Jeremy Clarkson has shared his verdict on the future of the Labour Party now that Andy Burnham appears to be mere weeks away from taking over from prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
Mr Starmer announced his resignation outside Number 10 earlier this month, and should no challenger emerge against Mr Burnham for the Labour leadership, the newly-elected MP for Makerfield could enter Downing Street as early as July 20.
Mr Clarkson hasn’t exactly been the biggest fan of the soon-to-be-departing prime minister since he bagged the keys to Downing Street. Throughout his tenure, the Clarkson’s Farm star hasn’t minced his words.
In the latest season of Clarkson’s Farm, for instance, Mr Clarkson placed an effigy of Mr Starmer at the top of a bonfire in protest at proposed inheritance tax changes for farmers.
He’s also branded the PM “stupid” for his response to the war in Iran, called the government a “nanny state” for new driving regulations, and accused the Labour leader of “destroying the countryside”.
But despite his less-than-favourable opinions of Mr Starmer, Mr Clarkson has now revealed he doesn’t hold much more hope for his likely successor.
Taking to X, Mr Clarkson reacted to a post from one social media user who asked their followers: “Do you think Andy Burnham will be worse than Starmer?”
In a rather blunt and unambiguous response, Mr Clarkson replied: “Yes.”
His assessment came just hours after Mr Burnham delivered what his team described as “the foundational text” of his programme for government, unveiling ambitious plans to redistribute power away from Westminster to regions across Britain.
Speaking at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, the presumptive prime minister outlined his vision for “No 10 North” – a new Downing Street operation based in the city that would drive what he called the most significant transfer of authority from Whitehall in modern political history.
“The time has come to build the broadest possible coalition of people to lift Britain back up to where we all want it to be,” Mr Burnham told the audience.
The Makerfield MP argued that Westminster had failed the country since the 2008 financial crash, leaving Britain “stuck in a rut” and politicians engaged in “finger-pointing political point-scoring”.
The Manchester-based hub would serve as “the nerve centre of a rewired Britain”, channelling authority not only to northern regions but also to the Midlands, the south west, the East of England and the capital.
Mr Burnham pledged fresh opportunities to deepen devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, noting that residents of Dundee and Bangor feel equally remote from Holyrood and the Senedd as from Westminster.
Central to his approach is what he terms “Manchesterism” – a philosophy developed during his decade as Greater Manchester mayor.
“It comes from having the power at ground level to make a real difference, from a clear shared vision that everyone can understand, and investors can back,” he explained.
This bottom-up model emphasises sound public finances, decent infrastructure nationwide, and strategic public intervention to catalyse regeneration in towns and cities.
Mr Burnham committed to delivering the largest council housebuilding programme since the post-war era, arguing that Britain’s housing crisis was having a “ruinous impact on its public finances”.
The No 10 North operation would support regions across three priority areas: reform of essential utilities, reindustrialisation, and the regeneration of places.
Regions could gain “greater public control of essential services” including water, energy and transport, whilst London might receive enhanced authority over education and housing.
Setting out a decade-long mission to raise living standards, Mr Burnham referenced his experience battling Whitehall bureaucracy during his mayoral tenure.
“I am simply not prepared to accept the same for any area,” he declared, promising that all government departments would be required to work collaboratively with local areas to accelerate decision-making.
London mayor Sadiq Khan offered his backing following the address, stating that Mr Burnham “gets it” when it comes to empowering mayors and ensuring the capital’s success benefits the entire nation.
“When London succeeds, the rest of the country succeeds,” Khan said, whilst noting he would challenge the incoming leader when proposals conflicted with London’s interests.
