ANDY Burnham answered 23 questions in a Reddit thread on Friday evening, listing his favourite movies, band, and pledging support for the sport of Rugby League, but meaningful statements about how he will govern the country were hard to come by.
The former Manchester mayor is tipped to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister, but has so far largely avoided press scrutiny about his upcoming premiership, refusing to speak to the media after a speech on Monday, and conducting only one interview, appearing on LBC on Thursday.
Instead, his announcements have come through speeches, carefully worded statements, and most recently a Reddit "ask me anything" post.
Starting at 5pm, Burnham began to answer a handful of the more than 5000 comments left on the thread.
His first answer came about his ideology of devolution, and how this interacts with the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
"How would you like your relationship with the devolved governments (Scotland, NI and Wales) to work and how will they interact with your plans for devolution?", one user asked.
In response, Burnham said that he will speak to the first ministers of the devolved nations "soon" to agree a "positive way" to work towards growth.
He said: "I would like it to be as collaborative and pragmatic as possible. I want the same offer to power up places to be available in all parts of the UK.
"I will speak soon to First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to agree a positive way of working to this end."
No follow up comments were left when several users asked for more detail.
His most substantial commitment was to rule out a general election, simply saying "No. As I said in my speech on Monday, I’m going to work to the 2024 manifesto" when asked.
He also gave a one-word answer "yes" to one user asking if he would "negotiate return agreements with countries like Afghanistan for refugees who have had their asylum claims rejected?"
This is despite the Taliban, who are now in control of Afghanistan, being subject to international sanctions and committing numerous human rights violations.
During the thread, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch also appeared, criticising Burnham for taking "softball questions" online.
She said: "Hi Andy, Kemi here. Whilst you’re answering softball questions on Reddit, I’ve been in Yorkshire answering questions from the press.
"You’re going to be Prime Minister soon so it’s time to start acting like one. Come out from hiding, face a proper press conference and submit yourself to scrutiny and some tough questions.
"Are you up for it?"
To this, the newly elected MP said: "Fair challenge, Kemi - but don’t forget it’s only two weeks since I faced questions from 74,000 members of the public in Makerfield!"
He also signalled support for closer ties with the EU, but did not expand on this beyond saying "I will build on the good work the government has already done in this area."
His final three answers saw him say "place-first not party-first" to how he "will unite a more divided country", sandwiched between his top four movies – Goodfellas, The Big Short, Brassed Off and Pride – and favourite band – Doves.
He was also asked if he has any plans to support historic rugby league clubs in the UK, to which he said he will be a "staunch advocate" for the sport.
