What Does the King in the North believe?
There's something almost prophetic in Burnham's "King in the North" title.
Robb Stark rode off from Winterfell with a noble cause: to overthrow the tyrant Joffrey who'd imprisoned his father, Ned Stark. After his father's death, the North and Riverlands crowned Robb "King in the North", seceding from the Seven Kingdoms. He won every battle he ever fought, decimating Lannister forces and covering himself in glory. But strategically, he made a series of incompetent mistakes, burning his alliances and eventually getting stabbed through the heart by one of his own bannermen.
Betrayal is all but certain for Burnham. Every prime minister after Brown has fallen to it, in one way or another. Yet if he actually wants to keep the office for a significant period of time, he'd do well to not ditch everything he's ever stood for to appease a group that never had any intention on voting for him to begin with. He's previously opposed anti-immigration policies, made clear his support for the trans community, and openly declared himself a socialist. Considering Starmer's unpopularity, you would think a decent politician would maintain his clear contrast to right-wing Labour.
And yet, he's immediately thrown aside his people first platform, so powerfully contrasting the murderous approach of Boris Britain during the Covid era, to throw his lot in with policies that will see hundreds of thousand destitute, if not dead1, and another shift rightward for the Labour project.
And for what? To validate the racist ideas of the man he supposedly opposes2? To continue the failed political project of one of Britain's most reviled prime ministers? To further drive away Labour's core voters? The collapse of the Tory party should have also heralded an end to their evil policies, and yet this Labour party has seen fit to pick up the standard and wave the flag proudly.
At a time when UK political parties are vowing to "put murderous third-world savages to death"3, AI is facilitating massive economic and environmental destruction, and transphobia is eroding away human rights, the UK needs a prime minister who isn't just on the side of society's weakest, but willing to steer the conversation away from the endless cycle of pro-billionaire propaganda. Someone with unbending values ("a signpost, not a Weathercock" to paraphrase late Tony Benn), who doesn't immediately validate the common perception of politicians saying whatever they feel like to get elected.
Instead, we've got Burnham doubling down on Reform's comments4, giving talks praising AI5, and throwing trans people under one of his free busses6.
The local elections proved that Labour's approach isn't working. That Reform's success isn't because they stole Labour voters, but because Labour is bleeding votes to the Greens. A change of face, rather than a change in approach, won't reverse those fortunes. Already, Burnham's popularity is plummeting, and he hasn't even made it through No 10's front door7.
Our King in the North continues to blunder away his advantage. A shame that, unlike Robb Stark, he's not fighting for a noble cause.
Over 330,000 excess deaths in Great Britain linked to austerity, finds study↩
Andy Burnham takes swipe at Nigel Farage as Belfast riots spark heated immigration debate at MEN hustings↩
Greater Manchester’s Digital Ambition: Demonstrating Responsible AI for Public Good ↩
Shapeshifting Burnham ditches trans rights to panic-grab Reform votes↩
Andy Burnham has become less popular ahead of the Makerfield by-election↩