Andy Burnham
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Andrew Murray Scouse Burnham, now commonly known as Andy Burnham, is the Labour Party leader and since July 2026, Prime Minister of The United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. He was born on a race course in 1970 and became a Labour Party activist at the age of 15. Burnham (that's 'Burnem' not 'Burn-Ham') says he is a 'soft Leftist' rather than a Jeremy Corbyn style socialist.
Young Andy[edit]
Andy's first ambition was to former a rock band in the style of The Beatles. It was called Andy and the Peacemakers and had once supported Oasis at a pub gig. Burnham grew up as a Catholic in Liverpool with ancestral roots in Ireland. He became active in the Labour party and carried on that support when he went to Cambridge University where he majored in politics.
MP[edit]
Burnham worked for as a journalist for a trade paper before working for Labour MPs. In 2001 he was elected as MP for a safe seat where Labour votes were weighed instead of counted. Burnham's distinctive 'Northern' accent and 'cheeky chappie' personality got him noticed. To others he looked like a bit of a squirt.
Minister[edit]
After four years as an MP, Burnham got his first junior minister post. When Tony Blair resigned as prime minister in 2007, his successor Gordon Brown liked Burnham enough to give him a position in cabinet as Chief Secretary of the Treasury. Within months Burnham was on the move again to Culture, Media, Sport and Tiddilywinks. He was there for a year and a half before going to the more dangerous (for political reputations) to the Health ministry. Burnham stayed there until 2010 when Gordon Brown lost the general election and was replaced (eventually) by David Cameron.
First Leadership Run[edit]
With Labour now in opposition and looking for a new leader, Andy 'Capp' Burnham threw his head gear into the ring. He came 4th behind Ed Miliband, David Miliband and Ed Balls. No worries. He tries again when Ed Miliband loses the 2015 general election...
Second Leadership Run[edit]
...this time he came in a distant second to Jeremy Corbyn in 2015. Burnham considered his options. How about running for mayor of a new political entity called Greater Manchester? True, to many he sounded like a Liverpudlian rather than a Mancunian and the cities had a strong rivalry with their football clubs. Could people in Manchester please, please me.
Back to Manchester[edit]
Two years later after another election that saw prime minister Theresa May lose her parliamentary majority. The Labour didn't win either but Burnham had romped to victory in Manchester with over 60% of the vote. He had stepped down as MP to contest the mayoral election which may have been just as well as his Labour successor failed to hold Burnham's old seat for his party.
King of the North[edit]
Until 1999 the United Kingdom had one parliament and a range of local authorities covering towns, cities and counties. This had changed with devolution in 1999 that eventually led via referendums for the creation of separate constitutional arrangements for Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. They would have their own first ministers and their own debating chambers. This was following the already existing political arrangements for the Channel Islands and Isle of Man who had been for centuries independent of the British government but owed direct allegiance to the crown and allowed London to handle their international relations. There was one big exception: England.
England wasn't included because of the disparity of population sizes. A parliament only for England would cover 85% of the total population in the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. There was an attempt to re-create devolved governments on ancient boundaries dating back to the Anglo-Saxons! but that failed with a trial attempt to recreate a 'North East England' was defeated in a referendum in 2004. The best that could be done was to devolve power to the large cities. London had previously a devolved government from the late 19th century to the mid 1980s when it was dissolved by the government of Margaret Thatcher who believed the city was a breeding ground for extreme socialism. Labour brought it back via a referendum in 1998.
The newly created Greater Manchester (like Greater London in 1965) encompassed areas of Lancashire that had previously been separate towns. This large area seemed to require a big political beast. Manchester had been considered a rival to London for power so Burnham seemed to be good fit. Political commentators made a reference to the fantasy historical epic TV series Game of Thrones where one family were considered to be 'Kings of the North', a region of tough and independently minded people. Burnham liked the comparison.
Plots against Keir Starmer[edit]
Burnham's separate power base meant he was one of the most visible Labour leaders. With the Conservatives in government, Burnham could compare his political record against Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak. In 2021 and 2024 Burnham was re-elected without serious opposition. Now his ambitions became wider. Could he re-enter national politics again? The Labour leader Keir Starmer had gained over 400 seats in the 2024 General Election for the Labour party, giving them a huge majority in the House of Commons but with a smaller vote than achieved previously.
Yet Starmer's position was weak. He appeared to lack a common touch and appeared stiff and wooden on TV. As other domestic and international events turned against Starmer and his stormy relationship with US President Donald Trump went south, Labour's popularity took a nose dive. Those loyal to Starmer pleaded for more time for their man but elections to the Scottish and Welsh parliaments saw either no advance or big losses, mainly to Nigel Farage's Reform UK Party. There appeared to be no natural replacement. Burnham signalled he wanted to return to Westminster.
Long Knives and Short Forks[edit]
Starmer had blocked Burnham's return to the British parliament via a by-election, noting the King of the North still had another two years to run at his office of Greater Manchester mayor. When this caused a huge row (and the loss of the seat to an insurgent Green Party), another of Burnham's supporters resigned his seat. This time Starmer had no allies to stop his challenger. A clandestine hope that Burnham would lose to Reform saw the cheeky chappie win his seat. Starmer attempted to politically bribe Burnham to join the cabinet in a new reshuffle. It was too late. Starmer declined to fight for his position and resigned. No other Labour leader took up the challenge. Burnham won without a contest.
Once inside his official home of Number 10 Burnham carried out a purge. This wasn't really about politics as such but personalities. Burnham and Starmer were effectively in the same place politically. Both rejected a return of Jeremy Corbyn and his allies or policies associated with the far left. Burnham promised great political change. One of these was to set up 'Number 10 north' where Burnham would work at least one day a week in Manchester. London centrism was out.