Burnham's problem? He's a small thinker

Andy Burnham has now been Prime Minister for a week. That is long enough to begin judging not just what he has done, but how he thinks.

So far, what we have seen is a series of relatively small policy announcements on bus fares, temporary energy bill reductions and business rates for pubs. Those may all be worthwhile gestures in themselves, but they raise a much bigger question. Is this really the agenda of someone who wants to reshape Britain?

In this video, I argue that the role of a Prime Minister is fundamentally different from that of a mayor. Mayors operate within rules set by others. Prime Ministers can change those rules. They can change fiscal policy, tax policy, the role of the Bank of England and the priorities of government itself.

If those opportunities are ignored, government risks becoming little more than a manager of inherited constraints instead of an agent for national transformation.

And that matters. Labour needs a coherent economic strategy for dealing with the serious challenges that may lie ahead, from geopolitical shocks to financial instability and energy insecurity.

The point I make is not just about Andy Burnham. There's a bigger issue about the kind of leadership Britain now needs and whether any of our mainstream political parties are prepared to provide it.

Do you think Britain has a government with a genuine long-term plan, or are we seeing politics reduced to a series of short-term gestures?