WEBVTT - Can Andy Burnham save ‘Broken Britain’?

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<v Speaker 1>From the Australian. Here's what's on the front. I'm Claire Harvey.

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<v Speaker 1>It's Tuesday, July twenty one, twenty twenty six. What's the

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<v Speaker 1>greatest threat to Australia. Turns out we are deeply divided

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<v Speaker 1>on this question, with supporters of One Nation and the

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<v Speaker 1>Coalition much more concerned about China than left leaning and

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<v Speaker 1>university educated voters. That's an exclusive figure from the latest

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<v Speaker 1>newspol survey Live now at the Australian dot com dot au.

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<v Speaker 1>He wears a T shirt and sneakers with his suit

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<v Speaker 1>jacket and speaks with a proud Northern accent. Andy Burnham

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<v Speaker 1>is Britain's new Prime Minister and he couldn't be more

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<v Speaker 1>different from the pms who've gone before. And he's talking

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<v Speaker 1>big change too, from more offshore oil to renationalizing public infrastructure.

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<v Speaker 1>But can the so called King of the North possibly

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<v Speaker 1>fix the place even locals call broken Britain? That's today's story.

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<v Speaker 2>I go with good grace, I go with a smile,

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<v Speaker 2>and I go proud of everything that we have achieved.

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<v Speaker 3>Another prime minister has gone another prime minister.

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<v Speaker 4>That is our challenge to make politics work, to make

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<v Speaker 4>it work better.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, Britain has a new Prime Minister and he's got

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<v Speaker 1>a massive job ahead of him, not least restoring some

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<v Speaker 1>faith in what seems like a pretty broken society. Richard

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<v Speaker 1>Ferguson is the Australian's Federal Political Bureau Chief and also

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<v Speaker 1>one of our experts on UK politics. Richard andy Burnham

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<v Speaker 1>does he make you feel hopeful as a Britain that

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<v Speaker 1>there is a way out of what has seem like

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<v Speaker 1>some pretty darkies for English politics.

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<v Speaker 2>No, Claire, absolutely not, because even before Andy Burnham was

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<v Speaker 2>set to meet the King and become Prime Minister, there

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<v Speaker 2>was already infighting between his camp, between the camp of

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<v Speaker 2>Ed Milliband, who everybody in the left of the Labor

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<v Speaker 2>Party wanted to make the chancellor, and he's been talked

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<v Speaker 2>out of it by unions, business leaders, members of the

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<v Speaker 2>Labor right. He is facing lots of questions about whether

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<v Speaker 2>he actually has any detailed plans. He's wanted to be

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<v Speaker 2>Prime Minister for decades now, and yet there's no suggestion

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<v Speaker 2>of any detail of what he's actually going to do

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<v Speaker 2>when it comes to this kind of what he calls

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<v Speaker 2>basically the reversal of forty years of economic and social

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<v Speaker 2>policy starting with Thatcher and going on to Blair and Brown.

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<v Speaker 2>I kind of think of that as Keir. Starmer was

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<v Speaker 2>the stuffy headmaster that everybody hated, so they've put in

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<v Speaker 2>and the cool teacher who everyone likes and everybody thinks

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<v Speaker 2>he's their friend. And anybody who works in a school

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<v Speaker 2>will tell you that the cool teacher is the one

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<v Speaker 2>that usually everything falls apart under.

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<v Speaker 1>I heard an unimpressed conservative commentator describing him as a

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<v Speaker 1>guy in a black T shirt who wears Misscara, which

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<v Speaker 1>is also a claim I know that's been brought against

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<v Speaker 1>Jedd events. Do you think he does wear Miss Scara?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, I'm not wearing Misscara, but I am actually dressed

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<v Speaker 2>as Andy Burnham for anybody that's watching on YouTube and

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<v Speaker 2>on any of our platform channels. So I'm not going

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<v Speaker 2>to criticize Andy Burnham for wearing black teas and suits, Claire,

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<v Speaker 2>but he definitely he's so different to hear Starmer in

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<v Speaker 2>every way. It's stuffy versus casual, it's London versus Manchester.

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<v Speaker 2>It's no personality versus maybe a little too much personality.

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<v Speaker 2>He's so different and he's a very good communicator. There's

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<v Speaker 2>no doubt about that, he is very good. But the

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<v Speaker 2>question is is the mirror of Manchester the scene as

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<v Speaker 2>being the Prime Minister of Britain.

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<v Speaker 4>This is a proud moment you have given me and

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<v Speaker 4>my family today and an emotional one, but it is

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<v Speaker 4>one for which I am ready. I am ready ready

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<v Speaker 4>to lead and to build on the foundation laid by

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<v Speaker 4>one person more than any other. Undercrestant Well.

