I worked with Andy Burnham as a member of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for three years, so am perhaps uniquely placed to offer a personal perspective on what his super-charged run for No.10 means for us Liberal Democrats. As leader of Stockport Council 2022-2025, I was one of ten council leaders (nine Labour and me!) who formed Burnham’s cabinet and met regularly under his chairmanship, arguably putting me in a good position to judge what makes him tick.

The first thing to understand is that he is a skilled and collegiate operator with an easy, friendly manner on a one-to-one basis. Burnham is not a tribal politician in the traditional sense, and I was often able to joke with him that he and I had a more positive relationship than the one he enjoyed with his many Labour Party colleagues in Greater Manchester. It’s also true that we were friendly when we both previously served in Westminster, football banter often the subject of conversation in the tearoom queue.

However, underneath Andy’s benign exterior is a steely and ambitious politician who it would be unwise to underestimate. His tact and diplomacy, often deployed to full effect, can be impressive at close quarters. He is also backed by a capable and experienced team of close advisors who will serve him well as he makes his bid for power. It was always clear to many of us that he missed being at the heart of government. Therefore, it was no great surprise when he began manoeuvring to return to the House of Commons.

It would be fair to say that here in Stockport we enjoyed a mostly positive relationship with him during his time as Mayor of Greater Manchester. For example, our multi-million-pound town centre regeneration scheme was largely driven by the creation of the first Mayoral Development Corporation in the whole of Greater Manchester which couldn’t have happened without his patronage. While this did provide a unique advantage in attracting interest from developers and investors, a bi-partisan approach was also considered a key element of our success in transforming the town centre. The results are clear, with Stockport now attracting national recognition for its achievements.

But while he undoubtedly has widely admired communication skills, it is Burnham’s record of delivery that requires closer scrutiny. His oft quoted ambition to resolve homelessness in Greater Manchester is – to be kind – a work still in progress and his commitment to extend the Metrolink tram network to all parts of the city region remains an ambition unfulfilled. The much-vaunted capped fares on the famous yellow buses are unsustainable in the eyes of many and are entirely reliant on central government subsidy, so it will be interesting to see what happens as he assumes the ultimate seat of power.

However, one big plus for Liberal Democrats is his conversion to the cause of proportional representation and electoral reform. I have long been of the view that we would never achieve this goal until one of the main parties realised it was in their own self-interest. Now it seems there may be a real chance. As I have said directly to him, it’s amazing what you can achieve when you don’t mind who takes the credit! Over to you Andy.

* Cllr Mark Hunter was Leader of Stockport Liberal Democrat Group 2022-2025 and was the Member of Parliament for Cheadle 2005-2015.