Andy Burnham stood in Downing Street on Monday urging a 'new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity' – but he inherits a country that a recent commission co-chaired by former Home Secretary Sir Sajid Javid warned was fraying at the seams. 'The bonds that hold society together – civic participation, and a shared sense of belonging – are under growing pressure,' the report said last year.
The new prime minister, who has repeatedly called on Britons to put 'place first, not party first' since announcing his run for the Makerfield seat in May, faces a nation where social class – once the defining split – has become 'a lot more complicated' as traditional working-class jobs have declined. BBC presenter Evan Davis, who spent a month journeying through the country's divisions for a Radio 4 series, noted that even British film-maker Alex Garland – director of the 2024 dystopian thriller Civil War – told the Guardian he has 'a lot to be very concerned about' in his home country.
“New PM Andy Burnham calls for unity as report warns social bonds under pressure, while his sport allegiance sets tone for DCMS”
Burnham, an Evertonian, has also set his sights on unpicking what he calls '40 years of neoliberalism'. He has left his long-time ally Lisa Nandy – a Wigan supporter – at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, which recently dropped 'digital' from its name and returned to 100 Parliament Street. Some in Westminster now wonder what sport can expect from a prime minister who puts local pride above party labels.
But the bigger question, as Davis put it, is whether there is any common ground left in the country Burnham has inherited – or whether Britain is polarised to the point of no repair.