Andy Burnham

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This article is about the politician. For the Roman Catholic priest, see Andrew Burnham (priest).
The Right Honourable
Andy Burnham
MP
Andy Burnham2.jpg
Shadow Home Secretary
Assumed office
13 September 2015
Leader Jeremy Corbyn
Preceded by Yvette Cooper
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
In office
7 October 2011 – 13 September 2015
Leader Ed Miliband
Harriet Harman (Acting)
Preceded by John Healey
Succeeded by Heidi Alexander
In office
11 May 2010 – 8 October 2010
Leader Harriet Harman (Acting)
Ed Miliband
Preceded by Andrew Lansley
Succeeded by John Healey
Shadow Secretary of State for Education
In office
8 October 2010 – 7 October 2011
Leader Ed Miliband
Preceded by Ed Balls
Succeeded by Stephen Twigg
Secretary of State for Health
In office
5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Alan Johnson
Succeeded by Andrew Lansley
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
In office
24 January 2008 – 5 June 2009
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by James Purnell
Succeeded by Ben Bradshaw
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
28 June 2007 – 24 January 2008
Prime Minister Gordon Brown
Preceded by Stephen Timms
Succeeded by Yvette Cooper
Member of Parliament
for Leigh
Assumed office
7 June 2001
Preceded by Lawrence Cunliffe
Majority 14,096 (31.2%)
Personal details
Born Andrew Murray Burnham
(1970-01-07) 7 January 1970 (age 54)
Old Roan, Aintree, Lancashire, England
Political party Labour
Spouse(s) Marie-France van Heel
Children 3
Alma mater Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge
Religion Roman Catholicism
Website Official website

Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Leigh since 2001 and the Shadow Home Secretary since 2015.

Born in the Old Roan area of Aintree, Lancashire (now Merseyside), Burnham was educated at local comprehensive schools and graduated with a degree in English from Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge. He worked as a researcher for Tessa Jowell from 1994 to 1997, then working for the NHS Confederation in 1997 and as an administrator for the Football Task Force in 1998. The same year, he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he held until 2001.

After the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, the Labour MP for Leigh, Burnham was elected to succeed him in 2001. He was a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, then serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Home Secretary David Blunkett until 2004, when he became PPS to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. He was promoted to serve in the Government after the 2005 election as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Home Office. In 2006, Burnham was moved to become a Minister of State at the Department of Health.

When Gordon Brown became Prime Minister in 2007, Burnham was promoted to Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008, when he became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. In 2009, he was promoted again to become Secretary of State for Health. In that role, he opposed further privatisation of NHS services and launched an independent inquiry into the Stafford Hospital scandal. After the Labour Party's defeat in the 2010 general election, Burnham was a candidate in the 2010 Labour leadership election, coming fourth out of five candidates. The contest was won by Ed Miliband. Burnham served as Shadow Secretary of State for Health until late 2010, when he was moved by Miliband to become Shadow Secretary of State for Education. He held that role for a year, then returning to the role of Shadow Secretary of State for Health.

After the 2015 general election, where Labour lost to the Conservative Party, Miliband resigned as leader. Burnham launched his campaign to succeed Miliband, on 13 May 2015, in the resulting September 2015 leadership election. He finished a distant second behind Jeremy Corbyn.[1] Following the defeat, he accepted a role in Corbyn's Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Home Secretary.

