Prime Minister Andy Burnham has revealed that becoming the nation's leader has impacted his family 'in a big way', speaking in a candid new interview for an ITV special on his first 100 days in office.
Mr Burnham is married to Marie-France van Heel, who sits on the board of Manchester-based public electric vehicle charging network Be.EV. The couple share three children, Jimmy, Rosie and Annie, all in their 20s.
Journey to Number 10
Hailing from Aintree, Lancashire, a suburb of Liverpool, Mr Burnham was first elected to Parliament in 2001 as MP for Leigh. Between 2007 and 2010 he served in Government as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, and Secretary of State for Health.
He was elected Mayor of Greater Manchester in May 2017, and re-elected in 2021 and 2024. He returned to Parliament earlier in the year by winning the Makerfield by-election as he resigned as mayor. In June, Sir Keir Starmer confirmed he was stepping down as Prime Minister.
July was the busiest month of Mr Burnham's year, with him elected Leader of the Labour Party on July 16 before being officially made Prime Minister a week later. He has since delivered his first Budget and got Number 10 North up and running.
Family impact revealed
On Monday night (November 3), ITV aired its latest Tonight Special, titled Burnham: Inside The First 100 Days. The programme saw the Prime Minister open up about how the role has affected his family life with his wife and their three adult children.
Mr Burnham told ITV News' Investigations Editor Daniel Hewitt: "This still impacts on their lives, definitely, in a big way, actually. They have to deal with things that, in an ideal world, you wouldn't want them to have to deal with."
He added: "Things are said to them and that kind of thing. I've not always been there because of the job over the years."
Sacrifices for the job
Later in the episode, Mr Burnham and the ITV reporter were seen travelling to Hill Dickinson Stadium. Due to his current job, he had to give up his ticket to his beloved Everton Football Club.
"I've chosen this job. It has made me change my life. I can't sit here anymore and that pains me. So, you have to ask yourself why?," he said.
"Why have I put myself in a position where I can't grieve properly for my dad, where I can't sit in my season ticket seat, where I can't go for a pint at The Ship and Mitre on my way home to Lime Street. And then you remember, because I've got an incredible privilege, which is the chance to lead this amazing country, change it, shape it, improve people's lives. That's why."
