Alas, his creative differences with Morrisey led him down the wrong path – politics. He started hanging around with the wrong crowd – politicians. And it is in the political landscape that he is now so deeply entrenched.

There is, however, nothing downbeat about Andy Burnham’s barely believable rise from unemployed Manchester bedsit dweller to the cusp of the UK’s highest parliamentary office.

This is surely being primed as a Disney+ mini-series, even before it has been fully played out (Denis Quaid as ‘sad Keir’). Not that the streaming giants can afford to worry too much about authenticity.

Meanwhile, what can we make of young Andy Burnham, beyond the old school replica shirts and the strangely PR-driven morning runs? Well, he was health secretary for a while (wasn’t he). He lost a leadership election to old Corby (didn’t he?).

Make no mistake, he has spent the last few weeks diligently deleting every copy of grainy footage that highlights his strange capitulation to a man who, until at least 2021, was still eating crab paste sandwiches (Derek Jacobi as ‘Jez’).

Notwithstanding this memory of a collective failure, can Andy fix it? Yes, he can, heaven knows he can (David Morrisey as ‘Burnham’ and, course, Neil Morrisey as Morrisey).

Enjoy the mag,

John Pinching
editor

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