On 18 May 2016 Burnham announced his candidacy to become Labour's candidate for the Greater Manchester Mayoralty, which is due to be elected in May 2017. He also announced that, if elected, he would resign his seat as Member of Parliament for Leigh.[2]

Early life and education

Burnham was born in Old Roan in Aintree, Lancashire (now Merseyside), in 1970,[3] the son of a telephone engineer father and receptionist mother. He was brought up in Culcheth and educated at St Lewis' Primary School and St Aelred's Roman Catholic High School in Newton-le-Willows. He studied English at Fitzwilliam College, University of Cambridge.[4] He is the honorary President of the Cambridge Universities Labour Club.[5]

Early political career

Burnham joined the Labour Party in 1984 when he was 14.[6] From 1994 until the 1997 general election he was a researcher for Tessa Jowell. He joined the Transport and General Workers' Union in 1995. After the 1997 election, he was a parliamentary officer for the NHS Confederation from August to December 1997, before taking up the post as an administrator with the Football Task Force for a year.[7]

In 1998, he became a special adviser to the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Chris Smith, a position he remained in until he was elected to the House of Commons in 2001.

Member of Parliament

After the retirement of Lawrence Cunliffe, Burnham applied to be the parliamentary candidate for the safe Labour seat of Leigh in Greater Manchester. Burnham secured selection to contest the seat at the next general election. At the 2001 election he was elected with a majority of 16,362, and gave his maiden speech in the House of Commons on 4 July 2001.[8]

Political views

Burnham has stated that he joined the Labour Party at the age of 14 after having been "radicalised" by the miners' strike of 1984–85.[9] In his 2010 leadership bid Burnham emphasised his philosophy of 'aspirational socialism', which he described as redistributive, collectivist and internationalist.[10] He is a strong opponent of nationalism (as promoted by the Scottish National Party) and referred to it as an "ugly brand of politics".[11]

Burnham is a feminist; he supports the use of all-women shortlists for parliamentary candidate selections.[12] He is also a supporter of LGBT rights and voted in favour of same-sex marriage in 2013.[13] In an interview in The Daily Telegraph on 13 October 2007, Burnham said: "I think it’s better when children are in a home where their parents are married" and "it’s not wrong that the tax system should recognise commitment and marriage", creating controversy because his views replicated the policies of the Conservative Party.[14]

In his 2015 leadership bid, Burnham pledged to commit Labour to "a policy of progressive renationalisation of the railway system".[15][16] Burnham also favours a universal graduate tax to replace student tuition fees,[17] and voted against the most recent increase in fees.[18] He has advocated a 'National Care Service', integrating care services into the National Health Service.[19]

Burnham's key economic policies include a new levy to fund social care, extending the higher minimum wage to all ages (it currently only applies to those over 25), and banning zero-hour contracts.[20] Burnham described the mansion tax proposed by Ed Miliband as "the politics of envy", saying he knew it would lose votes when his mother Eileen phoned and told him it represented a return to the 1970s.[21]

Her Majesty's Government

Following his election to parliament, he was a member of the Health Select Committee from 2001 until 2003, when he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to Home Secretary David Blunkett. After Blunkett's first resignation in 2004, he became PPS to Education Secretary Ruth Kelly. He was promoted to serve in the Government after the 2005 election as a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, with responsibility for implementing the Identity Cards Act 2006.

In the government reshuffle of 5 May 2006, Burnham was moved from the Home Office and promoted to Minister of State at the Department of Health. In Gordon Brown's first cabinet, announced on 28 June 2007, Burnham was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury, a position he held until 2008. During his time at the Treasury, he helped author the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review.[22]

In a re-shuffle in January 2008, Burnham was promoted to the position of Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, replacing James Purnell.[23] In June 2008, he apologised to the director of pressure group Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, after she threatened to sue him for libel for smearing her reputation.[24]

In late 2008, Burnham announced government plans to tighten controls on internet content in order to "even up" what he claimed was an imbalance with TV regulations.[25][26][27] The announcement was followed by a speech to the music industry's lobbying group, UK Music, in which he announced "a time that calls for partnership between Government and the music business as a whole: one with rewards for both of us; one with rewards for society as a whole. (...) My job – Government’s job – is to preserve the value in the system."[28]

In April 2009 after being heckled at the 20th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster Burnham used the next day’s cabinet meeting in Downing Street to ask then Prime Minister Gordon Brown if he could raise the issue of Hillsborough in parliament. Brown agreed despite it not being on the agenda or on the government’s radar.[29] The eventual result was the second Hillsborough inquiry. In 2014 when Burnham spoke at the 25th anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster he was cheered and applauded by the crowd.[30]

Burnham was again promoted becoming Secretary of State for Health in June 2009. He held the post until the Labour government resigned after the 2010 general election.

