Dear John,
Today on our Ugly Politix Substack channel, I’ve written a piece in response to the flurry of speculation that Andy Burnham could be on his way back to Westminster, and what that could - could - mean for the democratic reforms Open Britain is pushing for.
With reports that Andrew Gwynne MP will step down, the media has rushed to frame a possible Gorton & Denton by-election as Burnham’s route back to Parliament, and possibly to a future leadership challenge.
That angle is being covered exhaustively elsewhere in the media. What I focus on is what Burnham has actually been saying, consistently and in detail, about how British politics should work.
For months now, Burnham has been making one of the clearest cases anywhere in mainstream politics for democratic reform, as the foundation for fixing our problems with housing, infrastructure, public services, and more.
My piece today covers what Burnham has said on Proportional Representation and on the idea of a National Commission on Electoral Reform, core elements of Open Britain’s agenda.
In the past few minutes, Gwynne has confirmed he will stand down but whether Burnham will run, or win, or mount a leadership challenge is technically still in question. But if he DOES return to Westminster, we should all be ready to take advantage of the opportunities for change that may follow.
Give it a read, and let me know what you think in the comments:
