Burnham's off-the-cuff comments causing concern, allies say

Summarised from City AM's report · Updated 13 Oct, 06:28 · Archive

The Prime Minister's tendency to make unguarded comments is becoming a problem for Labour, sources say.

Andy Burnham's reputation as a clear communicator, built partly on social media appearances over the summer, is facing scrutiny after several weeks of unguarded remarks. Labour sources concede that his tendency to 'shoot from the hip' is becoming a problem, according to City AM.

The Prime Minister's recent comments have caused multiple difficulties. On Heathrow expansion, he suggested the third runway 'is a matter for London' before backtracking, creating panic in the aviation sector and prompting Whitehall to reassure industry figures of continued government support. He made remarks on Manchester City's Abu Dhabi ownership that required clarification from his aides. Most recently, he appeared to share details of a high-level intelligence briefing on Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit vote during a podcast with Alastair Campbell and Rory Stewart.

Downing Street spent Monday clarifying that there was no evidence of Russian interference affecting the Brexit result. City AM suggests Burnham speaks with the confidence of a regional mayor but lacks the gravitas expected of a Prime Minister.

Read the report

• Burnham speaks with all the confidence of a mayor but without the gravitas of a Prime MinisterAndy Burnham earned his spurs as a great communicator on the back of a few summer TikToks, but is the shine coming off just a couple of months into the new job? While some people still appreciate the supposedly down to earth ‘tell it like it is’ approach, there can be no denying that the [...]City AM · 13 Oct, 06:00

In this story: Andy Burnham · Alastair Campbell · Rory Stewart · Manchester City · Heathrow · London

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