Andy Burnham has enjoyed a honeymoon first month as UK leader, but the hard trade-offs involved in governing are about to get real for the prime minister as parliament returns from its summer break in the coming days.Since succeeding Keir Starmer on July 20, Burnham has pleased voters with several low-cost sweeteners, including cutting electricity bills and bus fares, while burnishing his casual man-of-the-people vibes.
He has poured pints of beer with his finance minister, played guitar in Ukraine, and kept up a prolific output of slick social media videos during a self-styled "listening tour" of Britain.
Projecting a sunnier outlook than the straitlaced Starmer, and benefiting from the woes besetting hard-right rival Nigel Farage, Burnham has sparked a poll bounce for his ruling Labour Party.
A YouGov survey published on Aug. 18 found that 46 percent of Britons view him favorably, up 12 percentage points from when he first arrived at Downing Street.
With lawmakers on holiday, the new prime minister has largely been able to avoid thornier issues during his first weeks in office.
