Lisa Nandy says 'wannabe-PM' Andy Burnham is 'not left or right, he's north'

When Andy Burnham unsuccessfully ran for the Labour leadership in 2015 perhaps the most notable thing about his campaign was its northernness. He was heavily beaten by Jeremy Corbyn but has continued to bang the northern drum through nine years as mayor of Greater Manchester. And there are already signs that the Makerfield by-election campaign by the man dubbed 'the King of the North' will follow the same well-trodden path. Josh Simons, the MP standing down in the Wigan seat to facilitate Burnham's return to Westminster, pointed out that the Greater Manchester mayor did a TV interview while holding his lunch of a butter pie. It came after Burnham recently went for a run sporting a retro Everton football shirt. Meanwhile Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy went even further on a tour of TV and radio studios. Asked if Mr Burnham, whose economic views spooked markets this week, was right or leftwing, she told Times Radio: 'I'd say north actually.'