuvered by the wily Chancellor George Osborne in a sweeping maneuver on welfare reform. His tactical weakness paved the way for Jeremy Corbyn to present himself as a principled defender of socialism and the benefits system. This is not an episode that inspires confidence in his stamina for top work.
If Starmer falls we know where the credit lies
One of these two party bosses looks like a leader (Image: Getty)
Tory election results were generally poor, with 563 seats lost. Yet Kemi Badenoch’s leadership faced little internal pressure, in part because her public performances increased dramatically. He was on commanding form again in the House of Commons this week as he attacked Starmer with a mixture of humor and insults.
This followed his powerful speech at a recent rally in London against antisemitism. Starmer will deserve a huge amount of credit if he goes down; because it was the forensic inquiry into Sir Keir’s appointment of Peter Mandelson as US Ambassador that sent the Prime Minister heading for the exit.
I know what I’m thinking…
Sir Gary Oldman won critical acclaim for his portrayal of seedy, embittered but brilliant intelligence officer Jackson Lamb in the popular TV series Slow Horses. Now Oldman is receiving rave reviews for his performance in another messy role at the Royal Court Theatre. The semi-tragic character of the elderly hero in the play Krapp’s Last Tape by Irish writer Samuel Beckett.
Interestingly, the title, spelled Crapp in early drafts, may have been inspired by Beckett’s love of cricket. Beckett, the only man in history to play first-class cricket and win the Nobel Prize for Literature, first used the name Krapp for a character in a dark play written in the late forties; just as Gloucestershire batsman Jack Crapp was selected for the England Test team. Could these events be linked? As a disheveled old Irish cricket fan, that’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.
There is reality, and there is this…
Did Streeting really improve the NHS? I am curious (Image: Getty)
Seeking to improve his leadership credentials, Wes Streeting boasted of breaking bureaucracy by abolishing giant quango NHS England. But last week it was revealed NHS England had advertised more than 1,200 jobs in the year since its end was announced, and its monthly wage bill had risen by £3 million. As always in the Labor Party, rhetoric does not match reality.
The best ambassador possible
The Princess of Wales was greeted by enthusiastic, cheering crowds during her visit to Reggio Emilia in Italy this week. It was his first official foreign trip since cancer treatment and maintains the box office appeal of Hollywood superstars. He is Britain’s best possible ambassador in these troubled times, and he promotes the monarchy.
To go forward
In the 40 years from May 1976, Britain had six Prime Ministers. If Starmer leaves soon, we will have had seven in the last decade. This is called progress.
