Three in five voters think Burnham not ready for No10, poll finds

More than half of voters think Andy Burnham is not ready to be UK prime minister but are willing to give him “a hearing”, a poll has found.

A survey by More in Common found 59 per cent of Britons did not think the Makerfield MP was ready for power.

But the public still sees him as more ready than either Kemi Badenoch or Nigel Farage, with 62 per cent and 66 per cent respectively saying the two leaders were unready.

With a net favourability of 0 per cent, Burnham remains more popular than any other party leader, although 45 per cent of people have no view about him.

The public is also split on whether he would do a good job in Downing Street, with 27 per cent believing he would and 25 per cent saying he would not.

More in Common’s executive director Luke Tryl said the figures showed Britons were “willing to give Andy Burnham a hearing, but the window for him to turn that rehearing into a reset for the Government is narrow”.

Tryl said: “Burnham has a higher approval rating than any main party leader, and in focus groups we often hear from voters who say his promise to change politics resonates.

“However, there is now an expectation and demand that Burnham set out a clear vision of what his government would mean for Britain, and how and where he will bring about real tangible change that makes people’s lives better and addresses issues such as the cost of living.”

The poll, published on Tuesday, comes after Burnham made his first major speech since announcing his bid for the Labour leadership, setting out his economic vision for the UK.

Pledging a radical “rewiring” of Britain, the former Greater Manchester mayor said he would transfer power and money out of Whitehall and into the regions, driven by a new “No10 North” based in Manchester.

As well as overseeing his drive for devolution, the new department will be tasked with expanding public ownership of key utilities, reindustrialising the country and pursuing a major council house building programme.

But while Burnham said he would seek to give the country “breathing space” on the cost of living “as soon as I can”, he did not set out concrete steps, acknowledging he could not take “risks” with the public finances.

As prime minister, Burnham is expected to spend less time in Downing Street than his predecessors, splitting his time between No10 and Manchester, where he can be nearer his Makerfield constituency.

Meanwhile, amid continued speculation about the shape of Burnham’s future cabinet, More in Common’s poll found significant support for a change of personnel.

Only 11 per cent of voters said he should keep most current ministers in place to ensure stability, which rose to 18 per cent among Labour supporters.

Some 33 per cent of voters said the next prime minister should keep some ministers in place, while 36 per cent said they would back changing most ministers.

On Monday, Burnham declined to set out his thinking about potential cabinet members, saying he would not announce any appointments until the Labour leadership election had concluded.

More in Common’s poll sampled 2,852 people between June 26th and 28th.