Andy Burnham’s expected “coronation” as the next Prime Minister would leave Britons feeling “shortchanged”, a Conservative MP has warned.
Speaking to GB News, Ben Obese-Jecty argued that “nobody outside the Westminster bubble knows who he is”.
Claiming Mr Burnham would “never be more popular than he was on Monday when he arrived”, the MP said: “He’s already less popular today than he was on Monday, and it’s only going to keep going downhill because that’s the nature of politics.
“Assuming nobody challenges him in the Labour leadership contest, Andy Burnham could be Prime Minister in around three weeks.
“In that time, he’ll need to build a Cabinet, carry out a reshuffle and be ready to run the country.”
The Tory MP said it was concerning that no clear plans had yet been set out by Andy Burnham on how he would govern.
He said: “So far, we’ve heard nothing from Andy Burnham about what his actual plan for the country is or how he intends to run it, and I think that should worry people.
“I think the fact this looks set to be a coronation will be a real problem for the Labour Party.”
Mr Obese-Jecty also warned that Britons would have little chance to scrutinise Mr Burnham’s policies before he takes office.
He told GB News: “Whether or not there’s a genuine rival to Andy Burnham — and let’s be honest, there probably isn’t — the fact that his ideas won’t be properly tested in public will leave people feeling shortchanged.”
Asked whether he wanted a general election, Mr Obese-Jecty said that was not his point.
He explained: “People are going to wake up with Andy Burnham as Prime Minister, and many outside Westminster and Manchester won’t even know who he is.
“That’s a problem. Andy Burnham wasn’t on the Labour manifesto, he hasn’t served in Cabinet, and we have no real idea what his plans are.
“We don’t know whether he’ll stick closely to the Labour manifesto that Keir Starmer was elected on, or whether he’ll pursue a completely different agenda.”
Defending Mr Burnham, Alex Ballinger said he has built a “fantastic record over 25 years in frontline politics”.
He said: “He’s served as an MP for years, has delivered strong economic growth in Greater Manchester, and has driven major improvements in public services.
“He is the most popular politician in the country right now.”
Pushing back, Mr Obese-Jecty warned the debate could quickly shift toward calls for a general election.
He said: “If he unveils a wave of new policies that weren’t in the Labour manifesto, we’re moving into territory where demands for a general election will grow louder.
“And if he tries to push through those policies, people will feel very shortchanged if the Labour MPs they voted for are suddenly working to a completely different manifesto.”
