As Andy Burnham enters No 10, what of his ‘bezzie mate’ Steve Rotheram?

Andy Burnham (right) and Steve Rotheram at a meeting on the night-time economy in Liverpool in February. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters

When a new prime minister enters Downing Street, observers usually look to those around the cabinet table to see where influence lies. With Andy Burnham, they should look 200 miles north – not to Manchester, but Liverpool.

Steve Rotheram, the mayor of Liverpool city region, may not have a formal role in government but he has a strong claim to having the closest personal bond to the incoming prime minister, a man he calls his “bezzie mate”.