What is Burnham learning from Trump?

Andy Burnham became Britain's seventh prime minister in ten years yesterday, promising to reshape the country's politics, establish a new economic model and revitalize a nation he said was fed up with constant changes of leadership.

He takes power at a time when the populist right is growing stronger and voters' trust in traditional parties is weakening.

"Politiko" estimates that Burnham's political success will depend on whether he manages to steer Britain away from the wave of nationalist populism that gave birth to Donald Trump.

This, however, has not stopped the new British Prime Minister from studying Trump's rise and, consciously or not, adopting some of his methods for the political showdowns with the British right that await him.

“Trump is very unpopular in Britain,” said Luke Trail, chief executive of the More in Common UK think tank. “But even people who really don’t like him will say: at least do what he says he’s going to do.”

The very fact that he gives the impression of a politician who works is something Burnham can learn from populist challengers like Trump, Trail added.

Bernam's first phone conversation after taking office was with the US President.

Bernama, the new leader of the centre-left Labour Party, was effectively brought to power by party members who fear that Labour could suffer a heavy defeat in the next election, after months of mistakes and scandals during the tenure of outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The far-right populist Reform UK party, founded five years ago by Trump ally Nigel Farage, has made strong inroads in recent nationwide elections, tearing apart Labour's traditional strongholds and leading national polls for more than a year.

Labour MPs are hoping Burnham can emerge as a new face from outside the party establishment and restore the party's faltering connection with the increasingly distrustful voters it has lost. He has warned for years that if Labour fails, Britain risks going the way of the US and electing the most right-wing government in its history.

“Whether we like it or not, Donald Trump and Nigel Farage have been successful in connecting with people who feel politicians have neglected the places they live,” Burnham wrote with Steve Rotherham in their 2024 book “Head North.” To win back millions of working-class voters, they argued, Labour must “challenge the radical right on the very ground it claims to belong.”

"Politiko" assesses that it begins by channeling the anger of people who feel rejected and neglected.

"Both Trump and Bernam seem to be driven by personal animosity toward the political elites who once belittled them, as well as a desire to disrupt the established hierarchy of privilege," the portal states.

Crucially, he adds, Trump's ability to convey a sense of rejection by the establishment resonated with voters who feel they have been sidelined by the same elites.

Burnham is even more outspoken than Trump about his own grievances with elites. In the book “Head North,” Burnham, then mayor of Greater Manchester, and Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham described how, while they were MPs, they were treated like “second-class citizens” by elitist politicians in London.

"We want you to know what it was like to listen to those mocking voices in the corridors of power," they wrote.

Burnham does not miss the opportunity to present himself as an outsider from the former industrial areas of the working-class north of England, and analysts believe that such positioning can benefit him.

Both Trump and Bernam seem driven by personal animosity toward the political elites who once belittled them, as well as a desire to disrupt the established hierarchy of privilege.

Because of his regional accent, he seems “authentic” and outside the London establishment to many voters who supported Labour two years ago but have since abandoned it, said political consultant Deborah Mattinson, a former Labour Party strategy director.

"The bottom line is that people are very angry and very impatient," Mattinson said. "Those key working-class voters are even more impatient to see change and they doubt that politicians are capable of implementing it."

Constantly addressing voters

While Farage dominates British media coverage of politics, Trump often dictates the topics of world media through his social media posts.

Burnham doesn't have the same reach, but he has proven adept at using direct channels to communicate with the public. He regularly posts casual and informal videos, trying to show voters that he is one of them.

“Trump and Farage are constantly communicating with people and speaking directly to them,” said Trail of More in Common. He added that it is important to use multiple channels to reach voters, including X, TikTok and Instagram.

But even if Burnham manages to connect with voters, the question remains: what does he actually want to say to them, Politiko points out.

Because of his regional accent, Burnham seems authentic and outside the London establishment to many voters who supported Labour two years ago but have since abandoned it.

The details of his policy are unclear at this time. However, the plan he outlined in his book “Head North” is based on a radical transfer of powers from London to local communities and regions across the country.

Burnham believes the model he used to govern Greater Manchester for nine years could transform the UK and restore hope to deprived areas. Mattinson and Trail believe such devolution could appeal to voters who feel their areas have been neglected by London.

At the same time, they warn that Bernam must not lose sight of the main priority of citizens - reducing the cost of living. For many families, daily expenses have risen to unsustainable levels, while prices have risen rapidly after the pandemic, and earnings have failed to keep up.

Trump has paid a political price for the impact of the war with Iran on the cost of living for US citizens. Burnham, Politico believes, should learn a lesson from this, as the cost of living is by far the most important issue for British voters. Dissatisfaction about this often turns into anger among those who supported Starmer in 2024, hoping that he would improve their lives.

"There is a strong expectation that concrete steps will be seen in the first six months of his term, especially when it comes to the cost of living," Trail said.

Metinson added that decentralization may resonate well with voters, but that Bernam must connect it to issues of immediate relevance to their daily lives.

Small maneuvering space

Voters are increasingly willing to embrace radical solutions. A focus group conducted by Politico last month in Makerfield, Burnham's new constituency, showed that citizens doubt that any politician is capable of improving their lives.

Even more worrying is the increasing spread of an almost nihilistic attitude among them.

The More in Common organization regularly asks respondents whether British institutions should be preserved and improved or simply allowed to decay.

"The majority are still in favour of preservation and enhancement - 60 per cent," Trail said in Westminster last week. "But 40 per cent are from a group that would rather let it all burn down, which is quite sobering."

Although Trump is not popular, many focus group participants appreciate that he at least gives the impression of a leader who gets results and does what he promises, regardless of the resistance he faces.

"People really crave a strong leader," Mattinson added.

According to her, Burnham has very little time to convince disillusioned Labour supporters to give the party another chance. "He will have to come on stage and act as a new and different government," she said.

Burnham said he wants politics based on greater consensus, with cooperation with rival parties on both the left and right in seeking solutions, rather than simply scoring political points. The biggest risk for him, Politiko estimates, is that impatient voters may not be willing to wait for a change in political culture before seeing concrete results.

Perhaps Burnham has already learned from Trump that he must make a strong impression immediately upon taking office, as the American president did at the start of his second term this year.

"I'm ready," Burnham said on Friday, when he formally took over the leadership of the Labour Party. "I have a plan."