Firstly, there were a few little stories that would suggest it is indeed rebrand rather than revolution for Labour.
1) A Guido Fawkes story stating that Tory personnel have been instructed not to attack Andy Burnham too much: https://order-order.com/2026/06/05/
2) Another story stating that Andy Burnham will keep Rachel Reeves as chancellor if he becomes PM: https://inews.co.uk/news/politics/
3) A third story noting that Andy Burnham has an "open mind" on drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2026/06/03
They all suggest my instincts were correct.
Question Time
The other thing I wanted to make a quick note about was last night's Question Time.
It was fascinating to watch. Reform's Robert Kenyon - the plumber! - appeared, and he was completely uncoached. So much so that in parts he actually came across as idiotic - a few times the audience even laughed at him. I don't really know very much about him, so this was my first real introduction, and it was difficult to make a judgement. He obviously isn't a professional politician, and appearing on Question Time really is being thrown in at the deep end. As the show went on he began to find his feet. He even managed to nail a key soundbite when he asked the Green Party candidate if she believed immigration affected housing. Most people don't watch Question Time in full, but they will see clips, so this moment probably made the appearance a net positive.
Again, it was really interesting to watch, as we're so used to seeing politicians who can give a sales pitch. People that have that spokesperson way of speaking. This was like watching a normal bloke thrown in amongst professionals. I'm sure I'd look like an idiot if I was put in that situation ..but, of course, I'm not an idiot. If I do say so myself. So I suspect it's similar here. It's like a bad job interview where you're put on the spot and you haven't rehearsed your answers. Only national TV. So it was hard to watch at times, but also refreshing.
In contrast we also had PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham on the show. He is very personable. He's likeable. He's one of these people that can have a chat with the girls in the office. He's not socially awkward. Much more so than most politicians. Most politicians have their smooth sales pitch, but they look like salesmen, he comes across as sincere when he does it though. You could see all the dopey women in the audience hanging on his words a bit when he spoke. (I'm only calling them dopey as I'm jealous they don't fawn like that for me ..they are a bit dopey though, and easily charmed by empty words.)
On top of this his years in national and local politics means he knows the ins and outs. When questions about housing and funding for flood defences and whatnot cropped up he knew which body was responsible for which bit of spending and all the other little details that being immersed in that world means you know.
So we saw quite an interesting spectacle. I'd like to see a 'Round 2', to see if Kenyon grows into the role. I can imagine he'll get a bit more coaching after that, but at the same time you'd rather see someone find their voice naturally. It also brings to the fore some of the things that cropped up during Brexit. That contrast between articulate people with ideologies and inarticulate people with common sense.
This old observation: https://freckledmonkey.blogspot.com/2019/09/the-remain-brain-vs-leave-perceiver.html
The next dozen days of so are worth keeping an eye on for many reasons.
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