It was Tony Blair who wrote that the “leader sets out for the people what they need and not simply what they want. Otherwise, the leader is just a follower.”
- +Burnham finally answers the burning question: how does he take his tea?
The incoming Labour prime minister, Andy Burnham, must have been channelling his predecessor when, this week, he started to set out his views on the big issues facing the UK: should milk go in the cup before the tea?
The incoming Labour prime minister, Andy Burnham, must have been channelling his predecessor when, this week, he started to set out his views on the big issues facing the UK: should milk go in the cup before the tea? What items belong in a Christmas dinner?
Burnham has kept his plans for office wrapped so tightly that even loyalists within his party are thought to be totally in the dark.
After weeks in which the Makerfield MP has submitted himself to few questions from the media, he was formally announced as Labour leader on Friday. The public will have to wait until next week to hear more details of his plan for government.
But in the meantime we have a TikTok video, published on Thursday, setting out the new prime minister’s likes and dislikes.
Yorkshire pudding with Christmas turkey? “Where has this come from? It should not be done,” he said. “And, in fact, if I ever get a position of power to do something, I will pass legislation to ban it.”
On the matter of tea-making, Burnham revealed he is a milk-first man. “I don’t know why. I just have a feeling that it softens the teabag a bit and makes it stronger,” he said. “Might be wrong. I know that will offend a lot of people, but there’ll be no legislation to ban that.”
We also learned he is “vehemently against” single-file queuing at the bar. “Stop it immediately,” he said.
Tackling people who play voice notes or music on public transport out loud is likely to be a flashpoint of the Burnham administration. “You just don’t want to listen to everybody else’s nonsense,” he said, confirming he is “very strongly against” this “antisocial behaviour”.
On socks and sandals, he is less adamant. “I have been known to wear my Birkenstocks with socks. I’m not sure I should be admitting that.” He is, however, a “strong against” when it comes to clapping when a plane lands and using phones at gigs.
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And for too long, the country has been held back by football fans who leave the ground before the final whistle, the next prime minister believes. We learned this is not something his government is going to allow to continue.
