For Andy Burnham, it was a defining political moment.
In 2009, the fresh-faced New Labour cabinet minister stood in a suit and wide tie at Anfield to pay his respects on behalf of the government at the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster.
Frustrated by the Establishment’s cover-up, Liverpool fans stood up and remembered victims of the 1989 crush. “Justice for the 96,” they chanted. Representing the Establishment, Burnham’s face crumpled as they forced him to break off his speech.
Shorts
The poignant moment represented a turning point. As Merseyside-born Burnham later wrote, “It was the day that changed everything”.
