Co-conspirators may have heard the familiar sound of Alastair Campbell typing out a hare-brained tweet in support of the next Labour character this morning. This time it’s praise for Andy Burnham for running away from press scrutiny…
Burnham is doing today’s speech in order to calm nerves and let people know what he’s planning. No questions for media…
Campbell says this is genius:
“If true that Andy Burnham not taking media questions after speech today then good move. Speeches matter and when important should speak for themselves. A problem with Keir S communications was that he would make a speech, then take Qs and the broadcast journalists in particular would make it more about them and their “take” than him. If and when he becomes PM Burnham will be answerable to Parliament, not the showbiz style media coverage of politics. The blah factory will go into overdrive today with journalists interviewing each other about how they ought to be allowed to ask Qs. The speech itself is more important than anything they say before during or after. Setting the agenda vital from the off.”
Former Sun Editor David Yelland jumped on:
“So agree with Alastair, somehow the PM needs to wrestle power from the media because the media class, right now, is better at its job that the political. Plus they are skilled in dictating agenda to all of us including the BBC.”
Hugh Grant is rubbing his hands at the prospect of Burnham taking action against a free press. Badenoch has challenged Burnham to delay summer recess in order to set out his plans in parliament and face proper scrutiny. Chance would be a fine thing…
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock was asked if Burnham will take Britain back into the EU:
“Yes, sure – his commitment is authentic. He really does understand from the grassroots up why restoring what I think of as normality in our continent is vital for every party economically, politically, culturally, in terms of security, and he’s able to articulate it in language that people can understand. So yeah, he is definitely”.