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<v Speaker 1>His big achievement is Mayor of Manchester. According to him,

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<v Speaker 1>was taking back into public ownership the public transport assets

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<v Speaker 1>and making buses, for example, much cheaper for people to

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<v Speaker 1>use in Manchester. And he wants to take that idea

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<v Speaker 1>and make it national, renationalizing assets that had been sold

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<v Speaker 1>off like water supplies for example.

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<v Speaker 4>A moment ago more power to improve your high street,

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<v Speaker 4>backing local businesses such as the pubs and the shops

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<v Speaker 4>that bring them to life. Make no mistake, everybody, I

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<v Speaker 4>will be a pro business leader of the Labor Party

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<v Speaker 4>as I was a pro business Mayor Todd Greater Manchester.

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<v Speaker 1>This is coming as Britain is in a public sort

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<v Speaker 1>of utility crisis. Really there's a drought and a heat

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<v Speaker 1>wave going on, and people in large parts of Britain

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<v Speaker 1>don't have any water because the privatized water supply companies

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<v Speaker 1>aren't failing. That you would think would give impetus to

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<v Speaker 1>this desire that he has for nationalizing things. How far

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<v Speaker 1>do you think he's actually going to take that or

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<v Speaker 1>is that just the kind of thing you say before

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<v Speaker 1>you actually get into number ten.

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<v Speaker 2>Look, it's interesting as well because his version of nationalization

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<v Speaker 2>is kind of devolution plus nationalization. So it doesn't so

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<v Speaker 2>much want all of these companies to be on by Westminster.

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<v Speaker 2>He wants them to be owned by councils what we

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<v Speaker 2>would call ste governments and England are kind of mega

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<v Speaker 2>councils like the one in Manchester, or there are governments

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<v Speaker 2>like the one in Scotland and the one in Wales.

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<v Speaker 2>But he hasn't really details, of course, any of this.

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<v Speaker 2>I've rad this is actually going to work, but there

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<v Speaker 2>is enough room in the manifesto of the Labor Party

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<v Speaker 2>that they took to the twenty twenty four election that

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<v Speaker 2>he could get away with that. Now, the thing about

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<v Speaker 2>governments in Britain compared to governments in Australia is that

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<v Speaker 2>they produce a detailed manifesto before the election which has

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<v Speaker 2>all of their promises all of their views and they

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<v Speaker 2>are very much expected to stick to that manifesto and

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<v Speaker 2>if they break it, the pressure that comes on for

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<v Speaker 2>an election is pretty massive. So he has that really

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<v Speaker 2>strangling any ambitions he may have, because he has to

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<v Speaker 2>live with Kirstarmer's manifesto, which famously didn't have much in

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<v Speaker 2>it because Kairstarmer didn't have a plan and Kirstarmer didn't

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<v Speaker 2>want to give the Conservatives anything to label him Jeremy

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<v Speaker 2>Corbyn in a nice suit. So he's going to struggle

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<v Speaker 2>with that. He's going to struggle with the kind of

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<v Speaker 2>very tight fiscal rules that everybody has tried to obey

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<v Speaker 2>because the British government owes so much to the bond

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<v Speaker 2>markets and nobody wants to repeat of Les trust and

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<v Speaker 2>the chaos that was caused by her with her disastrous

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<v Speaker 2>Bury budget.

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<v Speaker 1>This was massive, a mini budget turned MAXI the biggest

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<v Speaker 1>tax cuts in half a century.

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<v Speaker 2>So he has a lot of constraints, and then he

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<v Speaker 2>has these factions that have put him into power and

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<v Speaker 2>now seem to be kind of fighting over who's going

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<v Speaker 2>to be in his cabinet. So I think it's going

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<v Speaker 2>to be very hard for Andy Burnham and a little

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<v Speaker 2>bit of charm and not being Keir Starmer only takes

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<v Speaker 2>you so far.

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<v Speaker 1>Kemmy bed knock the letter of the Conservatives. She seems

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<v Speaker 1>to be making Conservatives in Britain feel a little bit

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<v Speaker 1>more helpful. She'd sittly got an ability to talk in

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<v Speaker 1>a way that previous Conservative leaders have struggled with to

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<v Speaker 1>connect with ordinary Britains.

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<v Speaker 5>The Honorable Member for Bradford West gave a moving and

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<v Speaker 5>funny speech. I especially appreciated her comments about black and

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<v Speaker 5>brown faces on TV or as my children say, oh

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<v Speaker 5>look it's mummy again.

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<v Speaker 1>She's also kind of saying nice things about Andy Burnham,

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<v Speaker 1>isn't she, which is very refreshing, and he's saying kind

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<v Speaker 1>of nice things about her. How do you think the

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<v Speaker 1>contest between the two of them will go? And are

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<v Speaker 1>they both actually fighting the real enemy, which is the

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<v Speaker 1>far right party's reform and restore I.

