'Andy Burnham worship hides truth that his vague beliefs have already failed'
Andy Burnham worship hides ugly truth that his vague beliefs have already failed UK
OPINION - LEO MCKINSTRY: Today it's cheers, tomorrow it could be jeers.
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Add us as preferred source Comments By Leo McKinstry 17:00, Thu, Jun 25, 2026 
After months of despair, the Labour Party was suddenly gripped by a mood of hysterical jubilation this week. In their desperation to recover some of their lost popularity, MPs and activists have feverishly embraced Andy Burnham, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, as their potential saviour following his thumping victory in the Makerfield by-election. So intoxicating is the allure of this municipal messiah that the party seems ready to install him as the new Prime Minister without any vote or any kind of leadership contest.
The worship of Burnham carries echoes of the personality cults that developed in Labour’s ranks around the quasi-Marxist Jeremy Corbyn in the last decade, and the radical demagogue Tony Benn in the 1980s. Burnham is attracting the same unhinged admiration from supporters, as was highlighted on Monday when he travelled by rail from Manchester to London to be sworn in as a new MP and was greeted at both ends of the journey by excitable crowds anxious for a glimpse of the conquering hero.
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Media coverage heightened the drama, with both the BBC and Sky News using helicopters to provide aerial shots of Burnham’s odyssey to Westminster, where he was welcomed by a throng of Labour colleagues grinning manically for selfies.
The scenes of adulation were reminiscent of the crucial moment in 1917, when the Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin left exile in Switzerland aboard a sealed train for the Finland Station in the Russian capital, St Petersburg.
Soon after his arrival, he addressed thousands of followers gathered outside the station. “We must fight until the complete victory of the proletariat,” he declared, words that galvanised the Soviet revolution.
Burnham could never be described as a revolutionary, nor has he ever called for the “dictatorship of the proletariat”. Indeed, the most persistent complaint against him is that he lacks steely convictions.
“Andy is a nice guy, but he wants to be liked,” says one former minister. Burnham’s past record as an MP and cabinet minister is not particularly impressive, the low point being his embarrassingly heavy defeat by Corbyn in the 2015 leadership contest.
But then he reinvented himself as “the King of the North”, shrewdly attracting private investment into Manchester, and cleverly exploiting public relations and his personal affability to widen his power base.
From his Mancunian fiefdom, the coup he has just pulled off is remarkable. He has effectively bent his party to his own will, forced out a sitting Prime Minister and overcome the previously almost invincible threat of Reform UK.
If, as now seems inevitable. He reaches the summit, he will be the first prime minister in the history of British democracy not to have previously held one of the great offices of state or been the official Leader of the Opposition. He will also be, incidentally, the first practising Roman Catholic in 10 Downing Street.
However unprecedented, that does not mean he is suited to the top job. Burnham has little grasp of economics or experience of the world outside politics.
His only clear policy is an attachment to greater decentralisation, which in practice means more regional bureaucracy and more unwanted tiers of politicians. Otherwise, he clings to a vague socialist belief in a bigger state and higher taxes.
Given that the tax burden is at its highest level since the 1940s, debts are crippling the public finances, public sector productivity is falling, and welfare bills are out of control, that old, failed left-wing recipe is exactly what our country does not need.
In truth, Burnham gives no indication that he is ready to take on the real challenges facing Britain. Against the backdrop of failure, he could soon find that today’s cheers turn to tomorrow’s jeers.
Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price subsidising their life by livestreaming
Venezuela Fury and her husband Noah Price look to be making their own way in the world by raking it in from their lucrative social media accounts.
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury, 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year.
Since getting married and moving in together the couple have been earning thousands of pounds a month, livestreaming their life as newlyweds in their static caravan in the East Riding of Yorkshire.
And fans can't get enough of their regular life updates on TikTok and Kick, which have proved to be very profitable for the pair.
They look to be supporting themselves after Noah denied that he was given £5million by Venezuela's family as a wedding gift.
Despite his wife's huge family wealth, an estimated combined £160 million, Noah recently told his Kick followers that he 'pays for everything' for the couple.
Making light of the claims about Venezuela's millionaire financial status, Noah said: 'I actually pay for everything unfortunately. You'd expect the millionaire to pay for it wouldn't you.'
Venezuela Fury and Noah Price are earning thousands livestreaming their caravan life - after her new groom insisted he pays all the bills and denied he had £5m handout from her dad
The influencer daughter of Tyson and Paris Fury , 16, has become an internet sensation after tying the knot with her husband Noah, 19, earlier this year
Venezuela then asked their fans: 'Do you think I am a millionaire?'
Noah joked: 'She isn't a secret millionaire guys', before she broke into song and sang: 'But I live like a millionaire!'
But it seems according to estimated calculations from their social media work, Noah and Venezuela can more than afford to support themselves.
Noah has been livestreaming on platforms such as Kick and TikTok, where viewers can send paid gifts or donations.
He was previously encouraging viewers to send gifts on his honeymoon during livestreams, suggesting this is one revenue stream.
Both Noah and Venezuela have built substantial followings on Instagram and TikTok. They can potentially earn money through sponsored posts, brand collaborations, affiliate links and creator payouts.
Kick allows its creators to take home 95 per cent of the £4.99 subscription cost that fans pay.
Streamers keep 100 per cent of direct tips and donations, minus minor standard payment processing fees.
It is unclear how many subscribers Noah currently has because this information is hidden, but he does have 7,200 followers which is publicly viewable.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million.
An industry insider has suggested Noah is making around £400 per video on TikTok, while Venezuela is likely to make £2,000 due to her following count of 1.3 million
In one video on their honeymoon, Noah asked his followers if they'd give them some more gifts now that they were married.
In a TikTok live viewed by 20,000 he said: 'Keep liking our videos people, keep sending gifts.'
After saying thank you to several of his followers he joked they should stick around on the livestream and 'watch Venezuela punch me in the mouth'.
The other half of the honeymooning couple said: 'I am, honestly!'
Noah previously confirmed that the pair don't share their finances after they were asked whether they have a shared bank account.
'She earns her money, I earn mine,' said Noah, as Venezuela joked: 'Yeah, what you gonna do about it.'
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'.
Meanwhile Venezuela is being eyed up by executives for a fly on the wall TV series.
Noah went on to debunk the rumour that Tyson gave him £5million when he tied the knot with his daughter as he insisted: 'No Tyson did not give me £5million'
Boasting 1.3 million TikTok followers, Venezuela is already entertaining fans with her honest musings and candid moments, from cooking to kitting out her and Noah's static caravan home.
And following the success of the Netflix series At Home With The Furys, it is no wonder bosses are wanting to draw on the Fury popularity.
A TV insider said: 'The couple are not A-list celebrities but everyone has become obsessed with their love story.
'People are genuinely intrigued by them. Whether it’s the fact they have married so young, Venezuela’s famous family or their gypsy lifestyle, they have the ‘X factor'.
'Several TV executives think a proper fly-on-the-wall series following their lives as newlyweds in the gypsy community would be fascinating,' they told The Sun.
It is thought Netflix would be likely to produce the series due to their already established relationship with the Furys.
Venezuela's representatives told The Daily Mail: 'We have many offers on the table regarding Venezuela which we are discussing.'
