Andy Burnham Was a Horrible Boss

When I wrote my lament for soon to be former UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, I mentioned that I had firsthand experience working for his likely successor, Andy Burnham.

Back in 1995, I was an undergraduate political science student at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario. I was selected to partake in an academic exchange with the University of Leeds during which I would intern for a UK Member of Parliament (MP). 

As I was a card-carrying member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), I wanted to intern for a Labour MP. I would be assigned to Tessa Jowell, a MP representing a constituency called Dulwich which was situated in South London. Jowell would later serve as a cabinet minister in both the Labour governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and subsequently was appointed to the House of Lords. Sadly, she passed away of brain cancer in 2018. 

There were two staffers working for Jowell, one of whom was Andy Burnham. He was for all intents and purposes my boss. I'm sorry to say that he was a horrible boss.

To put it bluntly, Burnham treated me like shit. He constantly talked at me as if I were a buffoon. Indeed, both he and his assistant Duncan went out of their way to belittle my intelligence. They would tell me that I had limited intelligence.

Needless to say, I was largely confined to opening mail and was often sent downstairs to an empty desk where for the most part I would catch up on my homework. The problem with this arrangement was that in order for me to graduate I had to demonstrate what kind of parliamentary work I was doing be it at the constituency or policy level. The fact that I could not demonstrate this put my university graduation into jeopardy. Burnham was well aware of the situation, but he did not give a toss. 

There were occasions when I was asked to attend surgeries. In the context of UK politics, a surgery is where a MP will meet directly with their constituents. In Canada, MPs have permanent constituency offices for that purpose. 

I didn't have a problem being involved with that process. The problem was that I had to get there on my own. While I had my Nicholson's Guide to London, I was nevertheless in unfamiliar territory and frequently got lost often in very rainy weather. By the time I would arrive there would be nothing for me to do except stand around soaking wet while Burnham would laugh at me derisively.

I do remember Burnham getting very angry with me after he found out I had contacted Tony Benn, a legendary Labour MP who would serve in the House of Commons for nearly half a century. My undergraduate thesis was a comparison between the youth wings of the NDP and the Labour Party. The reason I wanted to get in touch with Benn was to interview him due to his support of Andy Bevan, who had been hired as the party's official youth organizer, despite considerable resistance from the party establishment.

In any case, Burnham made a point of accusing me of "sleaze". Sleaze? This wasn't cash for questions. I was trying to fulfill my academic requirements. Nothing more.

I should mention that I did interview Tony Benn. In the years that followed, I was not crazy about Benn's softball interview of Saddam Hussein. But when I visited Benn at his home, he treated me with the utmost courtesy and respect and I did the same. Tony Benn provided me with more courtesy and respect in 30 minutes than Andy Burnham could muster in two months.

I'm not sure why Tessa Jowell wanted an intern. I'm also not sure why Andy Burnham treated me the way he did. All I know is that I was miserable and things got to a point where University of Leeds faculty agreed to reassign me to a different MP. I would be placed with a Scottish Labour MP named Jimmy Wray who gave me the following advice after telling me he thought I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown:

You're the boss!

Don't worry and don't hurry!

A man who never made a mistake is a man who never made anything!

Needless to say, my time with Jimmy Wray proved a far better use of my time and Jimmy's. And yes, I was able to graduate.

Now, I write all this with the understanding that this took place more than 30 years. Burnham would subsequently be elected to the House of Commons in his own right in 2001. He would later serve in Gordon Brown's cabinet and twice sought the leadership of the Labour Party in 2010 and in 2015. 

Following the ascension of Jeremy Corbyn in 2015, Burnham was smart enough to leave Westminster and successfully seek the mayoralty of Manchester. He would be re-elected to the same post twice before making his successful return to Westminster last week.

Going to Manchester was a shrewd move on Burnham's part. He managed to create a power base for himself outside of London and I'm sure other MPs may take a similar path should he end up living at Number 10 Downing Street.

So, I will be the first to acknowledge Burnham's success. I can only hope that he treats the people who work for him now a lot better than he treated me more than 30 years ago.