‘Game of Thrones’ of British politics: Who is ‘King of the North’ Andy Burnham, who can take over the power of Britain?

There is such drama going on in British politics these days that it reminds one of the popular web series Game of Thrones. Veteran Labor Party leader Andy Burnham, once known as the ‘King of the North’, has made a comeback in the British Parliament by winning the Makerfield by-election. Now there is strong discussion that he can become the next Prime Minister of Britain.

On Monday, when Keir Starmer suddenly announced his resignation from the post of Prime Minister and leader of the Labor Party, the same question started echoing everywhere – who will be the next PM? According to BBC, among the few names who are leading in this race, Andy Burnham’s name is at the top. After Starmer’s resignation, Britain is going to see its seventh Prime Minister in just a decade. This is the first time in the history of Britain in the last two hundred years that the faces in power have changed so frequently.

Interestingly, even before the election results came out, Burnham had made it clear that if he won the Makerfield by-election, he would contest the leadership race of the Labor Party in the future and challenge Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Return to Parliament and race for ‘number one’

Burnham has returned to the British Parliament (House of Commons) with victory in the Makerfield by-election last week. He is one of the most well-known faces of the Labor Party. After doing grassroots politics as the Mayor of Greater Manchester for almost 10 years, he has now returned to the main politics of the country. Burnham, 56, has today emerged as a new ray of hope for Labor Party activists and supporters who were looking for an alternative to Starmer’s leadership.

The way he boldly defended Northern England against the Conservative government during the Covid-19 pandemic made him recognized as a public leader across the country, far beyond his own seat. Burnham’s supporters believe that he is the only leader who can reconnect the Labor Party with the country’s working class, which often feels distant and neglected from London politics. However, his opponents also raise the question whether the magic of the ‘King of the North’ will be able to work on the entire country?

Whatever the reason, Burnham’s return has increased the suspense in British politics. The Labor Party is currently struggling with internal strife and falling popularity. In such a situation, the big question is whether the ‘King of the North’ will be able to capture the ‘Iron Throne’ (chair of power) of British politics? And will they be able to survive and write a long history instead of leaving early like their recent predecessors?

Will luck strike for the third time?

Andrew Murray Burnham was born in January 1970 in Merseyside, north-west England. He has been associated with the Labor Party for a long time and was the MP for ‘Leigh’ constituency from 2001 to 2017. During this period, he held the responsibilities of many big ministries like Chief Secretary of the Treasury, Culture Secretary and Health Secretary in the government of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Let us tell you that Burnham contested the election for the post of President of the Labor Party twice before, in 2015 after Labour’s defeat to the Conservative Party and again in 2017, but he failed both times. After this, instead of getting involved in London politics, he chose a different path. In 2017, he became the first directly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester. This decision changed his entire political image.

Why did he get the title of ‘King of the North’?

Burnham got this name during the dark phase of the Corona epidemic. In the year 2020, he directly challenged the government of the then Prime Minister Boris Johnson on the issue of financial assistance to the northern areas affected by the lockdown restrictions. Burnham clearly said that the government’s policies are only for the benefit of London and the south-eastern areas, while the poor workers and small businessmen of Northern England have been left to their fate.

This conflict has rekindled Britain’s old pain, where the people of Northern England feel that all the political power, investment and progress is concentrated only around London.

His stance against the power in London got a lot of space in the media. Burnham quickly became a major face of the ‘Northern Resistance’ against London-centric politics. Supporters began calling him the ‘King of the North’, a famous reference to ‘Game of Thrones’ where the King of the North challenges the rulers of the capital. Since then this name became associated with him.

The face of Manchester changed as mayor

While mayor, Burnham’s entire focus was on land development and improving local government services. His biggest and successful achievement was the launch of ‘B Network’. Through this, he brought Greater Manchester’s bus and tram services under one roof and combined them with low and easy fares.

Apart from this, he also did a lot of work in improving the skills of the youth, promoting the local economy and providing affordable houses. Supporters say that he gave a new identity to Manchester and proved that big changes can be made even by staying at the grassroots level.

However, his critics also say that he failed in his promise to completely end the problem of homelessness and some big transport projects were already planned before he became mayor. Nevertheless, amidst all this, his image was created as a leader who prefers to work on the real issues of the people rather than hatching conspiracies in the corridors of power in London.

Will ‘King’ be able to rule the entire country?

Now the biggest question is whether Burnham’s popularity will be able to spread across Britain beyond the scope of Northern England? The strength of his politics lies in his regional identity and his direct connect with the working class. On the basis of this, he has created a loyal vote bank in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas.

But, to become the Prime Minister of the country, he will have to win the hearts not only of the North but of every corner of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Some analysts believe that no matter how excellent his work as mayor has been, it is not necessary that he is equally capable in handling the entire country.

Of course, these comparisons being made with Game of Thrones are only symbolic. There is no medieval war going to break out in Britain. But at a time when the confidence of the people of the country in the existing system is wavering, it is very interesting that a favorite leader from the North has returned to the capital. Now only time will tell whether Andy Burnham is able to replace Keir Starmer or not, but it is certain that the ‘King of the North’ is now fully back in the game.

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