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<v Speaker 2>Think that they are kind of fighting the same enemy.

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<v Speaker 2>But these may be the two best leaders that either

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<v Speaker 2>of their parties have actually had. And years for Labor

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<v Speaker 2>Jeremy Corbin and Ed Meliband and for Breton going back

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<v Speaker 2>to Theresa me and as just as the ald Establishment

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<v Speaker 2>parties are at their lowest. They've got the best communicators

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<v Speaker 2>they've had in a long time.

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<v Speaker 1>Coming up. A shocking murder shakes Britain's politics. That's after

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<v Speaker 1>the break. Yeah, they both managed to sound heartfelt about

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<v Speaker 1>the big thing that's been going on in British politics,

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<v Speaker 1>which is the murder of Anne Whittacombe, a former Conservative politician.

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<v Speaker 1>She was retired but had become a kind of beloved

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<v Speaker 1>political figure. She'd been on Dancing with the Stars and

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<v Speaker 1>she was campaigning for the Reform Party when she died.

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<v Speaker 1>She seems to have been murdered in quite horrific circumstances

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<v Speaker 1>in her own home. She was a seventy eight year

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<v Speaker 1>old lady, and both of them seemed to be able

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<v Speaker 1>to talk about her as a human being rather than

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<v Speaker 1>as a political figure.

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<v Speaker 5>She was a woman of high principle, profound beliefs, with

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<v Speaker 5>a wicked sense of humor, a wonderful combination of being

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<v Speaker 5>a serious person who did not take herself too seriously.

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<v Speaker 1>What does the death of Anne Whittacomb kind of mean

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<v Speaker 1>for British politics? It makes it feel very dark, doesn't it.

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<v Speaker 2>It's very dark. I consider Unwhitticcomb for people who don't

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<v Speaker 2>know horror listening to our podcast. She's a bit like

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<v Speaker 2>Bromwin Bishop I think could have been a big figure.

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<v Speaker 2>Was maybe a bit too colorful for the times, maybe

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<v Speaker 2>a bit ahead of the times too. You know, some

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<v Speaker 2>people have said in Britain there wouldn't have been a

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<v Speaker 2>Nigel Farage without Anne Witticcomb. You know, she was kind

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<v Speaker 2>of a conservative populist before it was popular.

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<v Speaker 3>There will always be every year some cases of a

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<v Speaker 3>genuine claim for political asylum, but those people didn't come

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<v Speaker 3>from safe countries. And that is the point that we

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<v Speaker 3>must always.

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<v Speaker 2>Remember because obviously absolutely shocking what's happened to Anne Whittocomb,

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<v Speaker 2>and there's been obviously the police saying it wasn't terrorism

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<v Speaker 2>and then getting the counter terrorism police involved, I think

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<v Speaker 2>has hurt the trust in the British police. Yet again,

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<v Speaker 2>when you think trust in British police can't get any lower,

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<v Speaker 2>they kind of do something like that. But violence is

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<v Speaker 2>something that has permeated British politics for a long long time.

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<v Speaker 2>I mean, you can go back to kind of the

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<v Speaker 2>nineteen tens, in the nineteen twenties, especially the strain of

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<v Speaker 2>Ireland running through debates from the nineteen twenties where there

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<v Speaker 2>was nearly a British Civil war. People never ever talk

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<v Speaker 2>about this, but there was nearly a British civil war

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<v Speaker 2>over the Ireland question. And then you'd fast forward to

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<v Speaker 2>the seventies and eighties where you have MPs like Aary Neve,

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<v Speaker 2>who was the great mentor campaign manager for Margaret Thatcher

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<v Speaker 2>when she became Leader of the Tories, was assassinated. There's

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<v Speaker 2>obviously the Brighton bombings that tried to assassinate Thatcher. And

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<v Speaker 2>then you go, now you know you have MPs killed

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<v Speaker 2>and stabbed, and now you've had what's happened to Anne Wickham.

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<v Speaker 2>Despite the fact that Britain prize itself as being a

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<v Speaker 2>kind of gradualist society compared to the more revolutionary societies

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<v Speaker 2>like America or France, there's actually there's a violent bent there.

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<v Speaker 2>But I think it's just really grown, especially ever since

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<v Speaker 2>the global financial crisis, which Britain has just not really

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<v Speaker 2>recovered from these repeated political and economic crises.

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<v Speaker 1>There were form Ledgel Farage is in trouble for taking

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<v Speaker 1>money from a couple of rich people.

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<v Speaker 2>Did Nigel Farage break parliamentary rules by accepting a five

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<v Speaker 2>million pound gift from a Thailand based crypto billionaire and

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<v Speaker 2>not declaring.

