Burnham's digital media strategy

This this july fourth at Lowe's, get up to forty five percent off select major appliances. Plus, save eighty dollars on a select Charboyal Performance Series gas Grill, now two hundred ninety nine doll. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's Hellos, We help you save Valid through seven A, while supplies last, selection varies by location. Silos. com for more details Visit your nearby Low's on Tonenell Avenue in North Bergen How does a banana trigger a CIA backed coup? Do airPods herald the arrival of a new global order What do LED lights say about the future of humanity I'm Et Conway, and in each episode of my new podcast, Stuff Matters, I take an object, crack it open, and reveal the world shaping forces hidden inside This is economics told through the things we think we understand Search Stuff Matters on your podcast app to listen and follow Hello, good morning and welcome. It's Thursday, june twenty fifth Donald Trump was given his first verdict on Andy Burnham. The US. president said that he had heard Burnham was extremely liberal sounded wary but not yet outright hostile. My name is Anne McKlboy from Politico. And I'm Sam Coates of Sky News Wary but not outright hostile is the vibe on this podcast, but for I want to touch of something nice Many, many happy returns and it is Anne Mc Klvoy's birthday Dn, you found it. Moving on. Donald Trump also described Abby Burnham as the mayor of a town The whole tone of the way that Donald Trump talked about Andy Butham and Britain in general was quite interesting. So just let's listen to the whole thing. Is's any thirty seconds. I don't know anything I see that he was I guess a mayor downown I hear he's extremely liberal extremely So that means he probably won't open up the North Sea. You know Iave I gave Kirommer some pretty good advice. I said, openen up the North Sea. I told this guy fifteen times that he wouldn't do it. I said, you're going to lose your Prime Ministership And He did. In fact, I called it about three days earlily,? Remember I said he was leaving? I wonder if that nudged him out? Yes, Trump's go to point there about drilling in the North Sea. Well he might be a bit behind Sam because there are signals that Andy Burnham may be prepared to go there. I'm not sure that there was a record of the Trump starmer call from three days ago either so maybe that's a previous reference And I wondered whether the president reckoned that Berham was the mayor of Macerfield when he talked about the town. And you can't really miss Manchester, can you? Anyway? So many questions. Berham will have a lifetime of comments about Donald Trump to be thrown back at him, no doubt on the stump on the way to Makerfield, Burnham said that the UK needed to avoid what he called polarized poisonous politics of the US. In that way that we do on this podcast, I had a sort of five AM scour for and scout around for comments by Andy Verham about Donald Trump. and I'm quite struck. I mean it's perfectly possible that I've missed some and I obviously haven't watched every single or listened to every single Manchester BBC Manchester phone in that Andy Burnham did. But at first glance, they're not that bad. They're certainly not on the scale of you know, David Lamy Sadi Khann who was calling racist and fascist and Nazi sympolisers and you know other things that Labor folks say. The sort of toughest one I can find in february twenty twenty five was Trump bringing instability to the U.S and the world. So it's that kind of level. Aually it doesn't look there are too many hostages to fortune, you know, as far as me and some five AM AI could find five AM AI show Yeah, thinking about that, that comment you made about polarization, I mean you can get away with that, well, can't you? Because if you're polarizing, you're suggesting that there's another poll to Donald Trump as well that's got something to do with that Of course, Kestama will get the last word with President Trump at the NATO summit in Anchor in a couple of weeks And it's been a relationship, which one way or the other has dominated premiership for all sorts of reasons It reminds us as well that this on off dealing with Donald Trump gets a whole new cycle and there is quite a lot of unfinished business over trade and a few other things still on the table I'm picking up uncertainty overseas, Sam about what Andy Burnham stands for or indeed who he is. certainly in my world when I'm asked to comment or write. In continontental Europe, I just get a lot of having to tell whole Andy Burnham story all over again. One thing that it just made me think about was how far Will he go as the likely next Prime Minister with the Kia Miles thing, going abroad a lot? push for deals himself does he leave it more to a foreign secretary? who will that be? And will he use that off the cuff humor to deal with though it's bit of a risky one, isn't it to get into a humor race with Donald Trump? is we going E end today's podcast with just a little section on those Andy Berham funny videos that he's been doing But let's do the sort of serious stuff first. I wasm struck by how little we know about Andy Bernaman foreign policy because he's always had domestic facing jobs like in Cabinet as well as in Manchester I know, for instance, in Manchester, cultivated the Irish and there's a consulate