How Andy Burnham's Summer Honeymoon Could Turn Into A Miserable Autumn

The prime minister has been living his best life, but not for much longer.

For Andy Burnham, it has been the summer of his dreams.

He has finally been able to enjoy the fulfilment of his life’s work, having become Labour leader at the third time of asking – and prime minister – on July 20.

Without the inconvenience of having to answer to parliament, which went into recess the week before, Burnham has largely spent his time making a string of announcements and seemingly endless TikTok videos with well known content creators.

In his first week in No.10 alone, the new PM announced a business rate cut for the hospitality sector, a £2 cap on bus fares and scrapping VAT on electricity bills.

There have also been announcements on reviving “hollowed out High Streets” and a crackdown on “rip off discounts and subscription traps”.

Burnham has also been travelling the length and breadth of the country, meeting voters and hammering home the message, if indeed there was any doubt, that his government will do things differently than Keir Starmer’s.

He even managed to squeeze in a visit to the Hill Dickinson Stadium to watch his beloved Everton record a rare Premier League victory.

If you throw in his comprehensive triumph in the Makerfield by-election on June 18, it is little wonder that Burnham has rarely been seen without a smile on his face over the past three months.

He will be well aware, however, that as sure as summer will shortly make way for autumn, his political honeymoon is also coming to an end.

Alex Newton, deputy director of the More in Common think-tank, said Burnham still faces a huge challenge in winning back the voters Labour have lost since the 2024 general election, especially those who have switched to Reform.

Brits are also evenly split on whether the prime minister attempts so far to tackle the cost of living are simply a publicity stunt or a genuine effort to help them, he said.

“Some 54% weren’t confident he will address the cost of living,” Newton told HuffPost UK. “That kind of pessimism means that if he doesn’t deliver on this, it will hit Labour and his approval ratings.”

The prime minister is faced with a lengthy list of other issues, each with the........

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