Andy Burnham, the king of the north of England, conquers London

LondonMid-morning this Monday, just as the acting premier, Keir Starmer, had announced his decision to throw in the towel and leave Downing Street, the former mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnham, 56 years old, married to a Dutch citizen and with three children, arrived at Manchester Picadilly station to catch the train to London. He carried a bag in which he had a suit and, undoubtedly, many hopes. Burnham appeared surrounded by journalists and all sorts of passers-by pointed their mobile phones at him. He was escorted by a pair of police officers; however, he was accompanied by some of his advisors. He did not shy away from the anticipation nor could he avoid the nerves. To such an extent that he declared to the BBC cameras that he was going down to London to take possession of the office of mayor. "I said as mayor; I mean as a Member of Parliament." A slip of the tongue.

The so-called King of the north, the king of the north, an Everton supporter – Liverpool's smaller team – has thus begun his descent to conquer the capital. His train was a few minutes late but nothing exceptional. And shortly after 2:30 PM, local time, he swore the oath of office as a Member of Parliament for the Makerfield constituency (north-west England) with a Bible in his hands. He won the seat last week, and, as had been anticipated for weeks, it was the key that would catapult him to number 10 Downing Street, probably in less than a month. The United Kingdom already has two kings: Charles III and Andy Burnham.

During the brief swearing-in ceremony, the atmosphere in the Commons had humorous, almost theatrical, moments. Veteran Conservative MP Desmond Swayne provoked laughter and applause by shouting "Rome is saved!", an ironic reference to Keir Starmer's replacement. Immediately afterwards, another MP exclaimed in reference to Burnham: "He is not the Messiah," evoking a famous scene from the film Monty Python's Life of Brian. After a brief pause, Burnham joined the joke and replied that he was perhaps "just a very naughty boy," reproducing the line that follows the original phrase in the film.

Shortly after the laughter died down, Burnham met with the Labour parliamentary group, the first test for his authority which, at this point, seems uncontested. Not only because of the enthusiastic reception he enjoyed in the Chamber but also for the massive selfie he took with his MPs in Westminster Hall. Some of those present have been loyal to Starmer until practically this very Monday. But when one king dies, one must shout "long live the new king". And everyone joined in wholeheartedly because those who don't move don't get in the picture.

Since 2017, Burnham has been away from Westminster politics. But he is returning to a place he knows well. The new MP was already a Member of Parliament between 2001 and 2017, during which time he held various ministerial portfolios during the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, including Health, Culture and Treasury. He ran for party leadership on two occasions, and lost both times. It wasn't his moment. Paradoxically, it has been his nine years in Manchester and his distance from London that have cemented his prestige and opened the famous black door of Whitehall Alley for him.

Patriotism and 'Manchesterism'

From the great northern city, with a weekly radio program in which he directly answered listeners' questions, he has built an image of an approachable, pragmatic leader, rooted in the territory. He has been able to stand up to both conservative governments – especially during the pandemic – and the leadership of his own party when he has considered that the interests of Northern England were being questioned.

His career is marked by a combination of social democratic sensibility, a kind of English civic patriotism, and a fierce defense of decentralization in a country suffering from the malady of "London-centricity". The son of a working-class family and deeply influenced by the political culture of the English North West, Burnham and his two brothers were the first in their family to go to university, in this case to Cambridge, where he graduated in English literature. He has often presented himself as the voice of communities that consider London to concentrate too much of the United Kingdom's political, economic, and media power.

This position has allowed him to connect with traditional Labour voters, but also with sectors that supported Brexit and that demand more investment and autonomy for the old industrial regions, now depopulated. He himself declared last year, during the party congress, that he would like to see the United Kingdom return to the European Union. A stance, however, that in the recent Makerfield campaign he has practically hidden in order not to undermine his expectations in a constituency that largely opted for leaving the European Union, ten years ago this Tuesday.

Analysts have dubbed his style of governance "Manchesterism". But more than a closed ideology, it is a way of doing things based on the transfer of powers from Whitehall to large metropolitan areas, the coordination of public services at a local level, and an economic policy aimed at reducing territorial inequalities. Inspired by the experience of Greater Manchester, Manchesterism argues that city-regions must have greater capacity to manage transport, housing, health, or vocational training, even without shying away from the renationalization of some or all of these essential services. What he has achieved with Manchester's transport system, managing to reduce fares by 15%, is emblematic of his practice.

His supporters present him as an alternative to London centralism; his critics, as a Trojan horse for a hidden English federalism. In any case, he has turned Manchester into a political laboratory observed with interest by the rest of the country and also with nervousness by the financial markets of the City.

Keir Starmer has established a timetable for the succession, asking the Party's National Executive Committee to open the period for nominations of candidates on July 9 and close it a week later. But the withdrawal of one of the MPs who had nominated himself as a candidate, the former Health Minister, Wes Streeting, has opened the door to Burnham's coronation. As early as July 17 – or even before – he could become the seventh British premier in a decade. And the first to be an Everton supporter, Liverpool's second team. An alternative power, like the one he, deep down, would like to represent.