In July 2009, a month after he became Health Secretary, Burnham launched an independent inquiry chaired by the QC Robert Francis into unusually high mortality rates at Stafford Hospital.[31] The inquiry found systematic failures at the hospital, and was critical of care provided by the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.[32][33] A wider public inquiry, again led by Robert Francis, was launched in 2010 by his successor as Health Secretary, Andrew Lansley. It found serious failings at the hospital but concluded it would be "misleading" to link those failings to a particular number of deaths.[34][35] After leaving office, reports claimed that Burnham and his predecessor as Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, had rejected 81 requests for an inquiry sitting in public to examine the high rate of deaths at Stafford hospital.[36] According to The Daily Telegraph, after initial concerns were raised about links between mortality rates and standards of care in 2005, there were up to 2800 more deaths than expected across 14 NHS trusts highlighted as having unusually high death rates.[36] These figures for deaths were however discredited. A report, the Keogh Review, following an investigation into the 14 NHS trusts by Bruce Keogh, described the use of such statistical measures as "clinically meaningless and academically reckless".

Burnham was criticised during the 2010 election campaign after leaflets were sent to 250,000 women – some of whom turned out to be cancer patients – featuring a message from a breast cancer survivor who praised Labour's health policy. Burnham denied that specific cancer patients had been targeted.[37]

Her Majesty's Opposition

Burnham in 2011

2010 leadership election

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Main article: Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2010

Burnham became Shadow Secretary of State for Health after May 2010 following the resignation of Gordon Brown's government. Following Brown's resignation as Leader of the Labour Party, Burnham declared his intention to stand in the subsequent leadership contest.[38] He launched his leadership campaign in his Leigh constituency on 26 May.[39] Burnham led on his philosophy of 'aspirational socialism', aligning himself with Intern Aware's campaign to end unpaid internships. He made key policy commitments to the creation of a National Care Service and called for inheritance tax to be replaced with a land value tax. Burnham finished fourth, eliminated on the second ballot with 10.41% of the vote. The leadership contest was won by Ed Miliband.

At the end of September 2010, Burnham criticised Prime Minister David Cameron for the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government's public spending cuts and health reforms to the NHS.[40]

Shadow Education Secretary

In October 2010, Burnham was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and election co-ordinator for the Labour Party. As Shadow Education Secretary, Burnham opposed the coalition government's plans for "free schools". He argued for moving the education system back towards a comprehensive system.[41]

Shadow Health Secretary

Burnham speaking at the NHS Confederation annual conference in 2014

One day short of a year later, he was appointed again to his former role of Shadow Secretary of State for Health, and held the role until 2015.

In July 2013 The Daily Telegraph reported that Burnham's staff had edited his Wikipedia page to remove criticisms of his handling of the Stafford Hospital scandal. Burnham's office claimed they had removed false statements that had been drawn to their attention.[42]

2015 leadership election

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Main article: Labour Party (UK) leadership election, 2015

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See also: Andy Burnham Labour Party leadership campaign, 2015

On 13 May 2015, Burnham announced that he would stand to replace Ed Miliband in the 2015 leadership election.[43] He stressed the need to unite the party and country and "rediscover the beating heart of Labour."[44]

Burnham attracted press criticism for claiming £17,000 a year from the taxpayer to rent a London flat, despite owning another within walking distance of the House of Commons. A spokesperson for Burnham said that renting out the original flat was necessary to "cover his costs" as parliamentary rule changes meant he was no longer able to claim for mortgage interest expenses.[45]

