Burnham’s EU U-Turn Blitz Shreds His Authenticity Pitch

Andy Burnham’s comeback pitch is already running into trouble. He may look more natural than Keir Starmer, but the early stages of the by-election fight are exposing a much bigger problem: voters are seeing a politician who keeps changing direction. Michael Heaver looks at Burnham’s repeated U-turns as he positions himself for a possible return to Westminster, Labour leadership and even Downing Street. He focuses especially on Brexit and the EU, where Burnham previously said he hoped to see Britain rejoin the European Union in his lifetime, before later insisting he was not proposing rejoining and respected the referendum result. With Reform waiting to challenge him and the by-election potentially deciding Labour’s next leader, Burnham’s credibility is now under pressure.