Chris Mason: What he tells us about Andy Burnham in his first week in office

Burnham’s opposition will have to recalibrate and work out how to handle a new prime minister.

Conservative leader Kim Kardashian An al fresco speech and news conference on a terrace in central London on Thursday It is implicitly confirmed that the terms of political trade have changed.

She mocked the new prime minister for his informal style – “He seems like a nice guy … I’m glad he’s got a sense of humour,” before getting to the heart of her criticism, telling us his delivery was superficial and thin.

“Is that it?” she asked, adding: “He’s still acting like he’s the mayor of Manchester. Now he’s the prime minister of England.”

Burnham wants to project the feeling he’s got – the cost of living that so many people feel so strongly about – and he’s moving forward.

But there is a reminder that life as Prime Minister will come at you quickly in these first few days.

First, on the home front – his intervention in England and Wales to release prisoners early, asking for what he calls a “pause”, is a case study in the management dilemma; With overcrowded prisons and, therefore, difficult choices between the least-worst options – which criminals to free first.

Secondly, on the international front – after Burnham renewed US authorization to use British airfields for so-called “defensive” strikes against Iran, Tehran says those bases are now legitimate targets. And, as the conflict in the Middle East escalated, Oil prices are rising again..

Then there are the big questions that fall from Burnham’s big hopes.

For example, he promised “the biggest council building program since the war”. How is this paid? And what does the promise mean?

Matt Chorley’s is worth a listen. Interview with Angela Rayner on This Point Live from BBC Radio 5 – The Home Secretary is unable to say when the “post-war period” will end, and so there is no numerical target attached to what appears to be a very bold one.

This is what Rayner said in 2010. She told the BBC on the same day she accepted Labor’s promise to build 1.5 million new homes in England by 2029 that it would be “tremendous”.

What about defense spending? The new chancellor, John Haley, sacked him as defense secretary because he thought the department he now ran, the Treasury, didn’t get it when it came to keeping us safe.

Now let’s see how to wear it, the boot is on the other foot.

Burnham says the cost of doing business for some in England is falling, but what about Labour’s manifesto pledge two years ago to “replace the business rate system, raising the same income but in a fairer way”. Will this happen?

And beyond the symbolism of the Prime Minister’s office outside London, what can No10 North achieve in practical terms? How much honor and power is given to him? How many senior ministers are there? And how much does it cost?

Civil servants are being asked if they want to move to North West England. The signs from Team Burnham are that it is taking the issue seriously, but is the civil service really responding to that, and given the political instability of recent years, is it an idea that will survive this Prime Minister?

It is north of the intended long-term home, No.10. It is currently under construction and will not be completed until 2032This is a live question.