up in Ger Manchester. So there was the pro Europeanism stuff is quite It's quite clear But we don't know the sort of tone and also there's the uncertainty of of who he puts in as foreign secretary, and and you're right, the kind of does he do the Kimas thing or not is a big question. Does he use the job of foreign secretary to placate somebody? which I think really, if we're being honest is what you know, Kir Ston did with E Vvette Cooper when he moved it from the home office, Or does he go for something big, bold splashy One name that keeps being mentioned to me, David Milliband, coming back from the US Obviously returning to a job if that's what happenens. I think there is a sort of openness amongst some around Berham to Midiband D joining Midiband E in the fray But of course, the downside of that just slightly constitutionally is that he like David Cameron had to do the job from the Lords. Yes, Milliband D and Milliband E together. and then we would also of course have that new chie chief of staff coming in from the Blair Brown era. We really would be getting the band together again O David Miliband. I think there is one wrinkle in that he's been pretty outspoken. I think about Donald Trump I he was even joking with friends not long ago about the last speculation that he could be U. S sorry ammbassador to the U.S., not a U.S. ambassador. that it would been you a tough gig for him to rub along in Trump world. and I think the suggestion was that he was in the frame if it had been a Camel Harris win, but to you know, it wouldn't have worked out so well under Trump. Anyway, I suppose we should put the cart and the horse in the right order before everybody gets in there. and James Pinell I I was referencing as the new chief of staff, not not the present constellation. Today we're going to find out when we'll get a new Prime Minister with a bit more clarity, the NEC, the National executive of Labour meeting to discuss that timetable. might it slip a few days to the last week of July because I think Andy Bernham has been pretty keen to have more time to prepare you hoover up Anything on that? I think there is a little bit of that floating around. I can't, if I'm in all honesty, I can't judge how forceful that feeling is There's sort a big o grump going on inside Labour's National Executive Committee because they were effectively presented with a timetable earlier this week about what's going to happen and when. and I think some want some sort of NEC officers want to sort of stand their uh stand their ground But, you know, I don't even if it slips a few days to sort of a week beyond the other Parliaments so that kind of week of july the twenty second. I don't think that's a huge deal. And Andy Burnham will be in before August But at this point, if you pull the camera back, there's a much bigger point that's just worth saying. and it is something you can say now that you couldn't even say a couple of days ago, which is There has been a coup and it has been a success Right how do I define that? Well, I've spent the last thirty six hours touring Parliament and going around the summer events that take place. I think it' I came to the conclusion last night. this has been a really remarkably well planned coup Of course, there are people who aren't thrilled by what's going on in the Labour Party uh who who were inside the tent reallyally by and large, MPs are going along with this transition with kind of remarkable grace Let me point out what we're not hearing because this is really important. We are not hearing Labour MPs going on the record now to challenge Andy Berner Right At this point in all the Toury races we were And that's what I mean politics of this has been handled, you know very well and very carefully. So there aren't the different factions, you know fighting it out. saw where streeting lead the sort of procession of people giving up on their own ambitions to nominate Andy Burnham and What I think is really interesting and it's sort of been slightly hiding in plain sight is this is been the plan, An for months. I was talking to somebody last night, you know, who said that he was talking to one of the planners who was saying in February they were told this basically is the idea And it's just been executed very well. Toururing summer events I have to just cycle back quickly to that, which is Sound K saying this even went to lot of parties this week But we will we will let that pass if you tell us what you mean by a coupa. It sounds slightly, you know, it reminds me of Gorbachev being holded up in a datcher in Foros while they fought for control of the Soviet Union in his day. Are you really suggesting that this was planned out in advance as opposed to Andy Burnham gets the momentum, gets make a field behind him and then everybody presses go. the Prime Ministers have been weak for a long time and it just falls apart. But you seem to say something bit more intentional. Oh go yeah? No, absolutely. By the way, first of all, busted, Yes, I was at a party. It was a cross party party on the boat and that's where I was talking to somebody about about this But the point is, An, if I put together some of my conversations and some of the conversations I'm having with other people You know, stuff being said in October, November December Janary February. know there were lots of people with