Andy Burnham’s Labour will “wear our hearts on our sleeve more”, the PM-in-waiting’s ally Lisa Nandy has said, in an apparent swipe at Sir Keir Starmer who has been criticised for failing to connect with voters.
Ms Nandy, the culture secretary, said a Burnham government would also be “faster and bolder” because he is “willing to think very differently about how we deliver… change”.
“I think people will see us taking the fight to any system that stands in the way of them living better lives,” she told the BBC’s Today programme.
“And I really think, at the moment, at a time when trust in the power of government to change people’s lives is very weak, that that is an enormously important thing.”
But she insisted that his plans for a ‘No 10 for the North’ were about more than just moving officials to Manchester.
She conceded that the idea has “attracted a lot of interest” but said it was really about “shifting the centre of gravity in the country, so that all parts of the country are seen and heard and are able to contribute”.
Sir Keir has been repeatedly criticised for failing to give his government a coherent narrative that explained what it wanted to achieve and for failing to show emotion.
He did finally make an emotional address outside Downing Street, as he announced his resignation, when he fought back tears while thanking his family.
Mr Burnham has been all but confirmed as the country’s new PM, after he secured the backing of more than 300 Labour MPs, making it unlikely a rival can enter the race to succeed Sir Keir.
This is a developing news story, more follows...
