Views will differ on whether a change of Party Leader, when that party is in government, should prompt an immediate General Election.

It is interesting to see that the Reform party are insisting it should, whilst the Conservatives are somewhat constrained by their own history of swapping leaders without calling a General Election.

It tells us that political parties tend to do what’s best for them rather than what might be right. Personally, I think most people will say that they have had enough General Elections for now and that one every five years is about right.

it will be really interesting to see if Andy Burnham can maintain popularity for more than a few weeks. To govern is to make unpopular decisions and to expose yourself to all and sundry who have an interest in bringing you down, including the right wing press, foreign influencers, opposition politicians and even MP’s in the same party who find reasons to dislike you !

The man is relatable….. the name “Andy”, the wearing of T-shirts, the fact that plays a guitar and talks without a plum in his mouth, gives him a bit of an advantage. His northern roots can be a big plus to many Brits and and his record of governance in Manchester seems to have been a big reason why he did so well in the Parliamentary By-Election in Makerfield.