Andy Burnham’s contradictory vision of Greater Manchester

Adaptability has fuelled his popularity, but others critique politician’s shape-shifting and weak policy grip

Andy Burnham’s Manchester has a defining spirit – and Britain could do with a lot more of it | John Harris

Call it a mix of collectivism and entrepreneurialism or just an overarching vibe, but the mayor’s philosophy could be on the way to Westminster Among the underrated later work of those revered sons of Manchester the Smiths, there is a completely jaw-dropping song simply titled London. Full of fury and excitement, it depicts a Mancunian as he boards a train, travelling to the capital full of ambition and hope, but also gripped by a gnawing ambivalence. Andy Burnham, whose love of the band is h...

By John Harris