Finally, we may be seeing the real Andy Burnham – and it could provide hope for those who are hoping he might reverse Brexit.
The revelation by The Independent that he is looking at a tax break for younger people, as part of a wider package to help bridge the generational wealth gap, has given us an important signal about his priorities.
It tells us two things about Burnham. The first is that he is willing to think the unthinkable in order to solve what have thus far appeared to be intractable problems.
The second, perhaps more important, is that he might be the first prime minister to seriously prioritise younger generations.
As we at The Independent continue our Europe: The Way Back campaign, both of these indications of how Burnham might govern should be grounds for optimism. He may be the prime minister who is finally willing to look again at the whole issue of Brexit.
The constant criticism of Burnham has been the claim that nobody knows what he actually stands for. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and others have suggested that, in reality, he is basically Keir Starmer with a black T-shirt and a smile.
But his various U-turns and clarifications on different issues – not least Brexit, where he went from being a Rejoiner last September to silence when contesting the pro-Leave Makerfield seat last month – have fed into an image of a man who is good at presentation but lacking in policy ideas and conviction.
Funnily enough, it is similar to the criticism levelled at Nigel Farage – that he is all personality and no substance. Neither of them would appreciate the comparison.
But we are now learning something about Burnham in terms of his philosophy – something that goes beyond specific details of policy, and his clear hope that he can be the party leader that people want to have a pint with.
The revelation that he has discussed a Gen Z tax break to help young people save a deposit to buy their own home, and thereby obtain a mortgage, shows that what drives Burnham is not just his willingness to try different things, but his focus on doing so.
For years, British politics has been mired in a sense of fatalism. Our leaders seem to look at intractable problems – such as young people not being able to get on the housing market – and essentially shrug, reluctant to effect any meaningful change.
At best, we get tinkering – like Keir Starmer’s timid Brexit reset with the EU. But more often than not, they double down on measures that are already in place and aren’t working – like continuing with the triple lock on the state pension at the expense of everything else.
Burnham was rather candid on Thursday night when he told Andrew Marr on LBC that his generation of politicians have failed people – and he included himself in that.
He was talking about his belief that the last 40 years of liberal economic consensus, and its reliance on the “trickle down” theory, is at the heart of this problem. But it goes beyond that. Nobody is asking about the radical measures required to fix the big problems.
This is especially true in the case of Brexit – a historic mistake that is costing this country £100bn a year in trade, and £40bn in tax revenue.
The idea of exempting young people from income tax for three years, to allow them to build a deposit for a mortgage, may be fanciful and impractical. Tax expert Dan Neidle can certainly see problems with it.
But what we are seeing is a man, poised to take over the leadership of our country, who is willing to think outside the box, as the old cliché goes – and more than that, to think the unthinkable. He is also prioritising younger voters, even if he has recommitted to the triple lock on the state pension.
It is young people – Gen Z in particular – who have missed out as a result of Brexit, particularly in terms of free movement. As John Major noted, it is they who will drive the UK’s eventual rejoining of the bloc.
But thinking the unthinkable has its limits. After all, “Think the unthinkable” was the instruction Tony Blair famously gave to welfare minister Frank Field in 1997, when he tasked him with reforming benefits. Unfortunately, Blair, despite being one of our braver politicians, gave up on that idea when Field presented him with ideas that would have triggered a massive rebellion.
Nevertheless, we now know that Burnham is willing to be bold, and to venture into uncharted territory. Let us hope this includes taking a less timid approach to undoing Brexit. But what remains to be seen is whether he is willing to make the tough decisions that arise when you want to increase one pot at the expense of another.
The relationship with the EU splits generations in the UK, and requires a bold approach in favour of the pro-EU younger voters.
If he is confirmed as the new prime minister on 20 July, we shall see if Burnham has the courage to back up his innovation. But for now, his approach to Gen Z should give us reasons to hope.