lots of different ideas. But when you look back at the architects of this, and I think the key figure really has been Louise Haag you know, Wh Wh why a lot of the things that she was telling you friends and others a few months ago just have literally come to pass Now I'm not saying that every single spitt and cff was written down on a tablet of stone. Of course not. There was the mess around Gordon and Denton whether Randy Bn would stand there. All the consensus now is having him in a green facing seat wouldn't give him the kind of mandate to take on reform that's been the necessary part of the argument for why should why he should return to Downing Street. So the events around Makerfield well You know, some might see that as part of a master plan. It felt like a little bit of a kind of last minute. You know, it' a little bit of last minute luck to get that over the line But the broad contours and some big decisions, yes, were taken you months ago. I think big one that I would identify was, you know, Louise putting together the tribune group thereby giving her a kind of corse in the back benches then I think it was really her that decided more than anybody else that Her person would be Andy Burnham and not, for instance, Angela Rayna I think that that was a big and difficult moment that happened behind the scenes. and the reason that happened was in partark because she saw polling. In fact there was some polling on this podcast, I think played into it and I mentioned it at the time. there was polling that suggests that Angela Ray is evenn't popular enough amongst the general public. But that moment that Angela Ray had sort of suddenly who'd been written about for months and years as a pretendor to the crown and didn't get tribune on her side. I think that was a big a big moment, a big fork in the road I'm And I think the handling of the Parliamentary Labour Party through the last few days also was something that a lot of thought has been put into. So was there a plan? Yes I do think there was And I think it's interesting that Louise Haigs saw this as the answer, even though if you remember, Andy had a disastrous conference last. September, but the numbers were always there for him and she saw that. The other person, by the way, who saw this a long time in advance was Shabana, Mahood. she's one of those who I think you got got on the Berham bandwagon last autumn, not in twenty twenty six. and I think will that is one of the things that was going to give her quite a bit of leverage and power. It's intriguing that you mentioned Shaban Mahmud because I'd also heard from sort Blue Labour circles that there's a bit of a war for her ear really to try to influence Andy Berrn more in direction and yeah, he has kind of off to a certain extent being identified with the soft left. I don't think that's a tag that he particularly wants to have around his neet when he goes into to Downing Street. But of course he does still have expectations from those quarters that they will expect to be heavily represented some policies that have that DNA, but yes, I think Mahood often in shortthand written about as being the most right wing person in the current constellation or something similar to that also does have a good and I think quite regular relationship and dealings with Burnham. So let's look at another big beast in the Starmer cabinet, who must be thinking about her future, and that is Rachel Reeves. Now she's given a BBC interview today saying scoop scoop that she backs Andy Berham And she's asked explicitly about whether she could be demoted to another cabinet role that is not Chancellor She doesays, you know she absolutely just spits out all the straightforward line. I am not going to preempt the decisions the new Prime Minister will make. I amm backing Uy. I think he'll be a great prime Mister Those are his decisions, not mine to make So she didn't use the moment to say, well I hope he keeps me on. But I think that's her intention. I mean, what politician wouldn't want to be in a cabinet. In fairness to you, Anne yesterday, you were going to tell me what you were hearing about Rachel Reeves and what her team was up to and we basically didn't have time. And I want to return that to that today. So what have you been hearing about her team and what they've been saying to business? Well, in fairness, this is a bit of a hive brain, multi sourced Tale, your colleagues, S Mark Kleim and at Sky broke out that Reeves' business advisor and her former chief of staff, very trusted figure, Katie Martin had sounded out major firms and trade bodies in insurance, banking defense and alike, urging them to lobby Andy Burnham to keep Rachel Reeeves at the treasury Now polites Dan Bloom, my colleague also reported that the non too subtle message that a lot of big business figures were getting was, is there anything you can do to help support Rachel right now And another figure that I had spoken to with a big kind of history in the city and also very much in a kind of new sort of text. environment where R is very keen to see more growth and more investment. confirmed to me that this was exactly the message that he had been receiving too. Now in fact, Reeves probably does have most support at the moment in the city of The rununners and riders for Chancellor largely for fear of something worse. and jump in the cost of