Inside Burnham’s two-speed revolution and why Labour MPs fear voters won’t wait

1 comment 1 Next THE man who promised to bury Thatcherism has a rather more immediate enemy in his sights: the bloke blasting music on the bus. It is not quite the revolution Andy Burnham advertised when he swept into No10 pledging the biggest transformation in 40 years. Prime Minister Andy Burnham Credit: Getty Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey departs after a weekly government cabinet meeting at Downing Street Credit: Getty Advertisement But three months into his premiership, a curious two-speed strategy is emerging behind the famous black door. While the PM wages war on rip-off parking fines, nuisance vaping and other everyday irritations, the truly radical stuff is being given rather more time to breathe. Sign up for the Politics newsletter Thank you! Email address Please provide a valid email. Your info will be used in accordance with our Privacy Policy You'll now receive top stories, breaking news, and more, straight to your email. Brexit , social care, electoral reform and greater public ownership of water are all part of a much longer political game. And with Chancellor John Healey expected to deliver a relatively cautious Budget next week, the real centrepiece of Burnham’s ambitions will be his forthcoming ten-year plan for Britain. READ MORE ON POLITICS THE SUN SAYS Healey's Budget MUST back business and reverse Starmer’s tsunami of tax rises ROSS CLARK Burnham is on track to be a bigger failure than Starmer - he thinks we're stupid There is just one issue. Some Labour MPs are already wondering whether an electorate desperate for change will stick around long enough to see it. “He comes in, promises biggest change in 40 years,” one Labour MP told The Sun. “People were tired of waiting under Starmer. They will be tired of waiting under Burnham too.” Advertisement Most read in The Sun OIL HELL Beaches forced to shut after attack on tanker sparks oil spill off UAE hols resort VILE THUG Boy suffers ‘life-changing injuries’ after confronting ‘fat man’ weeing in street GLOOM AND DOOM UK’s gloomiest cities ahead of clocks going back - where does yours rank? turn back the clock The exact time the clocks change tonight But those closest to the PM insist this is no ordinary case of kicking difficult decisions into the long grass. Instead, the Prime Minister believes he can tackle problems that have defeated successive governments by changing not just what politicians do, but how they do it. And while the biggest reforms are being developed, Downing Street is determined to prove government can still deliver results people notice. A senior Government source explained: “He wants to do the big things and the small things. “There’s a real focus on everyday fixes, whether that’s taking VAT off electricity bills , making bus fares £2 or changing the car parking fine system. “It’s about showing people that government can actually get stuff done. People have, to an extent, stopped believing in government, and he wants to show them that it can have a direct impact on their lives and make things better now. Advertisement “But he also wants to take on the big issues. He calls it getting Britain believing in itself again…showing that we can tackle these big problems and sort them out.” This week offered a glimpse of the approach, with new protections against unfair private parking charges and a crackdown on passengers blasting music or vaping on public transport . The calculation is that a steady drumbeat of crowd-pleasing announcements can buy Burnham the political breathing space needed to pursue something considerably more ambitious. But there is a deeper reason for his approach, rooted in one of the most bruising episodes of his career. During an early question-and-answer session with journalists in July, Burnham was asked what he had learned from his time as Gordon Brown ‘s Health Secretary. Advertisement His mind went straight back to 2010, when his plans for a National Care Service became engulfed in a toxic pre-election row over a so-called “death tax”. Explaining why he was accelerating Baroness Louise Casey’s social care review, Burnham said: “I think it’s better to do it sooner and further away from an election… Engage now. Don’t have cross-party talks when a solution is emerging, which is what we did back then. Build it with people.” It was an unusually revealing glimpse into the thinking of a Prime Minister who appears convinced that building consent is the key to delivering lasting reform. Those around him insist the cross-party discussions are genuine, with Burnham determined to involve people at the beginning rather than present them with policies cooked up in Whitehall. There are echoes of Tony Blair ‘s “Big Conversation” before the 2005 election, while Theresa May ‘s disastrous 2017 social care manifesto offered a brutal lesson in the dangers of unveiling controversial policies at the eleventh hour. Advertisement One senior Labour MP acknowledged the competing interpretations, saying: “Some people may say we’re putting off decisions. Others would say we are being extremely thoughtful about what we’re doing.” Another argued the aim was to enter the next election with detailed policies ready to implement, rather than squander the first two years of another government working out how to deliver them. But the trouble with political conversations is that not everyone agrees on the answer. Just ask Miatta Fahnbulleh. The Energy Secretary spent much of this week tying herself in knots over Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood ‘s controversial plans to make some migrants wait up to 15 years for permanent settlement. Advertisement After repeatedly refusing to endorse the proposals on Sky News , she joked that her determination never to lie had landed her in some “awkward moments”. She later insisted she fully supported the Government’s position. But her discomfort with the policy goes back further. The Sun understands that while serving as a junior communities minister, Fahnbulleh would refuse to undertake lengthy interviews on social cohesion because she felt unable to publicly defend Mahmood’s settlement proposals. And there are signs of impatience on Labour’s industrial flank too. Advertisement At a meeting of MPs campaigning for reindustrialisation this week, one backbencher is understood to have walked out following a frustrating exchange with Treasury minister Dan Tomlinson. The flashpoint was the plight of areas without elected mayors, with MPs demanding economic support now rather than having to wait for new devolution arrangements. Tomlinson was unable to offer firm answers ahead of Wednesday’s Budget, leaving some MPs frustrated. For those watching industrial jobs disappear in their constituencies, the promise of transformation over ten years can seem painfully distant. The Budget itself, meanwhile, is being prepared with military precision. Advertisement Insiders say Healey has imported a Ministry of Defence-style need-to-know approach to the Treasury, with even ministers being kept largely in the dark about its contents. One decision is settled, though: after toying with the idea of a pint at the despatch box, the Chancellor has opted for water – perhaps fitting for a Budget expected to be a rather sober affair. Former Starmer ally Darren Jones has already warned that the Budget must “meet the moment” or risk eroding public support. And that is the fundamental tension in Burnham’s grand experiment. He wants to restore faith in government by proving that politicians can finally solve the problems their predecessors ducked. Advertisement But social care will still need funding, Brexit will still divide opinion and reindustrialising Britain will still require uncomfortable choices. David Cameron discovered that starting a national conversation about Europe is considerably easier than controlling where it ends. RECOMMENDED STORIES Burnham is betting that taking time to build agreement now will make lasting change possible later but after years of being promised change, voters may be rather less interested in the conversations he starts than the results he delivers. 1 comment 1