For many within the Labour movement, Andy Burnham is the man to save the party from potential electoral disaster and the country from the hard-right grip of a Reform UK government.
Should he win the Makerfield by-election next week, it is widely anticipated that he will challenge Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership, with MPs hoping he will then steer Labour to a second term at the next general election.
His avuncular style and common touch set him apart from the prevailing view of the process-driven approach of the current Prime Minister, whom critics accuse of being unable to connect with the electorate.
Shorts
But having once been seen as the popular “King of the North”, the extra scrutiny on policies and comments from the Mayor of Greater Manchester has forced Burnham into a series of about turns in recent weeks.
