Alexandra Topping

But there are plenty of women behind Burnham who, and you know, Lou Hay being one of them who's featured prominently, I would be very surprised if she wasn't taking up a key role.

But there'll be others, you know, Ed Miliband, could he be the next Chancellor?

Who Burnham chooses as his next Chancellor will be key.

Rachel Reeves and her team will be putting forward an argument that if he wants to keep the ship steady and one of Burnham's vulnerabilities is that he made this unfortunate comment about being in hock to the bond market.

And he's tried to shore up that actually in the last few days.

It's interesting.

He's brought in economic advisers from Goldman Sachs and former members of the OBR to show that he is a serious minded politician who wants to stay within the fiscal rules, etc.

But I think who he chooses as chancellor, that will really set out what a Burnham cabinet could look like.

What Benham's been very clear on is that what is happening now isn't working.

I mean, and I think everyone really does agree with that.

But instead of doing this kind of bureaucratic step by step and Starmer approach to studying the economy, growing the economy.

Burnham seems to want to do something more radical.

You know, he talks, his big picture idea is Manchesterism, where he said it's not about party, actually, it's about place.

And he wants to take that into Westminster, working with business, working across party, perhaps, you know, bringing the best and brightest together.

But it's also significantly to the left of Starmer.

I think, you know, Burnham is talked about

nationalising utility companies, you know, I think we may well see the quick nationalisation of Thames Water, maybe other energy companies.

That stuff is very expensive.

So just quite how he'll pay for it remains to be seen.

But I think this sense of the state playing a bigger role, but working hand in hand with business has been the image that he's projected in Manchester.