The public are fed up of carbon copy politicians – why I’m backing Andy

Those were the words I wrote to Andy Burnham in September 2010 – days after the outcome of the last leadership election.

I remember putting the note in the internal post box in Portcullis House, reflecting on the weird ways of Westminster.

Having only been there a few months I’d already managed to assume the tradition of writing “nice comments about colleagues” down on a piece of cream House of Commons paper. Email’s not to be trusted.

I voted for Andy back then because I thought he was the best communicator on the ballot paper. Simple.

I didn’t know him. He hadn’t schmoozed me – we’d never even had a conversation. I made my mind up based on what I had seen and heard on TV and radio.

This time round, it was more difficult. Liz is a friend. I like her politics. She’s brave. I’d been Mary’s PPS. A fiery, straight-talking woman with a huge amount to offer. Yvette – hugely competent, intelligent, someone who wants the best for the party for the right reasons.

So why Andy?

I’m supporting him because I think the public will relate to him. It’s not about having a Northern accent, it’s about coming across as a human being.

The public are fed up of carbon copy politicians, struggling to trot out a line provided to them by the spin-men and women. They want to see a real person. Someone who is confident and strong enough to be themselves when the camera is rolling. Someone who will get angry but who can also be thoughtful and self-effacing.

I understand what I am getting with Andy. I think his upbringing is like mine. A working class family, a comprehensive education, making the most of a huge opportunity in going to a top university, working hard to be successful but not forgetting who you are and where you came from.

I grilled him this time round. We spent 40 minutes in his Commons office. We talked about the how the Labour Party has to convince people that we know how to carve out a secure and prosperous place for the UK in a rapidly changing global economy. We talked about the things that matter to people – family, fairness, the future. We talked about public services and the unions. We talked about the welfare system and immigration. I left our meeting feeling positive: positive about the future of our party and of our country. I felt like I’d spent 40 minutes with a real human being, someone who understands the things that matter to the British people and someone who can help us change to help change our country.

And that’s why I’m backing him.