Andy Burnham’s Manchesterism
Shortly after 8pm last night, Andy Burnham’s first campaign video for the Makerfield by-election was released. In it, he wanders the streets of Ashton-in-Makerfield, pointing to the school he sent his children to and condemning the policies of Thatcherism. We later see him pop up on the streets of Manchester, where he is greeted by residents and business owners. This jaunt across Greater Manchester is soundtracked by two of the city’s chief musical exports: Oasis and Elbow.
Burnham has not yet been formally selected as the Labour candidate, but it looks all but certain that he will be. (Confirmation is expected on Thursday, with 18 June the likely date for the vote.) His campaign slogan – “For Us” – has both national and local resonance, which he sets out in the video. Walking along a red-brick street typical of former Lancashire mill towns, Burnham says: “I saw what Margaret Thatcher’s government did to places like this… it left places like Makerfield behind. Britain has been on that path for the past 40 years.” Later in the video, he offers his solution: “Manchesterism is the end of neoliberalism.”
The Manchester mayor is taking to defending his record on X, responding to critiques of his analysis (and his running style) in punchy replies. It would be difficult to imagine Keir Starmer being so forthright in defending his record, but this speaks to what many Labour MPs see as the difference between the two men. Burnham has a story to tell, one that is deeply rooted in a place, while Keir Starmer has been endlessly criticised for his lack of vision. Clearly, this is having an impact within the party. New polling from YouGov today shows that 59 per cent of Labour members would back Burnham, as opposed to 37 per cent who would back Keir Starmer.
Keir Starmer’s allies, however, are rallying around him. The Prime Minister told broadcasters yesterday: “I have said I don’t know how many times that I am not going to walk away. I feel very strongly that I must serve the people who put me into office.” And this morning, Pat McFadden, the Work and Pensions Secretary, described the vote in Makerfield as “unnecessary”. Some members of the public will agree. With further oil shocks coming down the track, and the economy stuttering under the weight of international uncertainty, there are arguably many other issues on which the government should be focusing, rather than fighting a by-election.
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But this by-election is happening. Josh Simons’s vacancy in parliament must be filled. This campaign is already extraordinary: the most likely Labour candidate will effectively be running on an anti-Starmer platform in order to be elected as one of his MPs, only then to go on and potentially replace him. British politics has never seen anything quite like this before.
This piece first appeared in the Morning Call newsletter; receive it every morning by subscribing on Substack here
[Further reading: Tony Benn’s lesson for Andy Burnham]
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