The power of a first impression

First impressions matter. In an instant, we as people are wired to judge one another right from the get go. Whether due to an innate scanner built in for our survival, or as a developed relation to the societal constructs within which we live, it is rare that we forget the feelings we are left with from our first introduction to someone else.

At a time when political engagement is low, and many outside of the Labour Party around the country are not aware of too many details about the man they now call Prime Minister, the pressure was on for Andy Burnham to get this first impression right.

READ MORE: Round up of Burnham’s ministerial appointments

The new PM’s first 48 hours as Prime Minister have demonstrated his awareness of just how important this was. The difference between this Labour Prime Minister’s first impression to the nation and the last, is not just in the policies he has announced. It is in the tone he has chosen to set.

When Keir Starmer entered Downing Street, he inherited a country battered by 14 years of Conservative government. Nobody should question the scale of that inheritance. But from the outset, Starmer’s government defined itself through the language of constraint. Ministers repeatedly pointed to the “£22 billion black hole”, warned that difficult choices were unavoidable and prepared the public for the message that things would get worse before they got better.

That may have been economically honest, but it was politically costly.

The decision to cut Winter Fuel Payments quickly became the defining policy of Labour’s first weeks in office. Instead of giving voters an immediate sense that a Labour government would make life a little easier, it reinforced the feeling that sacrifices would continue under new management.

Burnham has approached the job very differently.

Instead, he has framed his premiership around hope as well as responsibility and the belief that government can actively improve people’s lives. Crucially, he has moved quickly to prove it.

Yesterday, the government announced a cut in VAT on domestic energy bills. Today, Burnham confirmed that England’s bus fare cap will fall from £3 back to £2, reversing one of Starmer’s unpopular decisions. Both measures have been presented as fully costed parts of a wider package to give households genuine breathing space during the continuing cost of living crisis.

The intent matters just as much as the savings themselves. Burnham knows that many politicians instinctively explain why something cannot be done. But if asked about cheaper public transport, his response is refreshingly direct: “I don’t accept that.”

That simple phrase captures the contrast better than any briefing note ever could. It reflects the political identity Burnham has spent years building, first in Greater Manchester and now nationally. Where others begin with limitations, he begins with possibilities.

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Of course, two days do not make a successful premiership. Expectations will rise quickly, and every government eventually collides with political reality. Burnham’s challenge now is to keep matching hopeful language with tangible action.

That matters because his entire political brand is resting on the idea that he represents the last chance to change course before public faith in politics and the Labour Party erodes even further – potentially to the point of no return.

So far, Burnham has recognised that governments shape not only policy but also public confidence. Britain needs practical help with the cost of living, but it also needs a reason to believe politics can still improve everyday life.

That is the feeling Burnham has started to create. His task now is to make sure it lasts.

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