Andy Burnham has "turned politics upside down" in his first 100 days as Prime Minister, but he has not yet faced his first "big crisis", according to veteran columnist Kevin Maguire.
Speaking on the Mirror's Sense Check podcast, Maguire said the British public currently regard the Prime Minister as "authentic" and relaxed in his own skin, feeling that "what you see is what you get".
Poll surge for Labour
YouGov polling ahead of the Budget this week put Labour in first place on 27% - seven points ahead of Nigel Farage's Reform UK, who have dropped to third beneath the Tories.
It is the latest in a series of polls showing the former Greater Manchester mayor spearheading a major turnaround in the party's fortunes since entering Number 10.
Scoring the Prime Minister
Asked by Nicola Thorp to score Burnham's first few months in power out of 10, Maguire gave him an eight.
He explained that after a "steady-as-he-goes" first Budget, the next few months would prove a bigger test, with tough decisions to come on welfare spending and defence.
Maguire said: "The reason I would give him eight, not nine or 10, if you're wondering, is he's got to walk the talk. And he hasn't yet done that."
He added: "So we've had his budget, we have had some other measures, we kind of get the shape of it. But a lot of the big decisions are still ahead on welfare, on the spending review, what's going to happen in the public services going down the road."
Authenticity versus Farage
Maguire described Burnham as "Farage's worst nightmare" because he is "more relatable" and "authentic", contrasting this with Farage, who he said "isn't authentic" and "likes to be that 'man of the people', having a pint in the pub" but "spends all his time in Mayfair clubs drinking gin and tonics and wine, rubbing shoulders with the richest people in the country".
He concluded: "While Burnham is what you see. He is genuine and I think authenticity matters. I think he's had a tremendous start, but he's got to walk the talk."
New episodes of the Mirror's Sense Check show are available on YouTube.
