Three months of PM Andy Burnham: Can he sustain the ‘hope vibe’?

The UK’s new prime minister has made big promises and is a popular leader, but there is still talk of an early election. Save Share Andy Burnham’s UK foreign policy tested by Brexit, US ties and Iran war London, United Kingdom –There was a moment towards the end of Andy Burnham’s conference speech in Liverpool that, through silence, spoke volumes. The new prime minister and Labour leader fell quiet. For 20 seconds he stood, saying nothing. He hadn’t forgotten his words. He was gathering his emotions for a passage of the speech he hadn’t been able to make it through in rehearsals without crying. Burnham’s father had died just a couple of weeks before, and this was the section where he’d talk about it. As the audience realised what was coming they stood, applauding, and urging him on with shouts of “Come on, lad!’ and “Come on, Andy!” Thanking them, he composed himself and continued. Conference speeches are theatre, and contemporary British political standards require that a leader be relatable. But there’s little doubt that Andy Burnham handled this moment with an emotional register that struck many as genuine. His predecessor Keir Starmer sometimes came across as wooden, almost robotic and uncomfortable in front of cameras. Burnham, the seventh prime minister in 10 years, is more emotional. He talks big ideas and grand solutions and relishes the opportunity to communicate. In the vibes-denominated currency of modern political discourse, this matters. The polls speak for themselves. Politico’s Poll of Polls had the Labour Party retake top spot shortly after Burnham became PM – a position it has not relinquished since. At the end of September, Ipsos found Andy Burnham to be the only politician with a positive net favourability rating. YouGov’s polling also judges him the most popular politician in the UK at the moment. But to keep up, Burnham must deliver tangible change before the next general election. Unless he calls one early, that will be 2029. According to political analyst Sam Freedman, “So many in Westminster keep coming back to an early election, despite Burnham ruling it out … No one can quite figure out how Burnham keeps the hope vibe going for three more years with relatively little visible progress.” In the Welsh town of Port Talbot, terraces of workers’ cottages cluster beside the UK’s largest steelworks. Like much of Wales, Port Talbot did vote Labour for a century – until elections for the Senedd Cymru or Welsh Parliament in May....