How Andy Burnham's religion shapes his politics
About this episode
The episode discusses how Andy Burnham's Roman Catholicism influences his political views and actions.
Paul Vallely and Nick Spencer join Ed Thornton on the podcast this week to discuss how Andy Burnham’s Roman Catholicism influences his politics. Nick Spencer writes in the Analysis section of this week’s Church Times about what kind of religious politician Mr Burnham is, and what faith groups can expect from him once he enters 10 Downing Street, as he is expected to do later this month. Paul Vallely, in his column this week, finds echoes of papal encyclicals in Mr Burnham’s speech in Manchester on Monday. “Manchesterism, it seems, is the new word for Catholic social teaching,” he argues. Read their articles here: https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2026/3-july/comment/analysis/analysis-andy-burnham-s-faith-is-politically-safe https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2026/3-july/comment/columnists/paul-vallely-burnhams-manchesterism-echoes-papal-encyclicals Paul Vallely is a writer, broadcaster, and consultant who specialises in philanthropy, business ethics, and international development. He is a Senior Honorary Fellow at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester. He writes a weekly column for the Church Times. He is the editor of The New Politics…
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