When Keir Starmer became party leader, he wasn’t necessarily expected to win the 2024 election. He was above all a safe pair of hands, brought in to launder Labour's reputation after Jeremy Corbyn's disastrous tenure. A weak personal brand, but heavyweight qualifications. Andy Burnham has the opposite problem.Burnham has branded himself King of the North. But parochial preening is not a coherent political programme. His wish list includes moving desks to Manchester for a 'No 10 North' and franchising the buses. Meanwhile the NHS, welfare, policing and justice system are all buckling. The economy faces severe structural problems. The world...