Express & Star

I'm the only one that can put Labour back in power

There is a huge weight of expectation on Andy Burnham's shoulders.

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The shadow health secretary started the contest to lead the Labour party as the frontrunner.

But the surge in support for leftwinger Jeremy Corbyn, originally dismissed by many as an outsider and throwback to the 1980s, has left him 32 points behind in the opinion polls.

Even so, that is still ahead of shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper and the shadow care minister Liz Kendall, seen as the closest to a 'Blairite' candidate.

Today he is hoping that as his manifesto starts landing on doorsteps across the West Midlands he can put himself ahead again.

Unlike Tony Blair, who has warned Labour faces 'annihilation' if it elects Mr Corbyn, Mr Burnham is cautiously respectful.

David Cameron constantly reminds Labour about Stafford Hospital
Jeremy Corbyn is on track for victory in the Labour leadership contest, according to a poll

And he does not rule out serving in the Islington MP's cabinet if he fails to win - although he's giving it everything he has.

"I've always said I will serve the party in whatever capacity I can," he says in a telephone interview with the Express & Star.

"I put Labour forward so we can put the people first and the country first.

"I respect Jeremy Corbyn. He's done a service to the party. There are 600,000 people who have a big choice to make.

"And I urge them to think about the party they need for a Labour government in 2020."

The Liverpool-born 45-year-old has no opinion on the intervention of Tony Blair, the party's three-times election winning former leader, who pleads with members to reject Mr Corbyn.

"It's for other people to speak for themselves in this campaign. The important thing is to keep it positive and not to pick holes in the rules."

He is referring to the controversy surrounding alleged 'entryism' and claims that the party has been infiltrated by people who support others but want to see Mr Corbyn elected. The theory goes that Tories would benefit from a left wing opposition in the way Margaret Thatcher did in the 1980s.

David Cameron constantly reminds Labour about Stafford Hospital

Mr Burnham says: "We need to focus on the 600,000 who have signed up to vote. There are different voices to hear from. And everyone's entitled to their say. I want to take the party forward."

That's all well and good, but Mr Burnham is painted by the Tories as a candidate who comes with baggage.

The MP for Leigh was the last health secretary of the former Labour government and ordered the inquiry into the Stafford Hospital.

But he resisted calls for it to be public, arguing it would prevent the trust from being able to recover. When the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition took over, the inquiry was made public after all.

Frequently, when the NHS is raised at Prime Minister's Questions, David Cameron would respond to Labour criticism of his policies with the words 'Stafford Hospital'.

Mr Burnham thinks this is unfair on the people of Stafford, who have seen their hospital downgraded and still do not have a 24/7 A&E.

"The way the Conservatives have used it the way they have is wrong in my view," he says.

"Serious issues have been addressed and need to continue to be addressed but it's not right for Stafford Hospital and the people of Stafford to be used like this. It's not appropriate when we're still talking about an issues that caused a lot of upset and grief to many people.

"I stand by what I did because I was trying to get the truth about what happened but I also wanted to make sure the hospital would recover. People deserve a safe and sustainable hospital."

He says the Tory health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, must be reminded of his promise to re-open A&E around the clock when it is clinically safe to do so.

"If he does anything else it will be adding insult to injury to a town that has waited long enough."

Mr Burnham's manifesto will be looked at closely by those on the left of the party considering support for Mr Corbyn.

On the economy he commits to a 'balanced plan' with deficit reduction but not relying only on spending cuts.

With housing he wants to let councils borrow more money to build more homes, wanting everyone to have an affordable home to rent or own.

He will campaign against the Tories trade union restrictions, requiring the backing of 40 per cent of eligible union voters to trigger strikes.

But one of his most eye catching policies is to allow for the railways to be re-nationalised if it's the best deal for the taxpayer.

He plans to let the likes of Virgin Trains finish whatever franchises they have and then let the state bid for control

Mr Burnham would re-regulate the buses too, something that has come from the 2015 Labour General Election manifesto.

He gives no hint of despair at the gap between himself and Mr Corbyn in the opinion polls.

Then again, people are bound to put less emphasis on them now since they were so woefully inaccurate in the General Election.

Almost all of them pointed to another hung Parliament, rather than the slender but workable Conservative majority we ended up with.

But Mr Burnham also seems to know that it is Jeremy Corbyn's supporters he must win over during the next few weeks.

"I want to speak to those people and let them know I understand what they are saying," he says.

"They are responding to a call for change in the way politics is done.

"People are fed up in the party with not having much to sell at election time.

"They want a bigger vision to unite around. But that vision needs to be credible and deliverable.

"I'm the only person that can offer all of that and put Labour on course to win."

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