Andy Burnham’s return to Westminster was cemented just 20 minutes’ walk from Wigan Pier. At the Edge community centre, the result of the Makerfield byelection was announced, surpassing even his highest expectations. He secured 55% of the vote, a decisive victory that his team saw as proof he could win anywhere. After the result, an exhilarated Burnham headed with his family to Stubbshaw Cross, the social club that served as Labour’s campaign headquarters, where activists celebrated with Cruzcampo beers and the campaign playlist.
From Byelection Victory to Leadership
The atmosphere at Stubbshaw Cross mirrored the England match against Croatia days before: the same big screen, crowd, and excitement, quickly followed by apprehension over what might come next. The team left as the sun rose on Ashton-in-Makerfield, with New Order’s “True Faith” ringing in their ears. Burnham arrived back in London on the delayed 10.54 Avanti West Coast service to Euston. Keir Starmer had just announced he was standing down. Sky News dispatched a helicopter to track the train, alarming Burnham’s small team of advisers.
As the team headed through the crushed station concourse, they were redirected to a side exit and told the prime minister-in-waiting should take a black cab, as he did not yet have security. In the taxi, an aide reflected: “This is a bit mad, isn’t it?” They rushed to the Commons to be sworn in as an MP. An aide called ahead to the whips office; they replied: “We know, we can see you from the helicopter.” Burnham made it in time and was later taken to Westminster Hall to meet fellow Labour MPs. “Blimey!” he remarked, peering through the door at the huge number assembled.
Transition and Team Building
“Even though he was at Westminster before, this was a different order of magnitude but he took it so much in his stride,” one close ally said. Team Burnham had been expecting more time. They admit the short timetable announced by Starmer took them by surprise. They now acknowledge that a longer transition wouldn’t have worked. “The last couple of weeks has already been fraught with decisions. There was the defence investment plan and the Hillsborough law and there would have been a million other things like that. It would have verged into the unconstitutional,” one said.
Burnham’s Makerfield team split into two: transition and leadership. He needed support from as many MPs and unions as possible to give him a mandate, even if he was unchallenged. In the end, he got 379 of the party’s MPs and all 11 affiliated unions nominating him. More than a dozen Labour MPs abstained, but only one – Neil Coyle – nominated somebody else: Catherine West. “There was no room left to crawl into Andy Burnham’s backside,” Coyle said.
On Tuesday 23 June, Burnham sat down with the prime minister he had just ousted, Keir Starmer, with Anneliese Midgley and Vidhya Alakeson in the room. The secretive talks at Carlton Gardens were said to be tense, but Starmer gave permission for Burnham to begin access talks. “It hasn’t been easy but the way that both Keir and Andy have handled this has been quite unifying for the party,” one ally said.
Burnham appointed James Purnell, a Blairite former cabinet minister, as his chief of staff. Some on the left were spooked by the choice, though it was otherwise welcomed. “James has made it very clear that he’s exclusively here to deliver Andy’s agenda, and that he’s set aside his own politics completely to do that,” one ally said.
First Speech and Policy Plans
Burnham’s first public speech came at the end of June at the People’s History Museum in Manchester. He vowed to set up No 10 North as the “nerve centre of a rewired Britain,” devolving power away from Whitehall. He wrote the bulk of the speech himself. “Economists and the markets were watching. If he had screwed it up, it could have gone entirely differently,” his team said. The speech attracted criticism after he failed to take questions from the media, a pattern he has continued. His team stands by the decision: “The coverage proved our point. Even GB News led its bulletins on No 10 North that evening.”
Access talks were already underway in the cabinet secretary Antonia Romeo’s office in 70 Whitehall, lasting several hours each. “The civil service has been ambitious and enthusiastic about the clarity Andy brings to all of the meetings. They haven’t always had that,” one Team Burnham source said. They have kicked the No 10 North plan into action, with daily calls with Caroline Simpson, Burnham’s new deputy chief of staff based in Manchester. A building has been identified and staff are being recruited, with Harriet Gordon, the senior official who worked on “levelling up” with Michael Gove, already deployed.
Challenges and Cabinet Speculation
The triumvirate of Burnham, Louise Haigh, and James Purnell has led for the incoming government. They are relieved not to have uncovered any “nasty surprises.” Since his return, Burnham has been based in the office of a government whip on the top floor of Portcullis House, overlooking Big Ben. The rest of the campaign team has been based at North House, paid for by billionaire David Sainsbury. There have been reports of tensions within the policy team, but insiders say they were overblown. Miatta Fahnbulleh fed her work into Josh Simons, who gave up his seat for Burnham. Simons has announced he is not going into government, saying he “needs a breather.”
The battle for Burnham’s ear has been intense. “He’s never been more popular or powerful than he is right now. He knows that will only move in one direction,” one said. His team has been exasperated by speculation over cabinet posts, insisting he always intended to focus on policy first. Burnham’s plans are sealed inside what MPs call “the black box” until next week. “We’ve kept it very tight but we do understand that’s driving some people mad,” one source said.
Even as late as Friday, Burnham said in his leadership speech that he had not made final decisions about his cabinet. But those with knowledge say that “other than dotting the ‘i’s and crossing the ‘t’s, he’s there.” Burnham has been frustrated at the briefing. “It’s shown him the extent to which Westminster isn’t working in the interests of ordinary people.”
Readiness and Future Plans
Many Labour MPs are anxious about how prepared he can be for government. “He’s got a very clear view of what is wrong with the country and what he wants to do to put it right. From that point of view, he’s far more ready than Keir was going into Downing Street,” one close ally said. His team say he is personally well equipped. “He’s very calm. The rest of us have nervous breakdowns on a fairly regular basis. I’ve watched him make some very, very difficult decisions with relative ease, because he knows what he thinks.”
The incoming Downing Street operation has a three-stage plan: for his first two weeks, the summer, and longer term. They downplay the prospect of a “big bang” policy like Gordon Brown granting independence to the Bank of England. “We know that there’s a very delicate balance between capturing people’s attention and not spooking the markets. Next week is a moment of real peril for Andy,” one of his team said. They hope August will give them time to finesse the team. Burnham will also be out on a summer tour, with no plans to leave a news vacuum for Nigel Farage.
But Labour MPs remain concerned. One minister said: “They haven’t had enough time to prepare – and in my experience it’s preparation that breeds success. We could be in for some rocky times ahead.”
