MANCHESTER, England ¨C When Labour¡¯s Andy Burnham fought a Conservative government that wanted to impose stringent COVID restrictions on Greater Manchester with insufficient compensation in 2020, the mayor not only won hearts in England¡¯s north but also revived his national standing.
After winning a seat in parliament for his local area of Makerfield, Burnham, 56, hopes to ride a level of popularity rarely enjoyed by politicians to become Britain¡¯s seventh prime minister in a decade.
But if he does take the mantle, the combative approach towards central government that served him so well in northern England will come up against reality: with Britain¡¯s finances so tight, the sums needed to fund his ?as-yet nascent agenda might be as difficult to find as they were six years ago.
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