Make Anglia Great Again, Burnham

Britain's new PM should start the undoing of Brexit and lead NATO's European flank back into the coalition against an increasingly outrageous Iran

Andy Burnham took over as British prime minister today after the comic unraveling of Keir Starmer’s government, amid the charming pomp and circumstance only Britain can produce. At Buckingham Palace he met with King Charles who pretended to have a say in the choosing of ”His Majesty’s” Cabinet ministers. “It will be the start of a relationship between the Right Honorouble Andy Burnham and his Sovereign,” gushed the Sky News announcer. Priceless.

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Burnham emerged as PM and promptly promised “a ten-year plan,” cost of living relief, decentralization, ending homelessness, collaborative government and “positivity,” public housing and mental health support for youth. It was a short speech completely focused on domestic politics and light on specifics — fine for the populist era, but hardly a recipe for Britannia to once more “rule the waves.”

Burnham seems faithful to his long-standing commitment to devolving power away from Whitehall, and also to an instinct for progressive, interventionist economics. Will that help or further burden an economy that has spent a decade underperforming? Commenting on this on Indian television, I offered a different approach to the new prime minister — about foreign policy. If Burnham really wants to leave a mark, and actually turn around Britain’s stagnant economy, then first, start undoing Brexit, and .second, help lead Europe to a serious Iran policy.

Even if your inclination is to be skeptical, consider the following. You may be convinced.

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