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<v Speaker 1>It one of the purposes of that money, orso at

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<v Speaker 1>least some of it was his own personal security. And

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<v Speaker 1>Farage has kind of overtly linked and Whittikm's death to

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<v Speaker 1>the fact that he and other politicians feel unsafe. He's

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<v Speaker 1>now running for his seat again to try and kind

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<v Speaker 1>of give himself a new mandate. Seems to be running

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<v Speaker 1>against the same garbage bin who run against Andy burn

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<v Speaker 1>As far as I can tell.

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<v Speaker 2>HI can't be in face here and I'm ary to

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<v Speaker 2>go by the Clacton by election, and my goodness to me,

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<v Speaker 2>there's no lesson.

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<v Speaker 1>What happens now for Nigel Farage. Do you think he'll

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<v Speaker 1>get reelected and what does that mean for Andy burnhaman government?

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<v Speaker 2>I think he definitely gets re elected Claire, because he

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<v Speaker 2>is as you see, he is running against a man

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<v Speaker 2>who dresses up as a garbage can promoter space His

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<v Speaker 2>name is code Ben Fees. This happens to Britain. This

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<v Speaker 2>obviously doesn't happen in Australia because nobody in Australia is fun.

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<v Speaker 2>But when you get to see when you get to

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<v Speaker 2>see MP's and it helps his first past the post.

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<v Speaker 2>So you get these people lining up and it's kind

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<v Speaker 2>of the Prime Minister, count Binface, Elmo and Adalek. You

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<v Speaker 2>don't get that because you don't get the spect They

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<v Speaker 2>don't get to stand there on the stage because we

0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:23.960
<v Speaker 2>have to do preference votes and maths as usual, removes

0:13:23.960 --> 0:13:27.400
<v Speaker 2>the fun of everything. Clear, but he should win. He

0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.559
<v Speaker 2>should win. I've count Binface wins then I think we

0:13:30.800 --> 0:13:34.360
<v Speaker 2>can say it's Curtains for the Reform Party. But he'll win.

0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:38.600
<v Speaker 2>But he looks like a fool. He clearly wanted to

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<v Speaker 2>use this to try and hammer the Labor and Conservatives

0:13:43.320 --> 0:13:46.040
<v Speaker 2>in the seat of Clacton, where he currently is. He

0:13:46.160 --> 0:13:49.600
<v Speaker 2>wanted to make the conversation about him again and he

0:13:49.720 --> 0:13:51.640
<v Speaker 2>just looked like a bit of a fool. And it's

0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:55.160
<v Speaker 2>possible that he'll face another by election because the Parliamentary

0:13:55.160 --> 0:13:59.080
<v Speaker 2>Standards Committee still want to investigate this donation and maybe

0:13:59.160 --> 0:14:01.920
<v Speaker 2>when he comes back say well, no, you've actually broken

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<v Speaker 2>the rules and will boot you again. So the people,

0:14:05.200 --> 0:14:08.480
<v Speaker 2>poor people of Claxton may have to face two by elections.

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<v Speaker 2>I think if the second word to happen. Nigel Farage

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<v Speaker 2>has a history of kind of cutting and running. He

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<v Speaker 2>has a history of not running elections. He thinks he's

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<v Speaker 2>going to lose in just stepping away because it's too hard.

0:14:20.880 --> 0:14:23.680
<v Speaker 2>And this is what I think, especially Kemmy baid knock On,

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<v Speaker 2>the Conservatives have been relying on that everything will fall

0:14:27.080 --> 0:14:29.720
<v Speaker 2>apart now, a bit like Pauline Hanson in One Nation.

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<v Speaker 4>Here.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's wrong to underestimate Nigel Farage. It's wrong

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<v Speaker 2>to assume that everything's going to fall apart. There is

0:14:37.880 --> 0:14:41.440
<v Speaker 2>a new energy here that has not existed in Forage

0:14:41.520 --> 0:14:45.360
<v Speaker 2>is similar incarnations, a bit like Pauline Hansen. But it's

0:14:45.360 --> 0:14:47.640
<v Speaker 2>not been a good time for Nigel Farage at all,

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<v Speaker 2>and he's going to find Andy Burnham a lot harder

0:14:50.160 --> 0:14:53.760
<v Speaker 2>than Keir Starmer. But Andy Burnham might give him all

0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:55.920
<v Speaker 2>the material he needs soon enough.

0:14:56.200 --> 0:14:58.600
<v Speaker 1>Well, maybe the ban will get elected eventually. Richard, thank

0:14:58.680 --> 0:14:59.320
<v Speaker 1>you very much.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank you.

0:15:07.200 --> 0:15:10.920
<v Speaker 1>Richard Ferguson is The Australian's Federal Political bureau chief. You

0:15:10.960 --> 0:15:13.360
<v Speaker 1>can check out all the latest from Britain and the

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<v Speaker 1>world right now at the Australian dot com dot au