Is there any love in politics purer than Clive Lewis’s love for Andy Burnham?
Lewis is the Greater Manchester mayor’s most vocal parliamentary backer. He is involved with Mainstream, the group said to be behind a letter sent by more than 50 MPs calling on the NEC officers group to reconsider their decision to block Burnham from standing in Gorton and Denton.
Lewis has long called for a Burnham return, pinning his hopes on the Manchester mayor to turn the fortunes of the Labour Party around. In December, Lewis was asked on Politics Live if he would consider giving up his Norwich South seat to the Manchester mayor. Lewis said he would.
But his support for Burnham goes beyond public pronouncements. In a recent video posted to his social media accounts, in which he discusses why water must be brought back into public ownership, the wall of Lewis’s parliamentary office is in full view. There, on a cupboard in the background is a print out of a photo of Burnham – taken by Tom Jamieson – for a profile, written last year by the NS’s editor, Tom McTague.
The Pygge appreciates Lewis’s support for NS journalism (although that probably wasn’t the main reason this picture was blue-tacked to his office walls). After this weekend’s disappointment, the MP for Norwich South is likely licking his wounds. The Pygge wishes him a speedy recovery.
[Further reading: How a single call sealed Andy Burnham’s fate]
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