Andy Burnham has arrived in Downing Street with all the polish of a man who has spent years perfecting his media image as the "King of the North". But looking past the shiny press releases, it is becoming glaringly obvious that his premiership is being built on a collection of short-term, saccharine "sticking plaster" policies rather than a serious strategy for national renewal.
Business rates cut criticised
Take his latest headline-grabber: a 20% business rates cut for pubs, clubs, and live music venues. It sounds benevolent, but as hospitality boss Steve Perez rightly warns, realistically, it "won't make any material difference". For many, it is a drop in the ocean compared to the punishing business rates increases they have endured.
Mr Burnham's other "solutions", a temporary VAT cut on electricity bills and a £2 bus fare cap, are similarly underwhelming. While the public might appreciate a few pounds in their pocket, these measures are mere totems. They do not address the systemic, structural failures in our economy. They do not slash the red tape strangling our manufacturers, nor do they fix the broken energy market that leaves British businesses paying significantly more than their global competitors.
Question of who pays
Worse, there is the lingering question of the bill. As Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has repeatedly pointed out, "somewhere else is always someone else". If Mr Burnham will not tell us who is paying for these gimmicks, we must assume it is the usual suspects: working people and small businesses. We are already seeing the warning signs, with the Conservatives exposing a £9billion stealth tax hike lurking behind these PR-friendly headlines.
Mr Burnham is still behaving as if he is the mayor of Manchester, where the game is to be popular and distribute a pot of money. But he is now Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He cannot simply paper over the cracks of Britain's economy with tax-funded handouts.
The world will not wait for Andy to get his act together. We need serious, long-term structural reform, not another glossy leaflet and a bus ride. If this is the extent of his ambition for Britain, the public will soon realise that for all the "hope" he promises, his vision is decidedly small-scale.
