“Andy Burnham’s test will not be whether people admire the scale of his plans, but whether they feel change in their homes, streets and pay packets”
Andy Burnham is right that power in Britain has been held too tightly in Whitehall for too long.
His promise of No 10 North, greater devolution and the biggest council house building programme since the post-war years is serious and welcome. So too is his readiness to move beyond the old Thatcherite belief that markets alone can fix public services or build decent homes.
But ambition must be matched by delivery. The last decade has left voters weary of sweeping promises that arrive with force, then fade once in government.
The public has grown tired after having six prime ministers in ten years. That is the reality facing Mr Burnham’s decade-long plan. Of course, vision matters, but politics has been brutal to leaders who promised transformation and failed to deliver it.
He may now be riding a political crest of a wave, but he would be premature to assume he has already endeared himself to the country. His test will not be whether people admire the scale of his plans, but whether they feel change in their homes, streets and pay packets.
A deadly racket
The trade in poison online must be treated for what it is: a deadly racket preying on vulnerable people. Police believe a suspect in Eastern Europe supplied toxic substances linked to at least five deaths in London and as many as 130 across the UK.
Among them was Zara Afua Ampong-Appiah, a 30-year-old clinical psychologist found dead last year after searching online for the lethal chemical. Britain has been unable to bring a prosecution. That cannot be where this ends.
If sellers can hide behind keyboards, borders, websites and legal loopholes while families bury loved ones, the law is failing. The international probe must lead to arrests, prosecutions, and these vile networks being shut down.
Lives are at stake. Delay is not an option.
A national treasure
Britain has lost one of its finest comic talents.
Penelope Keith brought elegance, warmth and impeccable timing to every role, creating characters who made us laugh while feeling wonderfully real. From The Good Life to To the Manor Born, Dame Penelope became part of the fabric of our television.
