DalsnaFinance

Manchester messiah Burnham anointed to fix Westminster politics | John Crace

Politics The Guardian By John Crace 21 May 2026 14:54 1 min read
Manchester messiah Burnham anointed to fix Westminster politics | John Crace

King of the north searches for the hero inside himself to an Oasis backing track to change politics for the better It must be exhausting being the king of the north. Just watching Andy Burnham’s four-minute campaign video released this week leaves you in need of a lie down. Andy can’t step outside his front door without people throwing themselves at his feet. Men throw palm leaves across the pavement and openly weep with joy. They can’t imagine a life without him and insist on buying him a pint.

King of the north searches for the hero inside himself to an Oasis backing track to change politics for the better

It must be exhausting being the king of the north. Just watching Andy Burnham’s four-minute campaign video released this week leaves you in need of a lie down. Andy can’t step outside his front door without people throwing themselves at his feet. Men throw palm leaves across the pavement and openly weep with joy. They can’t imagine a life without him and insist on buying him a pint. Women grab his hand and ask him to be the father of their babies. Shopkeepers beg him to come inside and cut the ribbon to open their new freezer cabinet.

Being the messiah is a very demanding occupation. But I guess someone’s got to do it. It must be annoying though to have to live your life to a soundtrack of Oasis playing in the background. Still, at least the sun is always shining. Which is not how I remember the city. When my daughter was at university there 15 years ago, I never went out without a coat. But maybe Andy is even in control of the weather. Saves him the bother of walking on water.

Continue reading...

Read the full story on The Guardian → Opens the original article on www.theguardian.com

Summary aggregated from The Guardian's public RSS feed. The full reporting belongs to The Guardian — please read it on their site.