Andy Burnham’s emphatic victory in the Makerfield by-election has sent shockwaves through the UK as his path to Number 10 has well and truly opened up.
In a special Zeteo UK live stream, Editor-in-Chief Mehdi Hasan and Political Editor Shehab Khan were joined by Ava Santina, Political Editor at ‘Politics Joe’, and John McTernan, former Political Secretary to Tony Blair to discuss what happens next.
The discussion looked at various topics, including the major questions about Burnham’s leadership, his political ideology, and his positions on Israel and Gaza.
“After yesterday’s by-election, which Andy Burnham won big in Makerfield, are we on the verge of, am I counting right? A seventh British prime minister in the space of a decade?” Mehdi asks.
“I spoke to a number of Labor MPs this morning. Not a single one of them thinks that Andy Burnham won’t be the Prime Minister,” Shehab says, adding: “It is a question of how long it takes for other British politicians to decide or understand that that’s where reality is pointing.”
The panel explores what Burnham’s rise could mean for Labour’s future direction, whether his success offers a blueprint for defeating Reform UK, and the basic democratic questions surrounding a potential leadership transition without a general election.
McTernan argues that Burnham represents a significant shift in Labour’s political thinking, particularly in how the party reflects on Jeremy Corbyn’s 2017 campaign.
Speaking about Burnham, he says: “This is the first senior Labour politician, leadership contender, who seriously, seriously addressed what was the lesson of 2017. That Corbyn Manifesto was a powerful manifesto. It wasn’t all right, but it asked all the right questions.”
Asked by Mehdi what Burnham’s rise means for the Greens, Santina says: “There’s still going to be some rather marked differences between the two parties. The Green Party is an eco-socialist party. For all of Andy Burnham’s calls for nationalisation and even if he brings in a land value tax, he’s not Che Guevara!”
Watch the full discussion as the battle for Labour’s future and potentially for Downing Street itself enters a decisive new phase.
And do stay tuned to Zeteo UK for continuing coverage of what is fast becoming one of the most consequential periods in modern British political history.
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