Andy Burnham has made one factor clear. He desires Keir Starmer’s job.
Andy Burnham desires to be PM however what’s his agenda? We do not know (Picture: Getty)
After that, we haven’t received a clue what’s on his thoughts. Or what kind of prime minister he’d make. Or how he’d do issues in another way to the hopeless case at the moment in Quantity 10. And that’s precisely how Andy Burnham likes it. He appears decided to smuggle himself into Downing Avenue with out anyone correctly scrutinising him. Now who does that remind me of? The very man he’s making an attempt to interchange. Sir Keir Starmer.
Through the 2024 election, Starmer adopted the so-called “Ming vase technique”, initially examined by Tony Blair. Tiptoe fastidiously into energy with out saying something alarming or daft, that may trigger him to drop the vase. That’s why Starmer by no means advised voters he deliberate to hammer us with £75billion of taxes, open the spending floodgates, scrap the winter gasoline fee and unleash Ed Miliband. It labored. He even gave us the impression that Rachel Reeves knew what she was doing. I think about that was the hardest bit.
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If Starmer had levelled with voters, Labour’s electoral vase would have shattered right into a thousand items. Burnham is making an attempt precisely the identical trick right now. He would possibly as effectively have carried a Ming vase onto Query Time final evening and positioned it lovingly on the desk in entrance of him.
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Burnham’s efficiency made one factor apparent. He reckons he’s nailed on to win the upcoming Makerfield by-election, supplied he avoids saying something remotely controversial on scorching subjects like tax, pensioners, advantages and migrants. We will anticipate that technique to carry proper up till the day he walks into Quantity 10. Which is once we will uncover the terrifying reality about what he has in retailer for us. In different phrases, he’ll do precisely the identical as Keir Starmer.
Like Starmer, Burnham will say no matter fits thim at he second, then flip-flops the second it turns into politically inconvenient. The U-turns are already piling up. I can solely spot one apparent distinction. Burnham has extra persona. He talks simply and fluently, whereas Starmer’s stilted appearances more and more resemble a hostage video.
However Andy Burnham isn’t the messiah. He’s only a chatty Keir Starmer in a black T-shirt. And his insurance policies could possibly be much more harmful. In case you can think about that.
As a substitute, he presents himself as a good chap from the North. But the extra he speaks, the extra he resembles the non-event already in Quantity 10. The reality is, we gained’t have a clue what Burnham would really, till he’s in energy. And the truth that he will not inform us is scary. My wager is he’ll be no higher than Starmer. Taxpayers might uncover he’s significantly worse.
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