Andy Burnham is increasingly becoming a figure of ridicule. If he reaches Number 10, it will be no laughing matter. By Harvey Jones, 08:19, Fri, Jun 12, 2026, Updated: 08:20, Sat, Jun 13, 2026.
Burnham presents himself as the antidote to the indecisive Sir Keir Starmer. Instead, he has become an amateur imitation, repeating the same U-turns, blunders, and missteps. He consistently walks into the same traps that ensnared Starmer, falling for them every time. His latest mistake is the most absurd, as anyone with common sense would have seen the danger and avoided it. But Burnham charged in headfirst, as he always does.
Flip-Flops Galore
Burnham's Labour leadership bid has seen more flip-flops than a Benidorm beach. He has performed humiliating U-turns on single-sex toilets, Brexit, immigration, and tax—the very issues Starmer backtracked on. Has he learned nothing? Once billed as the King of the North, he is now the King of the U-turn. But we already have one of those: Keir Starmer. We do not need another.
The Waspi Women Trap
Now Burnham has fallen into the same trap Starmer did before the election. It is such a rookie error that it is hard to believe he made it. At a hustings on Wednesday, Burnham pledged to support the Waspi women, who seek compensation for the increase in their state pension age to 65, aligning with men. He grandiosely claimed to have 'long-supported' the campaign and promised to 'stick by the Waspi women because they deserve some recompense for the unfairness.' He criticized politicians who say one thing to win power and do another once elected.
But Burnham did not stick with the Waspi women for long. He does not stick with anything, it seems. Waspi compensation could exceed £10 billion. Even Labour MPs found this pledge too extravagant, with one calling it 'ludicrous' and others questioning the funding source, especially amid the defence spending row.
Burnham's team quickly executed a U-turn, 'clarifying' that he was not planning to compensate them after all. He might offer them discounted bus travel instead. And the most ridiculous part? Keir Starmer did exactly the same.
Starmer's Parallel
In 2022, it was revealed that Starmer publicly backed the Waspi women's campaign for compensation, even posing with a card saying: 'I support fair and fast compensation for 1950s women.' He maintained that stance until the 2024 election, then dropped the pledge once in power, just as predicted.
The Treasury will avoid paying the Waspis a penny, not only due to the cost but also because of the precedent. Paying out for one disputed policy change could open the floodgates. Whitehall abhors a precedent. Anyone who pretends otherwise is fooling themselves—or others. Starmer fooled the Waspis, and so did Burnham.
Empty Promises
This is another sign that Burnham will say anything to get elected, then change his mind the next day. All politicians do that, of course. Starmer made numerous barefaced lies, but Burnham has taken empty pledges to a new level. And they backfire every time. Does he take voters for fools, or is he one himself? This is the man meant to save Labour. Instead, he keeps punching himself in the face, again and again. Now he may pull off his greatest trick: being an even worse Prime Minister than Keir Starmer.
