The war for Burnham’s ear: politicians and wonks fight for influence over a PM

A s well as being the most popular politician in the country – for now – Andy Burnham is also the most popular man at Westminster. Labour MPs, the unions, Whitehall civil servants, political advisers and thinktanks are all among those battling for the ear of the next prime minister. “There are so many different demands all at once. But the supply of face time with Andy is significantly smaller than the demand. It’s been like laying down a new train track simultaneously with driving the train at 200mph,” one close ally said. Burnham arrived back at Westminster on Monday, in a black cab from Euston station, with just a couple of aides at his side. He was given offices on the top floor of the Portcullis House complex, overlooking Big Ben, and on the same corridor as his close allies Louise Haigh and Anneliese Midgley. In the middle of a heatwave, the two packed rooms have been stifling, his inner circle camped out in one overseeing parallel operations: the leadership campaign, transition planning, policy and communications. But the cohort is tiny: just half a dozen people, with others dipping in. The pressure on them – Haigh and Midgley but also Sally Jameson, who has been ushering small groups of MPs into the second office to meet Burnham – and other advisers has been intense. Late one night, one went to bed with 450 unread WhatsApp messages. …