Is Burnham the answer to Labour’s woes and a potential ally of the left - or is he just another centrist chameleon who will go Reform-lite as soon as he’s handed the keys to Downing Street? Harriet Williamson writes.
Now is the perfect time to be testing his credentials, before a leadership contest gets underway. That’s the whole point, so party members and MPs can choose who best represents them. He keeps u-turning on everything and he’s veered towards the right during this campaign quite a lot, including going back on trans rights and endorsing the home secretary’s immigration reforms. I don’t think left-wing Labour members should just roll over and take it, especially anyone from the groups he’s willing to throw under the bus to gain power.
Now is the perfect time to be testing his credentials, before a leadership contest gets underway. That’s the whole point, so party members and MPs can choose who best represents them. He keeps u-turning on everything and he’s veered towards the right during this campaign quite a lot, including going back on trans rights and endorsing the home secretary’s immigration reforms. I don’t think left-wing Labour members should just roll over and take it, especially anyone from the groups he’s willing to throw under the bus to gain power.