Can Burnham SUCCEED where Starmer FAILED?
6/22/202638 min
Keir Starmer is on his way out and Andy Burnham looks set to become Britain's next Prime Minister. After years as Mayor of Greater Manchester, Burnham appears to have cleared the field, with Labour MPs rallying behind him and potential rivals standing aside. But what happens next?
Can Burnham turn his popularity into a successful premiership? Does he have a plan for Britain's sluggish economy, rising welfare costs and growing defence commitments? What exactly is "Manchesterism", and can it work across the whole country?
To discuss all of this and more, Krishnan Guru-Murthy is in Westminster, speaking to Channel 4 News Political Editor Gary Gibbon about Burnham's path to Number 10, the likely shape of his government, the future of Labour, and what Nigel Farage and Reform UK make of the challenge ahead. He's joined by Labour peer Ayesha Hazarika, the i Paper's Kitty Donaldson, and Ipsos UK Chief Executive Kelly Beaver to assess what a Burnham premiership could mean for British politics.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsKrishnan Guru-Murthy· Host0:00
Any mistake could be critical for Andy Burnham. I mean, you, you just, you can't afford anything.
Kitty Donaldson· Guest0:04
The way you make your debut as a new leader, but particularly as a prime minister in these highly unusual circumstances, is gonna be so, so important. I think he will get a very short window of time in which to sort of burst onto the scene.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy· Host0:19
How much of a gap do you think there is between a guiding philosophy and actually having a plan to take over Number 10?
Kitty Donaldson· Guest0:26
Oh, there's a massive chasm.
Kelly Beaver· Guest0:27
Do they really know him? Do they know what he stands for? Do they know what he's going to do on policy?
Kitty Donaldson· Guest0:31
I am very much looking forward to him meeting Donald Trump. I think that's gonna be absolutely top drawer, because we will see whether the kind of northern lad done good will do what Starmer did and basically just take it, you know? Or whether he'll stand up to him a bit more.
Krishnan Guru-Murthy· Host0:45
[upbeat music] Hello, and welcome to The Forecast. We're in Westminster at Victoria Gardens, in fact, which is just on the other side of the Palace of Westminster from where you're used to seeing. As Keir Starmer has said he is resigning, and Andy Burnham is in London, and currently he is the only candidate to take over. There is a timetable which would mean he could theoretically become prime minister, uh, around the 17th of July. That timetable may change, and if there was a challenger, if somebody wants to have a go at taking on Andy Burnham, it could go on right up until the beginning of September. But nobody thinks that's very likely. Uh, so to work out