Andy Burnham is expected to become Prime Minister on Monday (July 20) following his return to the House of Commons after victory in the Makerfield by-election last month. A key element of his vision is "Manchesterism," and he has pledged to relocate at least part of the Prime Minister's office to a proposed "No. 10 North" in Manchester.
Vernon Kay's ties to the incoming PM
The initiative mirrors a comparable move by the BBC, which hosts numerous programmes in Salford. Broadcasters including Sara Cox, Mark Radcliffe and, naturally, Vernon Kay all hail from Bolton, in Greater Manchester - strengthening the region's presence on Radio 2. However, Vernon Kay must tone down his links to the incoming Prime Minister, according to BBC Radio 2 host Jeremy Vine.
During an appearance on Vernon's Radio 2 programme, Jeremy cautioned: "You're going to have to stop saying you've met [Andy Burnham] once, because he's going to be Prime Minister. It'll sound like name-dropping," Jeremy added.
Vernon's nights out with Burnham
Vernon, 52, has revealed he previously spent evenings out with the former Manchester mayor during their younger years. He characterised the new Labour leader as a "nice bloke," noting: "I've got lots of mutual friends with Andy Burnham. I know him quite well." Prior to Burnham's parliamentary comeback, Vernon and Jeremy discussed his potential future as Labour leader. When questioned whether he'd receive an invitation to Chequers - the Prime Minister's country residence - Vernon responded: "I've been there before. Maybe go again."
Sharing his closing remarks on Burnham, Vernon said: "Nice bloke, that's all I can say. You've never been around Leigh on a Friday night or a Saturday night with him. That's my reference." Jeremy continued by saying "nice doesn't always cut it," to which Vernon responded: "It does on a night out though Jeremy, with your mates." When questioned whether he'd shared a pint with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Vernon confirmed: "Back in the day. Before politics."
Burnham's political career
Before becoming Manchester's mayor, Burnham served as MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester and held various Cabinet roles, culminating in a stint as Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010 under Gordon Brown. After Labour's electoral loss to David Cameron's Conservative Party in 2015, Burnham declared he would compete for the Labour leadership, pledging to unite the party and nation and "rediscover the beating heart of Labour."
Following his loss in that race, he revealed that party officials in Greater Manchester had approached him, requesting he consider stepping down from Jeremy Corbyn's shadow cabinet to contest the forthcoming mayoral election in 2017. Achieving a decisive victory in May that year, Burnham began laying the foundations for "Manchesterism," which now appears poised to spread throughout the UK - and even reach the BBC's Salford studios.
