Politics blog + Andy Burnham

• Thursday 10 June 2010

• Politics Weekly podcast: Diane Abbott brings Labour leadership race to life

  Diane Abbott scraped on to the ballot paper for the Labour leadership this week, throwing the contest wide open. Polly Toynbee and Rafael Behr discuss the candidates and the rest of the week in politics

  Posted by Tom Clark, Allegra Stratton, Polly Toynbee, Rafael Behr, Phil Maynard 15.59 BST

• Wednesday 9 June 2010

• Politics live blog – Labour leadership and PMQs

  

  The five candidates on the Labour leadership ballot: Andy Burnham, Ed Balls, David Miliband, Ed Miliband and Diane Abbott. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty, David Levene, Toby Melville/Reuters, John Stillwell/PA, Martin Godwin

  Andrew Sparrow with all the latest political news today – including the deadline for Labour leadership candidates to win enough nominations to get on the ballot, and prime minister's question time

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Andrew Sparrow 08.49 BST

• Wednesday 26 May 2010

• Education bill and Queen's speech debate – as it happened

  

  Pupils pose as they are photographed at Bexley Business Academy, formerly Riverside school, London. Michael Gove wants to allow thousands more schools to become academies. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

  Andrew Sparrow with the latest on Michael Gove's plans for schools, Oona King's campaign for mayor of London, Andy Burnham's campaign for Labour leader, and the continuing Commons debate on the Queen's speech

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Andrew Sparrow 09.32 BST

• Tuesday 29 September 2009

• Why Gordon Brown will announce your announcement

  One of the oldest charges against Gordon Brown – which dates back to his very early days as a shadow minister – is that he nicks other people's announcements and claims them as his own. It has been the reason for a whole string of falling-outs down the years.

  The signs are that he has been at it again, big time, hoovering everything up for today's "speech of his life" and leaving the rest of the cabinet to rehash all the old stuff.

  Certainly there were rumbles of irritation at the Treasury when Brown announced the deficit reduction legislation plan to the Sunday Telegraph at the weekend when Alistair Darling, the chancellor, had hoped it would be his golden nugget for the conference.

  And Andy Burnham, the health secretary, was said to be a bit miffed that he lost his cancer treatment announcement before Brighton.

  Now Alan Johnson, the home secretary, has lost much of the law and order and antisocial behaviour initiative to the PM, and wouldn't Peter Mandelson have liked to have floated the People's Bank, an idea for saving 11,500 post offices, that the business secretary has been examining for some time?

  The fact that Brown grabs what he can is no surprise; he is the boss.

  What is interesting, though, is that ministers and their officials still resent him doing it so much, even when he is fighting for his political life. What does that say about the party's desire to see him succeed? Not much, I reckon.

  Posted by Toby Helm 14.04 BST

• Monday 20 July 2009

• Andy Burnham statement on swine flu – live

  

  Andy Burnham, the health secretary, gives his statement on swine flu to the Commons today. Photograph: PA Wire

  Minute-by-minute coverage of the health secretary's statement to MPs

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Andrew Sparrow, senior political correspondent 15.27 BST

• Monday 13 October 2008

• In defence of silence

  

  Photograph: Getty Images

  Charlotte Leslie: This attack on libraries is a return to a time when only the elite could afford quiet

  Continue reading...
  Posted by Charlotte Leslie 14.29 BST

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