‘Prolier-than-thou!’ Burnham accused of ‘desperate’ attempt to play up working class roots by novelist
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Political novelist Robert Harris, a lifelong Labour supporter, has criticised Prime Minister Andy Burnham for adopting what he terms a "prolier-than-thou" stance by regularly emphasising his working-class Northern Catholic background and Cambridge outsider experience to cultivate political appeal. Harris contends this approach rings hollow, noting that both he and Burnham ascended through educational pathways they now rhetorically disown. Harris extends the critique to Keir Starmer's references to his toolmaker father, characterising such appeals as calculated and "desperate."
Harris contrasts contemporary Labour leadership with earlier figures such as Roy Jenkins, whose father was a miner jailed for political activism but who never leveraged personal hardship for electoral gain. Harris warns that Burnham's emphasis on being liked, whilst politically effective, risks undermining his credibility by making him appear glib and superficial, potentially triggering public disillusionment. The criticism reflects wider debate within Labour about the authenticity of class narratives in modern politics.
- Novelist Robert Harris criticises PM Burnham for repeatedly invoking working-class roots as a political tactic to build popularity
- Harris argues this is insincere—both men benefited from the educational systems they now distance themselves from—and contrasts them unfavourably with historical Labour figures like Roy Jenkins who never exploited genuine hardship
- Harris warns Burnham's pursuit of likeability may make him appear superficial and could trigger eventual public disillusionment
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Robert Harris is a bestselling British novelist and journalist, best known for historical thrillers such as Fatherland and Munich, and a long-standing supporter of the Labour Party. Andy Burnham is the current Prime Minister, a Labour politician who has often spoken publicly about growing up in a working-class Catholic family in the North of England and about feeling out of place as a state-school student at Cambridge University.
Harris has publicly accused Burnham of overstating or exploiting this background for political advantage, using the phrase "prolier-than-thou" to describe politicians who compete to appear more working-class than their rivals. He makes a similar point about Keir Starmer, Burnham's predecessor as Labour leader, who has frequently referred to his father's job as a toolmaker when discussing his own upbringing.
This debate matters because it touches on a long-running question in British politics about authenticity: whether politicians' personal backgrounds are a genuine part of who they are, or a device used to build public trust and appeal to voters. Harris draws a comparison with past Labour figures, such as Roy Jenkins, to argue that earlier generations of politicians handled similar backgrounds differently, without emphasising them for political gain.