What bliss it is for Labour to have a “hopey-changey” new start. That accusation of vibes-based politics was first hurled at former US president Barack Obama by his right-wing opponent, Sarah Palin, in the 2008 presidential election race. Obama nonetheless adopted the phrase, announcing that he was proud to be a forward-looking leader – and went on to win and serve two terms.
Andy Burnham also wants to restore hopey-changey positivity to Labour after a period of “drear Keir” that felt like a governing slog, with erratic priorities and a dearth of clear leadership. For all of the upbeat music and smiles, however, more backwards-looking parts of Burnham’s coronation speech on Friday leaned into ancestor worship (Neil Kinnock, David Blunkett, Margaret Beckett), which twanged Labour’s sentimentality chords. Evoking a “forty years of neo-liberalism” hellscape also dissed the electoral and modernising successes of the Blair years.
But as the Burnham era begins in earnest on the steps of No 10 tomorrow, a dramatic cabinet reshuffle will herald the start of a period Sir Keir Starmer squandered and Burnham knows he needs to use more effectively – his first defining steps in government.
Besides his calling card of devolution of powers outside London, the man moving his pots and pans into Downing Street this weekend is looking for quick wins which the electorate can grasp and identify with. So out goes the ill-fated digital ID cards scheme – bizarrely, the centrepiece of Starmer’s speech to his conference less than a year ago.
