‘The Left’s Answer has to be Place-First Not Party-First Politics’

Labour’s Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham sets out how his party in government can meet the challenge of the populist-right – without adopting its divisive agenda

I am in my 25th year as an elected Labour politician and this gives me a lot of perspective on the last quarter of a century on the left.

During that time, we have made good changes that have benefited this country. But this has been characterised by too much timidity in our offer, too much reluctance to show the courage of our convictions. We have been too quick in government to use the language of hard choices and unlocked too much negativity as a result.

In my area of Greater Manchester, there are 100,000 people today on waiting lists for social housing across our boroughs. There are many, many more people living in inadequate, insecure, private rented housing. Two-thirds of young people are from families who don’t take the traditional university route.