Labour may not yet have clocked it, but on the very day that Andy Burnham is due to celebrate his election as Sir Keir Starmer’s replacement, the 02 InterContinental Hotel in Greenwich will be hosting an enormous gathering of party opponents determined to rain on his parade.
For the first time ever, America’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be rolling into the capital. “Save Britain. Save The West” is the event’s aspirational catchphrase, reflective of US President Donald Trump’s view that Europe’s “civilisational collapse” can only be averted if the UK now takes leading and appropriate action.
The President has already made it clear that to satisfy him, Burnham will need to adopt three central policy planks if he is to turn Britain around.
Shorts
First, Trump has relentlessly pushed Starmer to allow fresh drilling for North Sea oil and gas. Last week in the Oval Office, he indicated that he knew nothing about Burnham and yet described him as “extremely liberal”, saying “that means he probably won’t open up the North Sea”.
