Burnham plays the football card

Politicians and football are a bit of a two-way street.   Clubs are keen to host them at games in the hope of securing influence.   Politicians use football as a means of demonstrating authenticity.

Andy Burnham’s passion for football has built him a following across the north of England, according to new data that suggests the Greater Manchester mayor has cultivated a public brand despite trailing media-savvy rivals on TikTok and Instagram.

Financial Times analysis of X found 17 per cent of Burnham’s posts so far this year have been about football, more than almost any other topic, helping him build a social media following that extends far beyond his own team, Premier League side Everton.

About 15 per cent of Burnham’s followers in the north of England are Liverpool fans and a further 27 per cent support Manchester United or Manchester City, according to audience intelligence platform Pulsar.  Burnham has been a leading advocate of a 'Hillsborough' law.

Alex Bryson, head of content marketing at Pulsar, said Burnham had won over northern voters by presenting himself as a “normal football-supporting bloke” but that it was not yet clear if this would work at a national level. “Burnham’s cut-through to football fans is very real, and goes beyond Manchester, but crucially [it] does not at present extend in any significant way beyond the north,” he told the Pink ‘Un.

Freebies received by the former cabinet minister also reflect his passion for the game: tickets for matches including Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton account for almost £8,000 of the £20,700 in gifts and hospitality Burnham has declared since 2022