OPINION – ESTHER MCVEY: Does anybody know what he really thinks?
Who’s Andy Burnham, wonders Esther McVey (Picture: Getty)
Will the actual Andy Burnham rise up? Does anybody know what he really believes in? Other than himself in fact. Is he the ‘Mad for Manchester’ Corbynista who needs to renationalise water, transport and power, or is he really the Blairite who oversaw privatisation of the well being sector when he was Well being Secretary?
Bear in mind the Hinchingbrooke Procurement deal he pushed by way of in 2009 resulting in it changing into the primary NHS hospital to be fully managed by a personal firm. I ask as a result of, if Burnham’s planning to make the transfer from so-called ‘King of the North’ to Prime Minister, the general public must know. We don’t desire a repeat of the 2024 Basic Election and be landed with one other Prime Minister who’s a belief-free zone.
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Within the 32 years Andy’s been in politics – he’s the epitome of an expert politician who’s performed nothing else in life – he’s shifted from full-blown Blairite to Brownite, after which seamlessly moved on to being a Corbynista. Conveniently, his ideology has all the time coincided with what has been greatest for his profession. On trans rights – when it was the newest vogue – Burnham dismissed the notion organic males ought to be excluded from feminine areas. Now he claims he’s backing the Equality and Human Rights Fee (EHRC) steerage stating exactly that.
Learn extra: Elon Musk backs Restore Britain in essential Burnham by-election
That’s removed from his solely U-turn, certainly he even outstrips Starmer in altering his thoughts. The truth is simply through the Makerfield by-election there was extra flip-flops from Burnham than we noticed on Britain’s seashores over the financial institution vacation weekend. Now we have seen him argue for the UK to rejoin the EU, after which to not rejoin the EU, change his place on sticking to Labour’s fiscal guidelines, election reform, immigration and tax.
And Burnham, like Starmer along with his tool-making father, loves stressing his working-class credentials, although he was really raised in a beautiful prosperous Cheshire village reasonably than Makerfield. Burnham is extra pretend than Katie Value’s boobs.
As for his report in Manchester. The whole lot has been constructed on him piling up debt and being a subsidy junkie, counting on Conservative governments to plough an increasing number of cash into northern cities. Regardless of the propaganda, his precise monitor report is he didn’t fulfil his reasonably priced properties targets, he didn’t fulfil his homelessness targets, he didn’t pursue a rape gang inquiry and presided over a failing Police pressure.
So, if Burnham turns into Prime Minister – which appears a racing certainty if he wins the Makerfield by-election – will he pursue a full-throttle left wing, huge tax, huge spend, huge advantages agenda? Or will he pivot once more to extra of a Blairite agenda?
The reality is we don’t know. Extra worryingly, I don’t suppose backsliding Burnham is aware of both. However seeing how he bends to whoever is in cost, I believe it’s honest to presume he’ll bend to his backbenchers and grow to be huge spending Burnham. Sadly, the nation can’t afford it.
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