Andy Burnham is set to deliver what his team has grandly dubbed 'his first major leadership speech' later today, vowing to 'lift Britain back up to where it should be'. The new MP for Makerfield will speak at the People's History Museum in Manchester, a venue that suggests he's either committed to the working class or just really likes the gift shop.

Burnham will promise to 'give Britain the circuit breaker it needs', though he won't be taking any questions from reporters afterwards. His team insists this isn't a pattern of avoiding scrutiny, just a pattern of avoiding it for now. The lack of a mandate from the electorate might raise eyebrows, but hey, details.

Central to his plans is something he calls 'the biggest transfer of power out of Whitehall in modern times', though it apparently won't be as significant as setting up the Scottish Parliament or regional mayors. So, it's big, but not that big. One flagship proposal is a 'No10 North' - a prime ministerial outpost in Manchester that will 'drive devolution' and ensure 'good growth in every postcode'. Because nothing says 'power to the regions' like a satellite office.

Burnham also wants 'public control' of energy, water, and transport, but the devil is in the detail - or rather, the lack thereof. How much state intervention? How close to nationalisation? The Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake was quick to pounce, accusing Burnham of 'shuffling power between politicians' instead of fixing welfare, cutting taxes, or funding defence. He called it 'the politics of distraction from a Labour Party that is deliberately avoiding the questions that actually matter'.

Meanwhile, Burnham's team is wrestling with a cabinet dilemma: whether to appoint Energy Secretary Ed Miliband as chancellor. Some see Ed as a visionary; others as too left-wing and too keen on net zero. There's also chatter about bringing in Ed's brother David, a former foreign secretary, possibly via a seat in the House of Lords. Because nothing says 'new politics' like a peerage for an ex-leader's sibling.

Burnham faces a gruelling three weeks ahead. He needs to charm Labour MPs, sell his vision, decide his cabinet, and tackle the huge challenges facing Sir Keir Starmer - like paying for defence, sorting social care, and managing relations with President Trump. All this for a man who wasn't even an MP a fortnight ago.