Sir Keir Starmer has pointed to the mayoralty of Greater Manchester as an example of what Labour would look like in government.
During a visit to the city centre this morning, during which he was given a public transport tour to highlight Andy Burnham’s plans for a second term, Sir Keir said that included the mayor's record on policing, which he insisted had included action as soon as problems became apparent.
Speaking at Shudehill bus station, he told the Manchester Evening News Andy Burnham’s four-year term in charge had shown what the party can deliver.
“What Andy Burnham has done is show very clearly what a difference it makes when Labour is in power,” he said.
“And I think if you asked anybody across Greater Manchester who stood up for their communities in the pandemic everybody - but everybody - would say Andy Burnham did.
“He really stood up. He was the mayor that was there. He was the voice and the one who was really taking the government on and that is an example of exactly what you want from a mayor.”
The Labour candidate also has ‘great plans for the future’, he said, including an integrated bus system with flat fares.
“What you’ve got with Andy is strong record of what he’s done, a strong plan and ambition for the future and actually you’ve got someone who gets things done,” he added.
That included, Sir Keir said, the mayor’s policing record over the past four years, which has included three critical inspection reports and the force eventually in special measures by the end of last year.
At that point the mayor asked the Chief Constable, Ian Hopkins, to resign, a move his opponents have said came far too late.
“Well the policing situation wasn’t as it should be, but the question then is 'what did Andy Burnham do about it',” said Sir Keir.
“Well Andy Burnham recognised the problem, went in, changed the Chief Constable, had a report - strong recommendations - and now is going to implement that plan.
“And I think that is exactly, that’s what you want from your police and crime commissioner, that’s what you want from your mayor, somebody who recognises where things have to change, changes them, puts in place a plan and implements that plan.”
Asked whether he acted quickly enough, Sir Keir added: “I think he did.
“And I think a lot of people would say that happened a lot more quickly than other examples around the country and that was the right thing to do and I think we’ll now see a real change in the approach to policing and the record on policing as we go forward.”
In recent days Sir Keir has landed blows on the Prime Minister over his lack of transparency and accountability around the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, as well as a wealth of other sleaze stories that have surfaced over the past year.
However a row over accountability is also rumbling through the Greater Manchester mayoral election, after the M.E.N. revealed a highly critical £300,000 report into GMP, commissioned by the mayor in January, would not be published until after the election.
Pushed on whether he thought the mayor should not simply publish that report, in the light of Labour’s criticism of government accountability, Sir Keir said: “Well what I see I think is a very interesting parallel here.
“Andy Burnham has press conferences where he answers questions.
"He takes questions and answers them.
“All we’ve had from government in the last few days, we’ve had the health secretary not prepared to take questions at a press conference and a Prime Minister at Prime Minister's Questions not prepared to answer questions. So there’s a huge question.
“On accountability, I don’t think Andy Burnham could do more than say ‘I’m taking a press conference, I’ll take your questions and I’ll answer them’.”
