Prime Minister Andy Burnham, the first British premier raised in the Catholic tradition, is drawing on the faith's social teachings to address the country's deep-seated social divisions and anomie, according to an analysis by Julian Coman, a Guardian associate editor. Coman, who shared a similar upbringing as an altar boy in northern England, argues that Burnham's policies, such as his pledge to end rough sleeping, are directly informed by Catholic principles like the "preferential option for the poor" and subsidiarity.
A Catholic Upbringing in a Changing Church
Coman, five years older than Burnham, recalls the small-town northern Catholicism of their youth, marked by the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and the 1982 visit of Pope John Paul II, which made the faith more mainstream. Politically, most Catholics voted Labour, and parish registers were filled with Celtic surnames, contrasting with the more English and Tory Anglican congregations.
Burnham, who served as an altar boy, has explicitly acknowledged the influence of his Catholic upbringing on his political values, stating there is a "direct read-across between what I was learning at church and Labour values." This influence, Coman argues, is not merely a vague call for kindness but a concrete ethical framework that shapes his governance.
Rolling Back Thatcherism's Individualism
Burnham has pledged to roll back the legacy of the 1980s, a decade when Margaret Thatcher, drawing on her Methodist upbringing, championed self-reliance and the Protestant work ethic. Thatcher famously declared, "Economics are the method; the object is to change the soul," and asserted that "there is no such thing as society." In contrast, Burnham was immersed in the Catholic resistance led by Archbishop Derek Worlock of Liverpool, who emphasized fraternity, solidarity, and mutual obligation. Worlock's 1990 observation, "I am my brother's keeper. And he's sleeping pretty rough these days," resonates directly with Burnham's policy focus.
Prioritizing the Poor and Devolving Power
On his first day in office, Burnham made a point of speaking with homeless people in central London, underscoring his commitment to the "preferential option for the poor," a tenet of Catholic social teaching. This principle, which systematizes the gospel idea that the last should be first, is complemented by subsidiarity—the idea that power should be devolved downward—which is central to Burnham's emerging political philosophy. The dignity of work, elaborated in papal encyclicals like John Paul II's Laborem Exercens, is also at the heart of debates on deindustrialization and AI's future.
A Communitarian Alternative to Meritocracy
Burnham's chief influences—"Everton FC, the Labour party, and the Catholic church"—reflect a sensibility that finds meaning in relationships and social institutions, rather than individual achievement. This stands in contrast to Labour's embrace of meritocratic and aspirational values in the 1990s and 2000s, which alienated traditional supporters. Coman suggests that Burnham's Catholic convictions have allowed him to emerge from that "heretical turn" relatively intact, offering a potential to address the anomie gripping the country.
The nation's discontents, while practical—such as the cost of living and degraded public services—are also rooted in a chronic neglect of the common good, another concept of Catholic social teaching. If Burnham's altar boy past helps him resolve these issues, Coman concludes, it will be good news for a largely secular nation.
