OPINION - Burnham’s big speech was long on emotion, short on details

Melanie McDonagh — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 14:51:15 GMT

For those of us old enough to remember the fun days of Margaret Thatcher, this week has had the invigorating element of déjà vu. The Prime Minister’s speech about renationalising utilities, taking homes off neglectful landlords, establishing a National Care Service, tackling the triple lock, electoral reform and, possibly, reversing Brexit felt like a return to the days when politics were politics, not optics or presentation. Mind you, Andy Burnham is good on the optics. The palpable emotion about his father’s death was human and real. As for the nostalgia vibe, The Sun warned against “a return to the 1970s”… yippee!

The Standard Comment

OPINION - Burnham’s big speech was long on emotion, short on details