Andy Burnham isn't a politically impressive figure, largely because he is essentially backward-looking & lacking real vision - a little bit Blairite, a little bit old Catholic Labour, a little bit Wilsonian soft-left - but he has often been lucky in his enemies.
Opposing further NHS privatisation after 2008 caught the mood within the party; he was palpably sincere about the Hillsborough campaign, which cemented his regional popularity; & he couldn't have wished for a more comically "posh southerner" opponent today.
But he has lacked judgement & a sense of timing, most obviously when he abstained on benefits cuts in 2015. In the current struggle, he has the advantage that the metro mayor role has little power, so he has few hard choices to make & can fairly blame the govt.
The #KingOfTheNorth tag is partly ironic, but it does highlight the saviour mentality of the political centre. That they've got bored of Starmer's lack of opposition & are now skittishly looking for a new sensible hero shows how shallow their politics is.
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