Burnham was criticised for jokingly saying that Labour should have a woman leader "when the time is right", with the New Statesman saying that he had "tripped over his mouth again". He also said that he would resign from the Shadow Cabinet if Labour supported leaving NATO, something which current leader Jeremy Corbyn wishes to do.[46][47]

Burnham came second (out of four) to Jeremy Corbyn in the election, gaining 19% of the vote in the first round, compared to 59% for Corbyn.[1]

Shadow Home Secretary

On 13 September 2015, Burnham accepted an appointment as Shadow Home Secretary in the first Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn and remained in the role after the 2016 reshuffle.[48]

On 27 April 2016, the day after the Hillsborough inquest verdict that found the 96 Hillsborough deaths had occurred as a result of unlawful killing, Burnham made a powerful speech to the House of Commons calling for those responsible to be held to account. Condemning South Yorkshire Police, which had instigated a cover-up in the aftermath of the tragedy, he described the force as being "rotten to the core" while suggesting that the cover-up had been "advanced in the committee rooms of this House and in the press rooms of 10 Downing Street...What kind of country leaves people, who did no more than wave off their loved-ones to a football match, sitting in a courtroom, 27 years later, begging for the reputation of their sons, daughters, brothers, sisters and fathers? The answer is one that needs to do some deep soul-searching". The eleven minute statement drew applause from MPs, a response that is generally against convention at Westminster.[49][50]

2017 Greater Manchester mayoral election

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Main article: Greater Manchester mayoral election, 2017

On 5 May 2016, a spokesperson for Burnham confirmed that he had been approached by party officials in Greater Manchester, asking him to consider resigning from the Shadow Cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn in order to run in the upcoming mayoral election in 2017. It was also stated that, "it is early days and no decision has been taken," but that one would be made in coming weeks.[51] It was speculated by some in the press that a decision to resign from Jeremy Corbyn's team could coincide with a poor performance by Labour in the local elections held on the same day.[52] On 18 May, he rebranded his Twitter account from his failed bid for the leadership of the party to 'Andy for Mayor'. This prompted widespread speculation from media outlets that he had decided to run.[53]

Personal life

Burnham married Marie-France van Heel, who is Dutch,[54] in 2000, having been in a relationship since university.[14] The couple have a son and two daughters. Burnham was raised as a Roman Catholic.[55] In the 2015 leadership contest he praised Pope Francis, but urged the Pontiff to promote a progressive stance on gay rights.[56] In a newspaper interview during the contest he stated that he had been repeatedly at odds with the Catholic Church all the time that he had been an MP and that this had resulted in strained personal relationships.[57]

Burnham was the Honorary Chairman of Leigh Rugby League Club for a short time. Burnham was a talented junior cricketer (playing for Lancashire CCC Juniors) and keen footballer, and competed at both sports for his college. He has played for Labour's "Demon Eyes" football team and is a lifelong fan of Premier League football club Everton.[58][59] In July 2003, Burnham played for Conference club Leigh RMI in a pre-season friendly against Everton.[60] He came on as an 88th minute substitute for Neil Robinson in the 1–1 draw at Hilton Park.[60]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Andy Burnham and Charlie McCreevy speak at UK Music's first creators' conference Archived 16 July 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Burnham seeks to stand out from leadership crowd BBC News, 26 May 2010
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ Retrieved 25 August 2015
  58. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ 60.0 60.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Leigh
2001–present		 Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Secretary to the Treasury
2007–2008		 Succeeded by
Yvette Cooper
Preceded by Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
2008–2009		 Succeeded by
Ben Bradshaw
Preceded by Secretary of State for Health
2009–2010		 Succeeded by
Andrew Lansley
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Health
2010		 Succeeded by
John Healey
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Education
2010–2011		 Succeeded by
Stephen Twigg
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Health
2011–2015		 Succeeded by
Heidi Alexander
Preceded by Shadow Home Secretary
2015–present		 Incumbent
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