Andy Burnham suffered a humiliating blow just ten days into his role as prime minister. This comes as he pledged on Wednesday to succeed where decades of predecessors have failed and fix a “broken” social care system. The Labour leader says tackling patchy access to social care for those needing it due to age, illness or disability is his priority.
Awkward exchange broadcast on ITV News
The prime minister visited a care home in London where he was met with an unexpected comment. ITV News aired the awkward scenes as he spoke with a care home resident who mistakenly assumed Burnham was a local candidate.
After the Labour leader introduced himself, the resident asked: "And you are a local candidate?" The care workers broke out in laughter, as Burnham replied, "Oh, no."
He explained: "I was a local candidate. I had a by-election, a few weeks ago, but no, I'm now the prime minister."
The resident remarked: "You're what?" as it was explained to him that Burnham had replaced Keir Starmer. "What a new one?" the gentleman asked.
Burnham chuckles at the confusion
Burnham chuckled: "Another one."
In a humiliating blow, the care home resident replied: "They keep changing every five minutes."
