British MP Andy Burnham might be on the cusp of becoming the next Prime Minister of the UK, but he’s still had time to show off his surprising guitar chops.
The former Mayor of Manchester is set to take office from outgoing Labour Party leader Keir Starmer after a fairly turbulent few weeks for British politics. Nevertheless, he’s found the time to sit down with Manchester guitar legend Aziz Ibrahim of the Stone Roses for a candid chat about all things guitar.
The pair sit down for a chat for the Manchester Museum, where Burnham showed he can throw a few chords together.
Armed with a Gretsch Electromatic Jet, he showcased his talents by strumming an A minor-shaped barre chord, with a look of slightly pleasant surprise etched across his face.
“So you know your power chords,” Ibrahim responds, with Burnham quipping back a satisfied, “there you go.”
Burnham’s love for music has been evident throughout his career, as he has been a vocal figure in addressing the UK’s grassroots venue crisis. In 2024, he said that “the industry needs to support its own grassroots venues, rehearsal spaces and talent development systems” (via NME).
Sure, Burnham is unlikely to be joining a Van Halen covers band any time soon, but he’s certainly fared better on the instrument than former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who once went viral for playing an acoustic guitar, because he bizarrely fretted the strings behind the capo.
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Still, the most impressive playing we’ve seen from a politician in recent years goes to former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who played a Neil Young classic with a Ukrainian covers band in 2024 as he pledged his support to the nation’s war efforts.
