Following the findings of our exclusive poll on the changes in Downing Street...it's the new PM and a VERY sceptical public

Published: 19:56, 19 July 2026 | Updated: 19:56, 19 July 2026 IT SEEMS hard to believe, in certain respects, that Andy Burnham’s premiership is only beginning today. While little more than four weeks have passed since he returned to Parliament, it feels like we have been hearing about his Downing Street destiny for a very long time indeed. Yet if there has been an almost total absence of clarity until now about the Labour leader’s plans for No 10, it is blindingly clear he has his work cut out to persuade the British people that he should even be there in the first place. The results of an exclusive Daily Mail poll today show that only one in three believes the self-styled King of the North has a legitimate claim to power. More than half of those surveyed say he should call a general election this year, while only 26 per cent believe the economy will pick up under his leadership. It is telling that although Mr Burnham enjoys predictably strong support in his Greater Manchester fiefdom and a small number of other pockets, voters across vast swathes of the United Kingdom remain sceptical of his credentials for high office. Andy Burnham is brimming with the self-belief that has taken him from a glorified council boss to the very top of the political ladder in one easy move Not that any of these findings come as a huge surprise. Given that his mandate extends no further than the 25,000 people who voted for him in the Makerfield by-election, the manner in which Mr Burnham has sailed into No 10 is widely seen as an affront to democracy. Nor has he done himself any favours by dithering over Cabinet appointments and keeping his policy positions under wraps. From a man who has spent the past year drawing up a road map for his first 100 days as prime minister, it hardly inspires confidence. Yet Mr Burnham is brimming with the self-belief that has taken him from a glorified council boss to the very top of the political ladder in one easy move. Regardless of our fundamental differences, for the good of the country the Daily Mail wishes him success as the greatest privilege in British public life is bestowed upon him. It is to be hoped that he lives up to the honour. But if the truth be told, we won’t be holding our breath. NO ONE will disputes that the BBC at its best has enriched the lives of generations of Britons. Nevertheless, there is something unseemly about dozens of celebrities being wheeled out in a cynical attempt to send the public on a guilt trip about the Corporation’s finances. It also misses the point by quite some margin. True, figures show that the number of households paying the annual licence fee has fallen by more than 2.5million since 2019. Yet the reality is that viewers are increasingly voting with their remote controls and watching Netflix, Apple TV and other streaming services instead. Meanwhile, BBC executives are still able to find the money in their budgets to pay absurd amounts to so-called ‘star’ presenters. Not only does the BBC need to assess its place in the new digital landscape, it also needs to undertake the equally important task of cutting its cloth according to its purse. Even more fundamentally, the national broadcaster should focus making the sort of programmes enjoyed by ordinary people rather than ones that indulge the woke instincts of its metropolitan management. If that happens, perhaps more people would be happy to pay the £180 licence fee.