A Quaker chaplain who has been dubbed 'Mandy Burnham' because of her striking resemblance to the new Prime Minister has invited him to take part in a recorded conversation on her YouTube channel.
Emma Roberts, 54, bears a strong likeness to Andy Burnham with her thick-rimmed glasses, expressive eyebrows and short quiff hairdo. The nickname was coined by a TikTok user called Rich, who commented on a post she made about the weather while camping.
Invitation and alternatives
In a video posted this morning, Emma said: 'My main aim, I think, is to get Andy to have an interview, a recorded conversation on YouTube on my channel Quakerology, where I talk about people's faith journeys.' She suggested she could also talk to his Catholic mother Eileen, who hugged Burnham outside Downing Street last week.
Another TikTok user commented: 'What are you doing camping and not in Number 10? You have a country to run!'
Playing along with the joke
Emma has since posted several videos playing along with the comparison, including one where she admitted her mother was also teasing her. She told her followers: 'Even my own mother – and she said to me after 20 minutes, "I've been looking at you on this Zoom call for 20 minutes thinking the exact same thing." Oh my gosh, my mother has seen me before.'
The lifelong Labour supporter's partner Iona has jokingly called her 'Our Mandy, woman of the people', according to the Sun.
Burnham's faith background
Burnham, 56, was brought up as a Catholic and has ranked the church alongside the Labour Party and Everton FC as the three biggest influences in his life. While he is no longer practicing, he has cited Archbishop of Liverpool Derek Worlock as a key influence. In 2023, he visited the Vatican and presented Pope Francis with a signed Manchester United football shirt.
What the lookalike thinks
In a recent video, Emma said: 'It's really interesting to me, because I am commenting on religious issues, spiritual issues and politics. The fact that Andy Burnham is a Catholic, a non-practicing Catholic, I think is interesting to me – is that going to change British politics?'
