Burnham PMQs debut: cheers, jokes, then the same old barbs

What the Burnham PMQs debut told us

Andy Burnham has spent the summer cultivating a new way of talking to the country, through a steady stream of social media videos designed to speak directly to the public.

But the weekly back and forth across the despatch box is still deemed vital by many in Westminster, a moment of scrutiny, a chance for the public to peer into Parliament's workings, and a crucial factor in setting the mood among backbench MPs as they watch and judge their party leaders.

The opening exchanges with Kemi Badenoch were vaguely jocular.

The Conservative leader began with a joke about the prime minister's stamina after Tuesday's marathon Commons session, when Burnham faced Parliament as prime minister for the first time and took questions for more than three hours.

There was laughter from MPs and a cautious smile from Burnham, and BBC News billed the session as friendly fire at Andy Burnham's first PMQs.

However, the early twinkle did not last.

The pair were soon trading barbs over tax and borrowing, with Badenoch making claims of profligate government spending.

Burnham, despite his promises to end what he has called political "point scoring", was quickly pointing the finger at the Tories for their economic record.

The Prime Minister referenced the budget of former prime minister Liz Truss while promising he would deliver fiscal discipline.

Every prime minister promises a new politics

Burnham is not the first to pledge a new style of politics only to find the adversarial nature of PMQs hard to dodge.

David Cameron said he would end "Punch and Judy politics" when he became Tory leader, then spent years in regular knockabouts across the despatch box instead.

The barbs continued, in other words, even as Burnham looked comfortable enough delivering them.

It caps an opening few weeks in which he has also said a border poll in Northern Ireland is off the table and moved to hand mayors new planning powers.