Burnham’s presidential summer is over
Andy Burnham has been enjoying a presidential summer. He’s communicated with the public through podcasts and social media; delivered the occasional speech; toured the country and generally made his own weather. Today, he’ll come crashing back down to parliamentary reality.
Two months ago there were reports that the then mayor of Manchester and Makerfield by election candidate had been expecting to become Prime Minister after the summer, giving him time to build his team and develop his agenda. Keir Starmer had other ideas, and was out of Downing Street faster than a tourist running for a poolside sun bed. Burnham made the most of his summer sans scrutiny, but it was surface-level stuff.
Parliament returns today from its summer recess and the Burnham show will shift from one-man-band to noisy ensemble. With the return of MPs to Westminster comes a degree of scrutiny that the new PM won’t have experienced for 17 years, when he served as Gordon Brown’s health secretary before Labour’s defeat in the 2010 election. He’ll now have to contend with the interrogation of MPs, parliamentary games, Urgent Questions summoning his ministers, select committees and PMQs, all while wrangling his own legislative agenda – not least October’s Budget – through parliament and through his own party.
Journalists and opposition MPs alike are eager for the cut and thrust of parliamentary life to return, bringing with it the kind of pressure that Burnham has avoided during his summer of slogans, TikToks and good vibes.
Tugendhat in from the cold and Griffith steps up
The Tory Party, a rump of its former self, is gearing up for the fight with a string of promotions. Tom Tugendhat comes in from the cold to serve as shadow foreign secretary, bringing much-needed heft and experience to the brief, while Sir Mel Stride’s stint as shadow chancellor has come to an end. Stride is thoughtful and intelligent but he’s being replaced by Andrew Griffith – the only sitting MP to have held a leadership role at a FTSE100 company. For the Tories, this is a trump card. Griffith is hardworking, energetic and ideologically committed to a low-tax, pro-business agenda. He’s respected in the City and his new high-profile role will serve to highlight the government’s complete lack of private sector experience.
With Burnham promising to simultaneously end “neoliberalism” and “deliver growth in every postcode” the battle to come will be as entertaining as it is consequential.