Is Andy Burnham Labour's saviour, or just its best bet?

"Affable", "warm", and a close ally says he's a "really nice person – politics is a contact sport and it's not contrived". One MP calls him a "good bloke", adding that "sound would be the Manchester word". They describe his "social dexterity": an ability to communicate with colleagues and the public in real life and on social media. But there is a niggling question among many of his colleagues and, in fact, expressed neatly on his Facebook page, where a member of the public wrote: "I have no doubt I'd enjoy a beer with you and we could talk about Joy Division and other important cultural things. But when did that become the thing that determined whether someone becomes the prime minister or not?" There are nerves in Labour circles about what Burnham would actually do with power. One old friend of his told me: "Andy has huge skills but there have been questions about the extent to which [his] thinking on some of the really tricky stuff has been properly developed". Another wondered: "Can he shake off the perception that he is a bit of a lightweight?" Not everyone is convinced he is up to it. One senior party figure told me: "The eyelashes will deliver for a day, maybe a week. But the scrutiny is brutal. Won't last three months, never mind three years." Ouch. Multiple sources believe Burnham appointing his old flatmate and fellow cabinet minister from the New Labour days, James Purnell, as chief of staff is a positive sign. …