24 June 2015updated 26 Jul 2021 5:50am

Andy Burnham interview: “I’m not part of the in-crowd”

The leadership candidate on what his family teaches him about politics, how Labour has promoted too many people with "posh accents", and why he doesn't see himself as part of the Westminster in-crowd.

By Anoosh Chakelian

(Photo By â?oDifferent voiceâ??: Burnhamâ?Ts Scouse charm is bolstered by a fierce pride in his northern, working-class roots. Photo: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian)

Andy Burnham is his own man. Or so he says. Repeatedly during our interview, he paints himself as an independent thinker, a lone wolf – or, in other words, a break from Labour’s past.

“While I was loyal to Tony, loyal to Gordon, and loyal to Ed, I’m none of those people,” he says. “I am my own man. I have a take on politics which is different from them.”