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

[GarlicBiscuits]

A few weeks ago, I’d never heard of this man. A few weeks ago, he wasn’t even an MP.

Yet suddenly, he’s everywhere and going to be our next prime minister? What qualifies him for this role? It seems that all the Labour MPs love him. Why?

The whole situation is very odd to me… I’m not sure it’ll do Labour any favors at all.

Yes. I imagine it was intended as a humorous comment.

John Major did not lose the election subsequent to his becoming prime minister, when Neil Kinnock was leader of Labour. He lost the one after that, to Tony Blair.

It was interesting that Major spoke out recently about the constant changing of the PM. I find that Major is appreciated more now ... and more than when Blair says something.

Major was probably the last "sensible" Chancellor/PM, but unfortunately wasn't particularly popular and had no chance at all when up against a personality like Blair.

Major was another who thought things through. A bit like Phil Hammond as Chancellor who was roundly ridiculed and criticised being called "Spreadsheet Phil" as he actually wanted to work things through for himself. Rather then being criticised/ridiculed, we need more Chancellors like Hammond and Major who try to understand their remit and the changes they're being asked to choose. When they don't bother trying to work it out themselves, you end up with Chancellors like Brown, Sunak and Reeves making huge mistakes.

But he banged on about sleaze and " back to basics" when he was shagging Edwina Currie!

Compared to the scale of fraud, back handers, lobbying for money, Epstein, Mandelson, etc., a middle aged bloke shagging a co-worker isn't really a big thing. It's pretty tame!

Andrew Marr was complaining about this yesterday evening;

Andy Burnham may not yet be through the door of No 10 - but that’s not stopped the incoming prime minister from ruffling some feathers amongst the nation’s press.

Journalists heading to his major speech in Manchester [were] told they won’t be able to question him on his policies - despite the event being billed as his opportunity to set out his economic vision for the country just weeks before he starts running it.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/andy-burnham-speech-questions-media-b3004854.html

Andy Burnham has been accused of "power without accountability" by refusing to take questions from journalists following his first major speech.

The Makerfield MP, who is on course to become prime minister in three weeks' time, was using a speech in Manchester to set out his vision for the country.

But the senior Labour politician did not follow the common practice of taking questions from reporters following the speech.

https://www.itv.com/news/granada/2026-06-29/burnham-refuses-to-take-journalists-questions-after-speech-setting-out-vision

I thought Kemi had ruled coalition/pact out?

Conservative MPs are urging Kemi Badenoch to do a deal with Reform before the next general election, The Telegraph can reveal.

A growing chorus of Conservative politicians hopes to “unite the Right”, an electoral strategy in which Reform or Conservative candidates would stand aside in certain seats while the parties would establish a non-aggression pact, to avoid splitting the Right-wing vote.

Calls for co-operation among the rival parties are becoming increasingly urgent, amid speculation that a future Labour leader could call a snap general election to ratify their position and strengthen their personal mandate.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/06/28/tory-mps-and-donors-urge-badenoch-to-make-deal-with-reform/

Are you implying some sort of conspiracy is happening? It all seems pretty clear to me. Yes, it is fixed, but openly so. Things have been building up to this for a long time. The Labour Party is in the weird position of having an enormous majority in the House of Commons but being very unpopular and ineffectual. They think this is because of Keir Starmer. Time will tell if they're right or not, but once he'd lost his own party's confidence he was dead in the water as Leader.

They need to sort this out asap or they will lose catastrophically at the next election in 2029. They have turned to the only senior Labour politician who's been able to get the support together to be elected as Leader. One of his supporters stood down from his own seat so that Burnham would have a fairly easy by-election to fight. He has easily managed to get himself elected as an MP and that was the last hurdle cleared.

Thanks. Badenoch completely denied she would do such a thing a few days ago IIRC. So she is at odds with her MPs it seems.

I agree and I voted Labour to get Blair in.
Major has become a bit of an elderly statesman with an interesting overview.
(Although I always think of Edwina Currie whenever I see him!)
Blair has an ego as big as Trump’s. Absolutely driven by ego and greed.
His time in office will always be marked by the war on terror, but before that he did some decent things for the country, especially helping young working families.
Burnham is also memorable to me because of his work around the Hillsborough campaign. It took him a while, and it was far from perfect, but he did promise to help and did.

I thought I knew pretty much all about Andy Burnham, but a couple of days ago, someone on another forum opined that he "lacked experience" to be PM, so I googled his wikipedia.

My goodness, he's got LOADS of relevant experience, including high level ministerial posts! He's much better equipped than most former PMs.

Yes, he gives 15% of his income to a Homeless charity. Must be awful!

Well I know what a fanatic is but what is a fanaticist? Is it a penchant for fantasy novels - a remnant from his English degree at Cambridge?
I would like to know what Andy’s favourite novel is. Brave New World or Middlemarch?!

From Manchester, having seen what he has done for the city over the last 10 years, I could see this was an inevitable outcome. He's not just come out of nowhere.

North and South?

he's got LOADS of relevant experience, including high level ministerial posts! He's much better equipped than most former PMs.

I don't think that's true - he was Secretary of State for Health for less than a year. His other positions were lower down the pecking order - neither has he served as Leader of the Opposition.

May, Johnson, Truss, Sunak. None were ever LOP before becoming PM.

Nor was Gordon Brown. It's not just the Tories who do it. It's just that Labour are in power so rarely that they've not done it as often!

He's one of the few politicians left who haven't been caught fiddling with stamp duty or people.

They like a good fiddle these politicians....

The bar is desperately low now.

Does scotland count as North and sturgeon's husband count as a politician?

He's VERY Fat... Though, not a cat, more a con.

She "knew nothing"... 😁

If course, love, of course....

“Thanks. Badenoch completely denied she would do such a thing a few days ago IIRC. So she is at odds with her MPs it seems.”

Why would she possibly want that at this point- pardon my ignorance, but is Nigel Farage not being investigated for taking a 5 million -ahem “gift” under code 5? https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201516/cmcode/1076/107604.htm

Sanctions can include apology all the way to expulsion.

On the subject of cats, Larry the Cat must be 19 now and has survived 6 PMs.

My advice to Burnham would be 10 Downing Street “Mid North” needs its own cat, first and foremost.