Lucy Powell on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, claiming Burnham will be “bolder” than Starmer but will nonetheless stick to Labour’s 2024 manifesto:
“Our manifesto did talk about the redistribution of power, it did talk about the rewiring of our country, it did talk about taking on some of those vested interests… [Burnham] really understands the bigger, bolder measures that are needed to live up to the manifesto promises.”
She also claimed privatisation of water “hasn’t worked“. Burnham becomes Prime Minister tomorrow afternoon. Strap in…
Tom Baldwin, author of Starmer’s hagiography, spoke to Times Radio:
Tom Baldwin: “I think he’d like to do something. He’s very dutiful and driven by service. That’s why he came into politics. I think that’s characterised his time as prime minister. He hasn’t always sought popularity or been good at being popular. But I think he has some of the necessary qualities that we actually do want in a prime minister. That resilience, that relentlessness, that ability to carry the weight and the job really does weigh very heavily on people and he carries that weight very, very well.”
Jo Coburn: “NATO Secretary-General?”
Tom Baldwin: “I think that’s something that he would be interested in. I think it probably requires Andy Burnham’s government to support him in that and these are some of the questions which Andy Burnham has to resolve quite quickly.”