If Andy Burnham is so sure he has the right plan why is he running scared of scrutiny?
Do as I say: Andy Burnham could be prime minister in weeks without a national mandate to govern (Image: Getty)
Here’s a man who abandoned the people of Manchester he promised to serve for the remainder of his term as mayor, wasn’t even an MP at the last election, and yet wants to force his one-eyed vision upon the people of Britain.
And if that wasn’t arrogant enough, he doesn’t even possess the guts to allow people to ask him questions.
Burnham is so scared of scrutiny that he scarpered yesterday’s set-piece speech – his first since winning in Makerfield – via a side entrance. Pathetic doesn’t come close.
This spineless, gutless, wimp – a big fish in a large pond as a provincial leader – fled before anyone was able to quiz him on his fantasy of shifting the balance of power Oop North.
Incredibly, lightweight Burnham – whose junta staged a coup meaning that he could be crowned leader in three weeks without a mandate - has refused to provide any hard details of his plans.
It’s left the country fearing the worst – and with good reason.
Burnham is acting like prime minister despite refusing to call a general election (Image: Getty)
He admitted the country “is stuck in a rut and clearly it cannot go on like this… we need to change politics and we need to do it now”.
But one thing is for sure: this second rate and pusillanimous politician will chicken out of calling a general election.
His secondary school assessment that he would give Britain “breathing space against rising costs as soon as I can” is code for a summer of chaos and, inevitably, more crippling tax rises and unsustainable borrowing.
Why? Labour’s Judas Iscariot – twice a distant loser in past Labour leadership contests – has surrounded himself with desperate nodding dogs.
Burnham is running scared because any shaft of light shone on his plan for change would expose it for the back-of-a-fag packet nonsense it is.
Here is a pound shop politician whose only notable achievement has been to cap bus fares in Manchester.
The slippery Starmer back stabber couldn’t wait to quit Manchester to arrive in London as a conquering hero.
Yesterday he returned to his former fiefdom to give a Marxist-Leninist speech before bolting it back to the capital after refusing any analysis or examination.
Burnham is right that the country has not been run “for the many” – two years of vicious, spiteful, and cruel Labour rule has seen to that – and wants to put “hope in every heart” by moving power and money away from Westminster.
His rabidly Leftist agenda of nationalisation and devolution has to be paid for. He made no mention of how it will be.
He might do well to remember that London and the South East contribute 40% of Britain’s GDP – exceeding £1 trillion annually.
Burnham has tried to cultivate a matey image of himself as a trendy dad, but is someone who speaks in song lyrics.
The reality is that Burnham is a man of little substance politically and, increasingly, is starting to speak in caricature becoming a parody of himself.
His idea of No 10 North is just a reworking of a policy put forward by Screaming Lord Sutch, founder of The Monster Raving Loony Party, who had a curious idea to address geographic inequality and demand for devolution by putting Parliament on wheels and taking it around the country.
After he had slinked off scrutiny free, Burnham found time to post a video in the back of the black cab.
He said: “I am pleased with how No 10 North has gone down. What it will mean is that everybody doesn’t have to come down here (the South) to have a serious conversation with the Government.
“If you think about it, the North Pole to the South Pole… it will make the country feel more balanced. I hope you’re excited by it. I am certainly excited by it.
“The whole idea (No 10 North) is a conduit to get power out into the country, every single part of it, and get growth going everywhere. So, yeah, come on everyone, get on board with it and let’s make it happen. Good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart. That’s our mission.”
But absolutely no general election.