The power of personality is important in politics and in Scottish Labour there is a sense that Andy Burnham is much more of a charmer than Sir Keir Starmer.
I have repeatedly been told by senior party figures that Burnham gets the “vibe” in the country, that he is a “vibes politician”.
It is of course one thing sensing how people feel and finding words that might make them feel better, quite another to actually make people’s lives better.
That’s the challenge Burnham faces.
Many in Labour are optimistic that he can begin to turn around their fortunes after disastrous results in elections for the Scottish Parliament, Welsh Senedd and councils across England.
Even senior SNP figures anticipate some sort of Burnham bounce for Labour in the opinion polls, at least in the short term.
One senior Labour figure said that their new leader would earn the party a “second look” but acknowledged that any prime minister is judged on policy and performance as well as personality.
So what might Andy Burnham actually do in office, especially when it comes to issues affecting Scotland?
