In this opinion column, Peter Hitchens responds to critics who warn that Andy Burnham, newly installed as Prime Minister, risks dragging Britain back to the economic and social conditions of the 1970s. Hitchens argues that such comparisons are not the damning indictment his critics intend, suggesting that many Britons might actually welcome aspects of that era, particularly its lower crime rates and more plentiful employment compared with conditions today.

The piece comes amid wider coverage of Burnham's first days in Downing Street, during which he has pledged the biggest political changes in 40 years, declined to rule out tax rises, and appointed controversial figures to key roles. Hitchens uses the "back to the 70s" warnings from Labour's opponents as a starting point to question whether modern Britain's record on crime and jobs is really something to be defended, framing his argument as a challenge to conventional political wisdom about progress since that decade.