Andy Burnham presents his new government as more leftwing. In reality, it’s barely moved at all | Owen Jones

There is a particular kind of political whiplash that comes when a leader changes tone faster than policy. Owen Jones's critique of Andy Burnham captures that moment precisely — a prime minister who speaks the language of transformation while the machinery of government hums along largely unchanged. The comparison to Starmer is instructive: if the previous premiership dressed up modest reforms in conservative clothing, Burnham appears to be doing the reverse, wearing a left-wing wardrobe over what Jones insists is a familiar centrist frame. What makes this column worth reading is not simply its critique, but its acknowledgment of what Burnham has done well. Jones concedes the new PM offers both analysis and vision, that his diagnosis of British stagnation is "correct," and that his predecessor's sulking silence was a political failure. That is a meaningful concession from a writer who has spent years pushing Labour leftward. It suggests the debate is no longer about whether Burnham is better than Starmer — it is about whether "better rhetoric" can survive contact with governing reality. The harder question is one of time and expectation. Every new government inherits a budget cycle, a civil service culture, and a media environment that punishes rapid disruption. Burnham has been in office long enough for critics to demand evidence, but perhaps not long enough for the full shape of his agenda to emerge. Jones's impatience is understandable; voters who heard promises of renationalisation and an end to austerity will want receipts. But the counterargument — that rhetorical repositioning is itself a form of political change, setting the terms for what becomes possible — deserves a hearing. What is genuinely interesting here is the asymmetry Jones identifies. Starmerism undersold its own radicalism, which created a credibility gap of disappointment. Burnhamism oversells its radicalism, which creates a credibility gap of skepticism. Both are failures of communication, but they are failures in opposite directions. The question for Burnham is whether he can thread the needle: articulate a transformative vision while delivering incremental wins that build trust. If he cannot, Jones's critique will look prophetic. If he can, this column will be remembered as an early wobble, not an epitaph. Source: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/sep/04/andy-burnham-more-leftwing-keir-starmer">The Guardian</a>