Andy Burnham’s high-stakes gamble on Nigel Farage is about to blow up in his face

The article argues that Andy Burnham is taking a political risk by giving little attention to Reform UK while pursuing policies and positions that may alienate some voters. It suggests he believes Labour can hold off Nigel Farage’s party through support from the wider Left and tactical voting, but warns that this confidence could backfire.

It cites a More in Common analysis from September that projected Reform could take 95 seats from Labour, and says Burnham won the Leave-voting Makerfield seat by 9,231 votes. The article also criticises Labour’s expected agreement to follow some EU food standards, its delay in increasing defence spending and its decision to drop proposed longer settlement waits for some migrant care workers. A later passage about actor Kristin Scott Thomas is unrelated to the political argument.