Andy Burnham: dodging scrutiny, or just a different type of communicator?

Avoiding traditional questions and stilted broadcast clips, PM-in-waiting has evolved his style of media management He is due to become prime minister in just over a fortnight as parliament begins its six-week summer break. But at a marquee speech this week , he took precisely zero questions. So is Andy Burnham, as the opposition leader, Kemi Badenoch, claims, dodging scrutiny? His allies say no: he is simply going about it in his own way. The former Greater Manchester mayor is very obviously a different type of communicator from Keir Starmer, and therefore always likely to convey his message in methods beyond Starmer’s traditional questions after a speech and the occasional stilted broadcast clip. Continue reading...