Andy Burnham’s leaving present from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) was a personalised, Manchester-themed office chair, presented to him with a large, red bow.
The send off for Burnham – a £120,000 a year boss who will be replaced in a matter of weeks – speaks volumes about the high regard in which he is held.
“We are in a period of mourning,” one senior GMCA official remarked this week.
Will there be such an enthusiastic whip round when Sir Keir Starmer departs No 10?
Who knows, but it is indisputable that the man who looks most likely to replace him would bring a different style of leadership.
