Andy Burnham has plenty on his plate as he prepares to enter Downing Street - the cost of living crisis, the war in Ukraine, defence funding. But somewhere between the chaos and policy briefings, he'll need to figure out what to wear.
Observers got a preview of his sartorial dilemma when he boarded a train at Manchester Piccadilly in his trademark dark T-shirt, trousers, and Adidas trainers, only to emerge two hours later at London Euston in a suit. Twenty minutes after that, he was in Parliament with a tie. Was this a symbolic shift toward formality, or just a one-off concession to the capital?
Emma Finamore of Drapers Magazine has dubbed Burnham "the king of the casuals," praising his "smart but less formal" look. His wardrobe staples - Harrington jackets, Uniqlo polos, Clarks Wallabees - scream "smart-Manc" and deliberately reject the SW1 suit-and-tie uniform. But if he reverts to suits as PM, it'll be a return to his pre-2020 Westminster look, when he was rarely seen without one. In 2015, a suited Burnham sat next to Jeremy Corbyn, whose tie-less, suit-less look helped him crush Burnham in the Labour leadership race.
Burnham told the Guardian in 2022: "I remember, when I left, slowly realising: 'I don't have to do this any more.'" His Howick jacket, worn during a famous Covid lockdown rant, now lives in Manchester's People's History Museum. Finamore believes he's savvy enough to know when to dress up: "I don't think he will go back fully."
But House of Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has other plans. At a summer reception, he warned: "King of the North or not, unless Andy Burnham swaps his dark T-shirt for a shirt and tie, in my Kingdom, he's not going to get called." And the White House might be a problem, too - Volodymyr Zelensky's military-style attire famously annoyed Trump and Vance during a tense Oval Office meeting.
Clothes matter in politics, as Harold Wilson's pipe and Gannex coat or Margaret Thatcher's pussy-bow blouses proved. Rob Ford, professor of political science at Manchester, notes the double standard: female politicians face far more scrutiny. "At least men can always fall back on suits," he says.
Kemi Badenoch dismissed Burnham as "a pair of eyelashes and a black T-shirt" - to which Burnham retorted: "It's not black, it's dark navy." After being confirmed as Labour leader, he wore a suit and tie and took a dig: Labour had worn "too many Tory clothes" in the past, he said, adding: "I'm quite happy that Kemi doesn't approve of my wardrobe choices - because I'm not keen on theirs either."
Ironically, outgoing PM Keir Starmer had also embraced casualwear - tracksuits, Stone Island, Adidas trainers. But Ford says Burnham's fashion choices have cut through: "The fact people have noticed he has a distinctive manner of dress is a victory for his branding efforts." Like Nigel Farage, Burnham likes to be photographed swigging pints in pubs, signaling "I'm not a professional politician, I'm one of you." Retaining that approachable persona while bowing to Westminster's dress codes will be a challenge. In an era when politics has never been more visual, he'll need to dress to impress - whatever he decides to wear.