What do Andy Burnham's Scottish pals think of him?

Andy Burnham is about to become Prime Minister – the UK’s seventh in ten years.

The Makerfield MP announced he would put himself forward for the top job following Sir Keir Starmer’s resignation last month.

He’s got a big challenge ahead of him trying to turn things around, but it’s one he’s been building up to for a decade.

The former Greater Manchester Mayor last ran for the leadership in 2015 when he was defeated by Jeremy Corbyn.

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He ran on a similar platform with a message of autonomy and a focus on devolution.

At an event in Edinburgh in 2015, Burnham said he was standing because he had become “disillusioned by the way things are” and vowed to bring change.

The political landscape at the time was different – Labour had just lost a second election to the Conservatives and was polling far behind the SNP in Scotland.

The UK was still a member of the European Union and the Vote No campaign had succeeded in the 2014 Scottish Independence Referendum.

Part of this vision of change was autonomy within his own party.

In 2015, he told STV News: “More autonomy, in a word, and straightaway.

“I would want to put a measure straight through our annual conference this year.

“We just get this issue dealt with and dealt with straight away.

“I want Kezia to be able to get off on the right foot with all the power she needs to be a strong opposition here.”

Separation of Scottish Labour

Kezia Dugdale was Scottish Labour leader during that leadership contest in 2015, this time round she says the separation of the Scottish party is the “natural evolution.”

She said: “I don’t think it’s the number one issue in his inbox, there are a lot of issues I hope he tackles before he gets to that.

“But the idea the Scottish labour party can say and do things differently from the UK Labour party is a natural evolution”.

Devolution

Andy Burnham has always talked a lot about devolution.

Setting out his plans this time round he said he would look at extending devolution “by taking power deeper down”.

He claimed the people of Dundee felt as far away from Holyrood and Bangor as far away from the Senedd as they to Westminster.

That is almost exactly what he said at a conference, These Islands, in 2020.

Labour MSP Paul Sweeney believes Andy Burnham has a “real understanding of the common needs of the post industrial cities like Glasgow and Manchester.”

He told STV News: “I think there’s a point about place based problem solving.

“He’s demonstrated a responsiveness and attentiveness to issues that are actually meaningful to people’s lives and that can be scaled up across the country and I think he’s demonstrated a respect and understanding of how devolution works and how frustrated he’s been and I think that’s a really important insight.

“He’s going back in to fix that problem.”

But Andy Burnham is taking on a huge task with big problems to fix.

He needs to grow the economy, make people feel they are getting better off – he needs to deliver for the people.

Baroness Catherine Macleod, who was a special advisor to Alistair Darling when he was Chancellor, told STV News she thinks he’ll try to reorganise budgets to help deliver his plans.

She said: “Because he was Chief Secretary to the Treasury, he knows how Government works, he knows how departmental budgets works and he knows he’s to try and balance the books.

“He will, I think, reorganise the Treasury or spending to match his priorities s but he’s a wise politician so he won’t be wanting to do anything to jeopardise the market or anybody who is going to try and undermine the economy.”

Part of his challenge will be appealing to voters who left Labour for Reform – he’ll need to give people hope like he did in Makerfield.

Labour suffered their worst ever Scottish Election result in May which many pin on Keir Starmer.

But figures in the party think Andy Burnham can turn things around.

Paul Sweeney said: “There was several hundred people I spoke to on the course of the Scottish election campaign who said ‘Sorry Paul I like what you’re doing locally, but I can’t vote for you because of Keir Starmer end of story – why don’t you get Burnham in, at least he seems like someone who gets it, gets the issues of working class communities, he seems more Labour’.”

Kezia Dugdale said: “I do [think Andy Burnham is what Labour needs] because I think Andy Burnham is a guy with big ideas and a big plan for the future of the country.

“He wants to rewire Britain, he wants to make it work and that’s about fundamental things like changing the elecotral system, making sure devolution works, bringing power closer to communities.

“That’s a big vision that labour has been lacking for a while.”

Burnham is promising change – but so did Starmer.

Burnham wants ten years to turn things round, Starmer said the same and got just two.

The public are impatient – they want their living standards to improve, they want better public services and they won’t wait ten years.