Harriet Harman’s comments on today’s Sunday Politics (in the video above) have been interpreted as coming out against Andy Burnham and endorsing Liz Kendall as leader. She warned the party not to choose “somebody who we can feel comfortable with” but who can “command the confidence of the country.”

Following on from overnight reports that she chastised Andy Burnham in a Shadow Cabinet meeting, by reminding him that Labour lost the general election, I sense some in Labour get the feeling Andy Burnham as leader will be the continuity Ed Miliband candidate, which will lead to the same result in 2020 as 2015.

If you want a prime example of Burnham being the continuity Miliband candidate, Andy Burnham announced this morning, he wouldn’t do an interview with The Sun, because of their coverage of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. He also said he did not do “special favours” for papers “attacking” him or Labour. You cannot simply ignore the biggest selling paper in the country, and their 12 million readers and voters, it is reminiscent of the 35% strategy, which proved spectacularly unsuccessful for Labour in May.

TSE

 

Update – The Sun rebuttal to Andy Burnham

BRIDGES? ANDY'S BURNT'EM. Labour hypocrite won't speak to the Sun. Has he forgotten something?http://t.co/DlDoVDhlN1 pic.twitter.com/gSS0MH14H9

— #SunNation (@SunNation) July 12, 2015