In the days since Labour’s annual conference, party insiders have been sharing a word cloud produced by the pollsters More in Common, which shows the phrases voters most associate with Andy Burnham.
asserted
voters → share → Burnham
Such polling is rarely flattering for politicians, and the prime minister’s version had its fair share of negatives.
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version → have → negatives
But one of the most prominent words in the cloud – and the one that has caught the imagination of Labour strategists – was “trying”
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that → catch → strategists
At a cabinet away day at Chequers on Monday and a meeting for special advisers on Thursday, the idea that the government was doing its best to improve people’s lives – despite the difficult economic backdrop – was a golden thread.
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government → do → backdrop
“The public think the only person that can reach those levers is you,” said a government insider.
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insider → think → levers
“They justifiably ask, can you do it or not?
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you → ask → it
And if not, they’ll look for an alternative.
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they → look → alternative
We have to avoid the sense of things being out of our control.”
A party strategist said: “Voters don’t want us to put our hands up in despair; they want us to roll our sleeves up.
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us → have → sleeves
They don’t want us to be helpless in the face of global stuff; they want answers.”
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they → want → answers
But will this prime minister be able to provide them?
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minister → provide → them
At conference, Burnham set out his big vision for the future – on social care and the pensions triple lock, the EU and electoral reform.
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Burnham → set → care
The party faithful lapped it up and polling suggested the “Burnham bounce” had continued.
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bounce → lap → it
But while Labour MPs are relieved to have a leader with a clear political direction, many worry that offering big promises for after the next general election will not be enough to scratch the itch for dramatic change.
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offering → have → change
Downing Street believes part of the answer is what it describes as “everyday fixes” – cost of living measures that might not, on their own, amount to very much, but added up can make a difference and show the government is trying.
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government → believe → difference
Overseen by the No 10 policy unit and the Cabinet Office’s cost of living taskforce, each department has “incubators” where proposals are dreamed up.
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proposals → have → incubators
They might not grab the media headlines, but strategists say they pick up engagement online, with 85m views across all social platforms last week alone.
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they → grab → platforms
“We want to show we can tackle the everyday frustrations that people assume are part of life,” one adviser said.
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adviser → want → life
But several admitted they had some qualms about the drumbeat of small interventions.
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they → admit → interventions
“We risk looking twee, frankly, if we aren’t successfully thinking about how to tie it to the bigger picture of structural change.
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we → risk → change
Public control, tax, that is what we want to be able to point to as well as the everyday things.”
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we → want → things
Another added: “We need to tread carefully.
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We → add → ?
We have very small interventions now and huge ambitions for three years’ time.
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We → have → time
We also need medium-scale changes in the medium term, and that is what is missing at the moment.”
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what → need → moment
The government faces a difficult budget, with inflation and soaring borrowing costs as a result of the Iran war thought to have blown a £12bn hole in the public finances, forcing the chancellor to consider tax rises and spending cuts to fund plans to ease the cost of living.
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inflation → face → living
The statement, which is expected to be “low key”, will focus on fiscal devolution, with a household support package centred on cutting energy bills and more help for small businesses.
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which → expect → businesses
Next year’s spending review would require more revenue, sources said, but details would have to wait.
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details → require → revenue
A No 10 aide said: “The budget is a moment of peak attention and potentially peak peril.
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budget → say → attention
We’re not able to do everything we want to, so we have to level with people and say we can’t fix everything all at once, but we’re trying.
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we → ’re → once
But for some MPs, there is a growing nervousness at the low level of ambition at this budget, especially on cost of living measures, which the Burnham government has made its main test.
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government → be → test
One said: “If voters aren’t better off by the next election, we are screwed.
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we → say → election
As things stand, this looks like a Reeves budget with better vibes.
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this → stand → vibes
I hope this isn’t all there is.
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this → hope → ?
But I really fear that actually it is.”
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it → fear → ?
Treasury insiders acknowledge the need to “kickstart” longer-term changes at the budget – and that a “low-key” statement with the big decisions put off until next year may not be enough for the public.
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statement → acknowledge → public
“The budget will be our first punch in the face moment,” a government aide said.
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aide → say → face
There was a “bit of friction” between the prime minister’s office and the Treasury over balancing fiscal responsibility with hope, the source added.
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source → be → hope
“No 10 wants to signal intent: that we won’t get everything immediately, but we’ll get there.”
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we → want → everything
There were lingering questions about “how this all adds up when we’re under grey skies”, another adviser added.
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adviser → be → skies
“It’s impossible to see how anyone can square the additional spending we need given the tightness of the fiscal envelope.”
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we → ’ → envelope
Ministers and advisers are expecting a barrage of attacks from the Tories and Reform UK on welfare.
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Ministers → expect → welfare
…and 29 more, not listed.
The Aporia
