Andy Burnham's path to the top job was bloodless, with no fractious leadership contest over the summer, and his first weeks in Downing Street have been running at breakneck pace. The real reward, however, is that the public are listening: Labour has seen a bounce in the polls, and his early actions appear to be landing with voters who feel he is focused on the right issues.
The bitter irony for Keir Starmer is that he attempted similar moves, but the public had switched off. Burnham now has their attention, and he intends to use it to sear his identity into their minds before the honeymoon period ends.
A visit to Barrow-in-Furness
This week, the Prime Minister visited BAE Systems in Barrow-in-Furness, where nuclear submarines are constructed. He was upbeat and fired up to get cracking, clearly enjoying a job he has long coveted and knowing exactly what he wants to do with power.
Yet there is a tension between his style of politics and the office he now holds. He is a great communicator, less guarded than his predecessor, and engages earnestly with questions about his intentions. Speaking frankly can be risky, generating headlines and speculation before plans are finalised, but the pay-off is that it shows he understands the issues people worry about.
Andy time
As Greater Manchester Mayor, Burnham would pick up ideas from conversations in the pub and on buses. Insiders joke with gentle exasperation about running on "Andy time", as he stops to talk to everyone despite the intensity of a PM's schedule. He wants to do things his way, and that includes getting out and about.
He wistfully joked about fighting a one-man battle to remain in his seat to watch Everton. The reality of being Prime Minister, with intense security, makes that a tough fight.
Normal but under pressure
Much has been made of how normal Burnham is, and it has won him fans on social media, where his team has been savvy in getting his message out. In real life, he is the same off camera as he is on it - unlike Starmer, who was warmer and more normal behind the scenes.
Burnham's challenge will be holding onto this when the pressures of the premiership begin to weigh on him. The honeymoon will fade as he is forced to make difficult decisions on the same tangle of domestic and international problems that confronted Starmer. But if he can keep the public's attention and convince them he is on their side, he may succeed where Starmer failed.