borrowing, which was one thing that my sort of person that I was speaking to was pointing out that you could factor in that that might happen and particularly if the choice landed badly with the markets It's fair to say in those quarters, Ed Milliband is not the dish of choice, though I think he still has aspirations towards number eleven. But I would say in fairness to Milliband that again, he's often written a bit like Svana Mmou. in shorthand, he's the most left wing candidate. he's not friendly to business. He once talked about predators versus producers. and that went down very badly many years ago. But I would say if you're in the big nuclear push, things like getting small modular reactors off the ground, ennergy transitions, renewables him getting his private investment up to a hundred billion he announced this week in clean energy. He does get better reviews in the private sector in those quarters and a big fish in infrastructure telling me yesterday, he was the only minister they'd witnessed in Whitehall who had a plan and didn't just throw out policies and hope someone enacted them. So you know, I think that battle is still very much on. Yeah. I think that's I think that's very fair. As the time says this morning, and as we've said in this podcast before, Edmund the Band's feeding into economic policy. and it's just sort of like a policy hub for other cabinet teams. the moment. Pe are noting Louise Hag is talking a lot to Pat McFabden I think about welfare and other things, but I think his name keeps coming up as well in the runners and riders I don't think Rachel Reeves is going to hang on, but I seem actually getting people to talk up how good she was in the job of chancellor is not unhelpful to getting a decentest job elsewhere in the cabinet Right, One last thing to turn to and that's how Andy Bernham presents himself because there's been a warning, hasn't there Anne? I was struck this morning with the TUC getting in on the act writing on Labalist Paul Novak, saying any honeymoon period will be vanishingly short. the wealthy and the powerful and their backers in the right wing press trying to water down. agenda of any future Pime Mister, which it did remind me that there there going have to be some very quick decisions made about how to communicate Burnham and whatever Burnham Ism turns out to be in number ten outside the Labor tribe. Now, here Starmer, we've discussed a lot on this podcast together has cycled through quite a few cols, bosles and constellations. And it reminded me of just a nugget that I picked up on what you call the research rounds and I call summer parties that suggest that a name in the frame could be Bob Roberts, political editor of The Mirror Formally Director of commommunications, the Labour Party, very close to Ed Milliband, so it would suggest some commonality of planning across Ed Milliband and and Andy Ber if that were the case. He's also been at the city of London and interim Cs director for the mayayor of London. So Dk Karn. So you know, that would cover off quite a lot of bases in terms of contacts and expertise I don't know it for certain, just thought I'd put it out there and see if any fish rise to Respond to that. Interesting. I certain to take quite a lot to tempt him back, but he's an interesting name in the frame. That's, as it were, the old media debate. What's really fascinating about Andy Berham is the new media debate I'm Because just before we leave you to four days of birthday celebrations. I wanted to touch just on Andy Bernon's video operation because that's the thing you're having lots of conversations in White Hall or Westminster aboutacks. It' just quite eye catching. He's doing it really well, right those snappy folksy videos multiple a day at the moment. You know, there was there was one where he did a little video making fun of Kemy Baidennock at PMQs and her comment about eyelashes and black t shirts video himself. I think this is Dark Blue and just generally narrating his own tale And are you a fan of these Andne? I am actually. I think it's really hard to beat Andy in the video wars. And when I looked at the one you're referring to Kemy Baadennock is cooding him about the black t shirt and he says it's dark blue actually. I think they're great fun. I do have a question about how who will be managing this when he goes into number ten because thatort can't findine at the moment, but if you then find that some terrible tragedy is just broken out or you have to then immediately pitch into to talking about you know Gaza or something that's gone awfy wrong on the international or national stage. You have to be a little bit careful,t, You get a lot more freedom, I think before you go behind the black door, but let's see how it gets handled. Well, the answer to that is really interesting because it's somebody who's already done it in number ten and outside number ten. The person behind these videos Until August last year was doing it for Kst Arma, but as part of theort tragedy of Kirst Arma, she switched size. Her name is Abby Tomlinson. She goes everywhere with Andy Burnham. She was in the taxi down from Houston, on Monday, for instance. And she's been in and around labor and public affair circles for quite a long time. Some with longer memories might remember as a teenager back in twenty fifteen starting an online campaign