Andy Burnham: A prospective leader offering little indication of any meaningful policy change — and that, apparently, is the essence of the UK’s democratic governance model in 2026 (and possibly 1926).
As I have argued before, Britain is in urgent need of comprehensive, root-and-branch political reform. Without it, the country will continue cycling through a succession of leaders and governments, a pattern that is detrimental to any system of governance (democratic or otherwise). National leaders should not assume office without direct public participation and approval, informed by open public debate and a clearly articulated political agenda. Instead, leadership is determined by the support of party members and formalised by a royal seal of approval — a process that many would regard as little more than an absurdity in a supposedly democratic governance model.
The principle is straightforward: national leaders require national consent, not merely party consent. That is neither a radical nor a particularly sophisticated proposition; it is a basic democratic expectation.