What does a potential prime-minister-in-waiting wear on the biggest day of his political career to date? For Andy Burnham, celebrating the Makerfield by-election win that will see him return to Westminster as an MP and could well pave his way to Downing Street, the answer was simple: a white zip-up polo shirt, indigo jeans and a pair of brown trainers. If that all sounds like it adds up to an outfit more befitting of a dad presiding over the barbecue at a World Cup watch party, well, you’re not entirely wrong. But anyone who’s been keeping an eye on Burnham’s fashion evolution over the course of his decade away from parliament will know that there was never any chance that he was going to turn up in a suit and tie. During his 10-year stint as mayor of Greater Manchester, the 56-year-old has quietly carved out a style niche, setting him apart from his peers in what he loves to call “the Westminster bubble”. And while his outfits might look laidback, those wardrobe choices are surely honed with a level of deliberation that is anything but. Burnham worked under New Labour for long enough to know that image is everything in politics – and his elevated brand of “dadcore” is now a vital part of his “just an ordinary northern bloke” schtick. It’s an aesthetic that is equal parts authentic – I’ve observed enough northwestern football dads in my time to judge that Burnham would probably dress like this even if he didn’t have potential designs on No 10 – and politically expedient. Burnham kept things casual while celebrating his win (Getty)So what makes up the Burnham look? Since heading back North, the former health secretary has adopted an almost monochrome work wardrobe, typically opting for white tees and dark jeans, as seen on his Makerfield victory lap, or his favourite black-on-black ensembles: a black top, paired with black trousers and a black bomber or workwear jacket. Choosing those styles instead of a blazer or suit jacket is the ultimate fashion embodiment of the “man of the people” look he’s striving for. Burnham often opts for the black-on-black look (PA)And if he’s really pushing the boat out? Maybe he’ll go for navy blue, as he did when he delivered that memorable 2020 speech, railing against the way the Conservatives’ Covid restrictions seemed to be “levelling down” the north – which saw him given his well-worn regal title, seen in countless Game of Thrones-referencing memes. The jacket he wore for that viral moment, branded “a political statement of his working-class credentials” in the Financial Times, later went on display at Manchester’s People’s History Museum.For stylist Lindsay Edwards, Burnham’s look is “almost certainly more curated than it appears”. Not only is his colour palette “remarkably consistent”, but the silhouettes are also “uncomplicated and repeated frequently”, while his glasses “have become a recognisable part of his visual identity”. The workwear jacket worn for his Covid speech later ended up in a museum (AFP/Getty)The overall effect, she says, is “approachable, practical and contemporary”, with a dash of “distinctly northern practicality” that “avoids anything that feels flashy, overly polished or elite”. Earlier this week, the fashion industry mag Drapers dubbed him “king of the casuals”, referencing his fondness for brands like Paul Smith, Clarks and Adidas. The “most effective political wardrobes”, Edwards adds, “are often the ones people barely notice because everything appears natural and authentic”. Indeed, one of Burnham’s big fashion advantages is that he is among the very few politicians who can do casualwear without looking as unnatural as a dog walking on its hind legs. Rishi Sunak may have been partial to a grey hoodie, but his habit of layering them over a shirt and tie was downright baffling, plus his £450 Canada Goose gilet was more stealth wealth finance bro than Saturday dad. Keir Starmer, meanwhile, seems sartorially ill at ease even when he’s dressed in “dadcore” brands like Stone Island.A vintage Everton shirt for a morning run slash photo app (PA)Burnham, by contrast, never looks like he’s wearing a costume – even when he’s papped in those cartoonishly short shorts, which he wore with a vintage Everton football top when he was photographed out for a run last month. Clearly, he got the memo that retro sportswear is very much “in” right now. Burnham grew up in Culcheth, a village poised between Liverpool and Manchester, and looks towards the former when it comes to football – he is a lifelong Evertonian, so there’s every possibility that his 1979-80 home shirt was dug out from his attic. Back in his parliamentary days, Burnham went for a more traditional look. In 2015, in the middle of the Labour leadership campaign that Jeremy Corbyn would go on to win, Burnham revealed that he’d buy suits from Armani and Jaeger – but to “redeem” his Labour credentials, he noted that he’d “only ever” pick them up during the sales. “Boxing Day every year, I take myself off and get two suits at half the price of what they normally are,” he told GQ. 2010: Suited up with Gordon Brown in the New Labour era (AFP/Getty)His remarks inevitably sparked a bit of controversy. It’s hard to imagine him blithely name-checking a designer label in such a way now – he’s too savvy an operator. Plus, these days, he’s over suits. “I remember, when I left, slowly realising: ‘I don’t have to do this any more,’” he told The Guardian in 2022. “What I would have worn to the match at weekends, I just started wearing. It was an evolution and I’m not going back… Not going back to the suits.” Will he have to eat his words if he does make it to No 10 – or are we about to get our first bomber jacketed PM? Wherever Burnham heads next, expect him to rewrite the political style playbook in the process.