The Rightwing Press Has Chosen Badenoch as Its Champion Against Prime Minister Burnham
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/janemartinson. "One thing must now be clear to Andy Burnham. The rightwing press is on a war footing – and he’s the enemy | Jane Martinson | The Guardian." October 13, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The author argues that Britain's rightwing newspapers have dropped their flirtation with Nigel Farage and thrown their weight behind Kemi Badenoch in a determined effort to bring down Prime Minister Andy Burnham. She points to gushing coverage of Badenoch's missile-shield plan and her courting by Murdoch's company. Burnham is hard for them to attack, but the press can still shape the political climate, so he should expect a fight.
Conclusion
The British rightwing press has returned to its traditional Tory loyalty and is now mobilised, with Kemi Badenoch as its chosen champion, in an all-out campaign to defeat Prime Minister Andy Burnham, and Burnham should recognise that he is its enemy.
Premises
- The Sun, Express and Daily Mail gave Badenoch's uncosted £10bn 'Britannia shield' proposal enthusiastic, uncritical front-page coverage, even though the outlets must know the plan is unrealistic.
- This coverage came right after Burnham's first conference speech as PM, and it marks a shift away from the press's recent flirtation with Nigel Farage and his scandal-hit Reform UK.
- Badenoch has been courted by Rupert Murdoch and News Corp executives, including an all-expenses-paid trip to Greece, which suggests she has cemented her position as the press's best hope of beating Burnham.
- Burnham's agenda, including public ownership of water, abolishing right-to-buy and reversing '40 years of failure', challenges rightwing orthodoxy, and commentators such as Allister Heath and Dan Hodges are already framing it as extreme 1970s-style socialism.
- Commercial pressures, namely declining circulation and a strategy of aligning with prevailing populism, add to the ideological motives driving these outlets' hostility.
- The press has struggled to find an effective attack line on Burnham because of his shifting political image, a disciplined, leak-free inner circle, and his social media bypass of hostile coverage, but a sustained assault is expected around the 28 October budget.
Assumptions
- Enthusiastic front-page coverage of a policy proposal reflects a coordinated editorial choice to back a leader, rather than ordinary partisan or tabloid-style coverage.
- The press's uncritical coverage of Badenoch signals strategic intent to defeat Burnham, not just routine Tory loyalty.
- The rightwing press retains enough influence over the political and media classes for its choice of champion to matter.
- The Murdoch-Badenoch trip and favourable coverage are linked in a way that indicates an endorsement.
- Quotes from Labour-aligned figures (Campbell, Baldwin) are reliable indicators of press intentions.
- The 'war footing' framing accurately describes press behaviour rather than overstating normal political opposition.