Burnham voices opposing views equally earnestly

Leadership hopeful stands by what he believes, even when he changes his mind

IT must have been a confusing day for Andy Burnham. He was campaigning in Scotland. Which, at least temporarily, made him a southerner. His sense of identity will have been shaken to its core.

In the afternoon, he visited Edinburgh for a Q&A session with supporters. He began by acknowledging how wearing the Labour leadership contest had become. “It’s been going on so long,” he said with a tired smile, “that I can just about remember being the front-runner.”

That position has been snatched by Jeremy Corbyn, the name on everyone’s lips – even when it shouldn’t be.

Mr Burnham did well to laugh when George Foulkes, the Labour peer hosting his event, accidentally referred to him as “Jeremy”. He did even better to laugh 10 minutes later, when Lord Foulkes referred to him as “Jeremy” again.

Whatever else his critics may say of Mr Burnham, they – or we – would have to admit he has a sense of humour. He is also personable.

He speaks with feeling. And unlike Yvette Cooper and Liz Kendall, who have spent this campaign calling for “new ideas” while disclosing precious few of their own, he has policies coming out of his ears.

Whether they’re good policies is up for debate, but at least he has them.

He is also, I believe, sincere. But let me qualify that. I believe he means what he says at the moment he says it. The trouble is, a little while later he’ll state a conflicting view, just as sincerely, without appearing to notice the inconsistency.

So I’m sure he meant it when he said, in June, that this year’s Labour manifesto was “the best I’ve stood on – I pay tribute to Ed Miliband.”

And I’m sure he meant it in Edinburgh yesterday, when he said that same manifesto didn’t “give you that belief that there’s something worth campaigning for”.

Equally, I’m sure he meant it when he said, last week, that he could not resign from the shadow cabinet over the welfare bill because he’s too loyal to Labour to quit. And I’m sure he meant it on Tuesday, when he said he would resign from Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet if Mr Corbyn pledged to take Britain out of Nato.

That, I think, is Mr Burnham’s problem. He’ll take two opposing positions – and advocate both of them just as earnestly. He must know, though, that his

‘It’s been going on so long I can just about remember being the front-runner’

abstention on the welfare bill has cost him. Yesterday he again defended himself, saying if he had resigned it would have caused chaos in the parliamentary Labour Party. Well, maybe.

But how can he justify his decision to people who are having their tax credits cut? Tell them that he could have fought for them, but instead prioritised the temporary stability of the shadow cabinet?

“I’m somebody who stands by what I believe in,” he told his audience at the end. “That’s the Andy Burnham you’ll be voting for.”

But is it the Andy Burnham they’ll get?