Ruthless plotter or dad dancer? Insiders reveal the real Andy Burnham

Burnham is unusual in politics because even colleagues who are furious that he ousted Sir Keir Starmer say he is an affable and decent person.

But does he have the experience and skills to pick Labour’s morale up off the floor, and tackle the deep problems the country has?

One old friend wonders: “He is a lovely bloke, but I just don’t know if he is up to it – that is the honest question.”

Being Mr Nice Guy isn’t enough to be an effective prime minister in a confusing and brutal political era.

But you can be ruthless with a smile, and Andy Burnham is willing to follow advice from one of the most effective leaders of recent decades – not one of the prime ministers, but Sir Alex Ferguson.

I’m told the former Manchester United boss bumped into Burnham and wanted to chat politics.

He wanted to know why there had been so much bad blood and briefing between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, saying if he’d been Blair, he would have “got him in a room, and said, you’re either with me, or you can sod off”. The actual phrasing he used was far ruder than that – but you get the drift.

A close ally of Burnham told me: “We might need the Ferguson hairdryer – this is our moment and we might have to tell people, if you’re not with me, well bye, and thanks for your time.”