Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been in office for just three months, yet he has already developed a habit of avoiding scrutiny from journalists. The latest instance came during his first bilateral diplomatic visit to Berlin this week, where he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz face-to-face for the first time.
The two leaders ratified the bilateral Kensington Treaty, signed last year by the chancellor and Burnham's predecessor Keir Starmer. Unusually for visits between close allies, no press conference was held, reportedly at No 10's insistence, to avoid difficult questions. Politico Berlin described the decision as "surprising" and "controversial," likening it to "something associated with Chinese visits."
A pattern of avoidance
Burnham dodged media scrutiny during his first six weeks in office, which coincided with the summer parliamentary recess. The pattern has repeated itself several times since. He also avoided a full press pack for the upcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in St John's, Antigua and Barbuda, where King Charles will attend. Instead, he will take a "pool" of selected reporters, a first in recent memory.
Similarly, a pool is expected for the COP climate summit in Turkey in November. Burnham's team has shifted to a curated, digital-first communications approach, including an "Ask Me Anything" on the r/UKPolitics Subreddit and pre-selected Instagram questions, alongside in-house production crews for direct-to-taxpayer mini-films.
Mixed record with journalists
However, Burnham has not always avoided the media. He gave about 35 minutes of clear answers to journalists on the plane during a recent trip to the United Nations in New York, and he took questions when meeting Donald Trump. But on the day he became Prime Minister, a "media huddle" in the Downing Street garden was cut short, though that was attributed to speaking with world leaders.
Opposition leaders Kemi Badenoch and Nigel Farage, along with several senior broadcasters, have accused Burnham of "dodging scrutiny." The fact is that Express readers deserve better.
