Dear Andy Burnham,
I am sure you are already receiving advice from many seasoned advisers on how to deal with the socioeconomic and political matters that you will soon be in charge of taking action upon arriving at 10 Downing Street.
My plea to you today is different from others. I am not going to tell you about the bond markets, climate change and global warming, immigration, inflation, the cost of living, the Strait of Hormuz, or your possible relationship with Trump, Europe, China, Russia, and suchlike, as important as those issues are. No, my plea is about something far more important and more fundamental: trust, honesty and truthfulness, kindness, compassion, empathy, fairness, equality, hopes and dreams, without which all other advice you are getting will not have a chance in hell to succeed.
Your prime ministerial plan must have a story, a story of what makes us human, your life journey, your upbringing in Aintree, 6 miles northeast of Liverpool city centre, your family values, your Catholic schools and their teaching. You had once described that "Catholic social teaching" underpins your politics. This is how you can connect with people, speak from the heart and it will land on their heart, so long as you speak with humility, honesty, and integrity, the values that have so tragically been separated from our political discourse for a long time.
So, please for a change and as a sign of a new beginning, be honest and truthful with us about Brexit. This will enable you to give people hope and dream their dream and prove to them that you do know how to build them an Economy for the Common Good, and then, hopefully you will remain their prime minister for a longer time and do the good things you say you wish to do.
The Truth Will Set Us all Free
A concerted and delibrate assault on facts, truth, honesty, and transparency led to Brexit with a lasting impact on the fabric of our country, reverberating across the United Kingdom's economy and political discourse ever since. A truthful and honest prime minister must acknowledge this, so that our nation can reconcile and move forward. Carpe diem!
As many sages, prophets and philosophers of love have reminded us, we must be honest with ourselves: Why 6 prime ministers in 10 years? Why eight chancellors and nine foreign secretaries in the same period? To a reasonable mind, this must be because none of them could beat the curse of the dishonest Brexit, and as long as this curse remains, then, the new prime minister's tenure will be on shaky grounds too.
Photo credit:The Daily Aus
After 10 Years of stumbling in the darkness surely we can rise again and do better than the Brexit caricature.
Brexit forced us to rethink our priorities!
Chilled meats and sausages famously became the highly visible symbol of post-Brexit trade friction, creating years of negotiations over the Irish Sea border.
Sausages and Sausages: They were the essence of the post-Brexit crisis for many years, giving sleepless nights to everyone concerned
Boris Johnson heroically defending the British bangers in the difficult early days of Brexit. Photo via SkyNews
…And on the eve of the 10th anniversary of the Brexit Referendum, when the nation was getting ready to begin the festivities and the street parties in earnest, to celebrate the ‘Independence Day’ yet another prime minister, the 6th, since Brexit, resigned in disgrace and humiliation. To my mind, they all fell for their failure to deal properly and respectfully with the biggest issue a nation can face: what about our sausages in post Brexit Britain!! Where are they coming from and where can they go! Or where our borders should be to ease the sausages travel with no hindrance, no questions? No problem, let us move the borders to the middle of the Irish Sea!
Lest we forget, all these modern day heroes wanted to do is to ensure the nation doesn’t run out of its daily bangers!! Bless them. They all must feel so angry that the nation has not honoured them for their bangers security!
Still interested: I offer a very good analysis by John Grace- Britain’s six prime ministers since 2016
And now, my fellow concerned citizens, I am worried, very worried, that our soon to be 7th prime minister since Brexit, Andy Burnham, might, again, face the same marching order and be forced to resign in a couple of years time, whilst the nation still is still engulfed in ‘Sausage Crisis’!
So, below my heart-felt plea to Andy Burnham, please be honest with us: 10 years on since the Brexit Referendum: Time is Now for Truth
Food for Thought- Reason for Hope
Andy Burnham at the People's History Museum in Manchester, 29 June 2026
Photograph: Temilade Adelaja/Reuters/Via The Guardian
‘If people in 1844 could form the co-operative movement in Rochdale to lower the price of food, then why can’t we act now with similar courage to make life better? Imagine what things could be like if we succeed.
Imagine what it would feel like to live in a country wired to work for ordinary people, rather than against them.
Imagine if all local areas could build homes people can afford to the point where they could guarantee one for everyone.
Imagine if we could bring down the cost of energy for people and businesses, and the good things that would come from that.
Imagine good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart.
Well, imagine no more. Let’s make it happen.’ -Andy Burnham’s peroration to the speech delivered at the People's History Museum in Manchester on Monday 29 June 2026
The above words and sentiments resonates very fondly with me, as years ago I have written similar words with similar sentiments:
‘Imagine a political system that puts the public first. Imagine the economy and markets serving people rather than the other way round. Imagine us placing values of kindness, respect, fairness, interdependence, and mutuality at the heart of our economy. Imagine an economy that gives everyone their fair share, at least an appropriate living wage, and no zero-hour contracts. Imagine where jobs are accessible and fulfilling, producing useful things rather than games of speculation and casino capitalism. Imagine where wages support lives rather than an ever expanding chasm between the top 1% and the rest. Imagine a society capable of supporting everyone’s needs, and which says no to greed. Imagine unrestricted access to an excellent education, healthcare, housing and social services. Imagine hunger being eliminated, no more food banks and soup kitchens. Imagine each person having a place he/she can call home. Imagine all senior citizens living a dignified and secure life. Imagine all the youth leading their lives with ever-present hope for a better world. Imagine a planet protected from the threat of climate change now and for the generations to come. Imagine no more wars, but
dialogue, conversation and non-violent resolution of conflicts. Imagine a world free of corruption!
This is the world we wish to see, and we believe we have the means to build it, if we take action in the interest of the common good.’ The GCGI View on the Power of Hope: A New Year Gift in Dark and Challenging Times