Rebuilding with hope

Andy brings the optimism and unity this country really needs

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I've known Andy Burnham for a long time. We've stood shoulder to shoulder through campaigns, rows with governments of different colours, and more than a few battles for the North.

On Monday night, amidst all the political frenzy and speculation, we managed to find time for a drink far from the madding crowd.

It didn't feel like I was chatting with someone who might be about to take the helm of a G7 country. It was just two mates putting the world to rights, catching up on family, football, politics, the state of the country, of battles won and those to come.

I found myself thinking that, for all the noise about what kind of Prime Minister Andy might be, he's still the same person I first met nearly two decades ago.