The British constitution is an admirably flexible thing, so I would not claim that Andy Burnham’s leadership campaign, and the coverage thereof, is unconstitutional, but it is certainly unseemly. Why did a BBC helicopter follow his train from Manchester to London (which arrived, of course, late) as if he were Lenin heading for the Finland Station? And why was he allowed to pre-empt his result with a mass selfie with about 200 of his supporting MPs in Westminster Hall? He is merely a new Member of Parliament, until he isn’t. Turning the place into his stage set is a way of intimidating possible challengers. If he is challenged, he will surely still become leader, but the point of a challenge is to force him to say what he means to do. So far, no one – not even, one suspects, Andy Burnham – knows what Andy Burnham stands for.

It is widely assumed that Mr Burnham will have to take at least one new stance which will reassure markets and avoid his complete capture by the left. The biggest such change would be to get rid of – or rather, postpone – net zero. Funnily enough, it might also be the easiest. Most trade unions are aware of the policy’s job-destroying effects. Most of the Red Wall detest the consequent energy prices and Britain’s vulnerability, because of losing our own oil and gas, to Russia and the Middle East. A Burnham government might even get away with fracking. Such policy changes would immediately improve confidence, benefit industry........

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