Andy Burnham, Labour’s heir-elect, has declared he wants to “end 40 years of neoliberalism”. But the New Statesman argues that neoliberalism is only responsible for half of Britain’s problems – unproductive, indebted and internationally uncompetitive, the country is caught in a savage economic bind. Burnham’s characterisation of the four horsemen of the neoliberal apocalypse – “deindustrialisation, privatisation, deregulation and austerity” – is described as “quite a good one”, though he has dropped a fifth horseman, Brexit, in deference to Leave-voting constituents of Makerfield. The article notes that Brexit, opposed by business and wealthy classes, was not part of the neoliberal project and was “one of the early signs that neoliberalism might have passed its electoral peak”.
Yet Burnham’s ambition extends beyond economics. As UnHerd points out, before the year is out Britain might have only its second-ever Catholic prime minister. Worst of all, no one seems bothered. The article recalls that Tony Blair was a crypto-Catholic leader who converted months after leaving Downing Street; Boris Johnson was baptised a Catholic but entered the Church of England while at Eton, later reverting to his childhood faith and marrying Carrie at Westminster Cathedral in 2021. Now Burnham, an altar boy with a power base in the Northwest, could become the second Catholic PM – a remarkable shift for a nation forged in confessional controversy.
“Andy Burnham wants to end 40 years of neoliberalism, but critics say that’s only half of Britain’s economic bind.”
Burnham’s cultural Catholicism adds to his carefully constructed image. But whether his economic crusade against neoliberalism can deliver the sustainable growth needed for a Labour victory remains an open question. The New Statesman warns that his policy prospectus will have to go deeper, since neoliberalism is only half the story.