Downing Street’s Larry the Cat is about to get a new housemate, his seventh in ten years. Andy Burnham says he will do things differently, that he’s focused on driving growth in every postcode in the country, although we’re yet to hear any detail of how from the about-to-be-parachuted-in PM after Sir Keir Starmer gave his swan song in Westminster on Wednesday at the House of Commons, delivering his last Prime Minister’s Questions.
Andy Burnham has given two broadcast interviews, to Gary Lineker and Andrew Marr, and posts almost daily on X, Instagram and TikTok. His supporters say he is authentic, bringing politics outside of the Westminster bubble. Here he is in Cardiff on Thursday doing a Reddit-style AMA ("Ask Me Anything"), edited by his social media team.
We know he’s an effective political operator. He made a name for himself as Culture Secretary in the late 2000s, pushing for justice for the victims of the Hillsborough disaster. But as we know little of the substance yet, we can speak to someone who knows what it’s like to embody the spirit of Andy Burnham. Jon Culshaw is a renowned impressionist, actor and comedian, star of the BBC’s award-winning Dead Ringers.
