To find Andy Burnham’s sudden rise to the top odd?

I'm glad to see there is some hope generated around him. We need some of that. Hope he turns it into success for the country.

It feels like some have already decided he's failed and want their pound of flesh though.

I do fear we're ungovernable as a country.

Rather longer than KS' ministerial experience prior to being PM or Rushi Sunak's, or indeed that of Boris Johnson or Tony Blair.

Do you think he’s being backed by the Russians or China?

At the moment, he is selling hope, better jokes and hot air. But so is SpaceX at this point and that made Musk a trillionaire, so it is the era of Emperor’s New Clothes.

Andy Burnham has been on the political scene for years and years. His popularity in Manchester has been increasing. His takeover of the Labour Party has been being discussed for months and months. I recall listening to a discussion on Radio 4 last November on my way to the dump about Starmer and Burnham and their dislike for each other.

This hasn’t come out of nowhere at all.

It's hard to blame people for not wanting the role - very long hours, loads of abuse/death threats and ridicule, earn a fraction of what other less stressful jobs pay.

Some of the MPs we have work their arses off.

He made some jokes about his shorts and decency laws this morning and his Manchester uniform as a nod to Kemi. He has some interesting ideas and is definitely funnier than Starmer. Whether he can deliver is another matter, we will have to wait and see.

@SomeoneIsWrongOnTheInternet of course lots of us who live in the north know who Sadiq Khan is. He has been the mayor of our captital city since 2016 and is freqeuntly discussed in both the national and international press. It may also suprise you that many of us uneducated clog wearers have links with London and the southeast and hold valid views on his tenancy. Only a few months ago I was arguing with a colleague because my friends and family in London rated him for the positive changes he has made whilst her mate was fuming about the congestion charge and therefore everyone hated him!

Can't argue with that. Very few MPs of any party seem to be top calibre.

No, more than 50% of his time as an MP was whilst Labour were in government.

2001-10 Labour government
2010-17 coalition government then conservative government

Yes. He was a journalist before moving into a research role under Tessa Jowell. He's been a member of the labour party since he was about 16 so I imagine was quite keen on a career in politics.

He's been very well known up north for many years. The first time I really took notice was when he was jeered at the Hillsborough Memorial Service. He stood up, took it and promised to fight for justice. And he delivered. I like people who do what they say they'll do.

He's been Greater Manchester Mayor for best part of a decade, and again has been consistent in delivering what he says he'll deliver.

He seems a fairly ordinary fella. I see him at the match from time to time and he's always quite sociable and friendly.

🙈🙈🙈🙈

Actually it was what Badenoch said. It was a navy t-shirt.

None of the opposition leaders appear to know what to do or say.

I guess we're all waiting to see how it goes.

This. He’s been kicking about for years and has had a profile

The Labour Party really are clutching at straws with him. I can see why @GarlicBiscuits wouldn't know who he is. From a certain perspective, if one has become jaded about politics in recent years (understandably), and doesn't really follow the fringes, just the main headlines, and lives in the south, it would be easy to not pay attention to a name mentioned that one doesn't recognise.

That said, he has definitely been in the news, as so many posters have already said.

I wonder who his cabinet will be? There aren't exactly names aplenty. I also think Labour have lost the next election by backing him.

About his only redeeming feature was the Monty Python reference when he was heckled while being sworn in. Smug twat.

You'd never heard of him?!?! OP, where have you been loving for the past decade?

He has more high level experienced than a lot of the current cabinet. He possibly has more experience than Starmer did when Starmer became PM. He’s well liked within the party.

There are many, many MPs who most people haven’t heard of before they suddenly get promoted in a cabinet reshuffle. I bet there’s a lot of people here who probably couldn’t even name the current health or education secretaries without googling and are even less likely to have heard of them before their promotion.

Yes, but you were responding directly to me

@poetryandwine - it is neither. It’s Burn-his-m. And we will have to wait and see.

I’m not a fan of his, but you must be very politically unaware to not have heard of him. He’s been around for years and years.

Failed twice to become the leader of the Labour Party before moving off to Manchester. It’s quite ironic that he spends a lot of time lambasting Westminster when he was part of the Westminster elite himself for years in his favourite Armani suits before reinventing himself in Manchester as Major.

@WhatFreshHelll I will take your comment under advisement. Thankyou.

All this faux naivety is ridiculous. Most people not had heard of Keir Starmer before he became leader of Labour, despite his high profile and mainly respected career when he was career as Director of the Prosecution.

As for the last government, only Boris Johnson was high profile and known due to playing the fool on Have I Got News for You and being an inefective and lazy mayor for London, known for dangling on a zip wire and getting bikes introduced. His grandiose plans to build bridges etc came to nothing (just like HS2). Sunak only came to prominence due to throwing the government credit card around during Covid, arguably the most generous level of welfare ever seen in the UK. Unfortunately, as with all credit, this needs to be paid back with interest.

Boris was already an MP. I am not questioning the constitutionality of it.

Just that it's remarkable with that number of existing MPs they have so little confidence that they have to call upon this "messiah" type figure.