Lucrative pay rise Burnham has given to £70k a year train drivers is a terrifying omen of what lies ahead

WITH the summer now over, out go the sunnies, Birkenstocks and Havaianas. Same ol’ flip-flopping Labour, though. Andy Burnham has handed train drivers a lucrative pay deal Credit: Getty In Burnham’s first significant public-sector wage deal, in other words, he has completely and utterly capitulated to the trade unions Credit: AP That being said, some U-turns are better than others, and shiny PM Andy Burnham’s decision to ensure PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain behind bars is, on the surface, the correct one. Critics argue the change could undermine progressive prison reforms in England and Wales, and that the steps Burnham has outlined to free up space will take longer to bring into force, thereby putting the orderly management of prisons at risk. But, ultimately, this was a PR move — and a wise one. The late, brave policeman’s family had campaigned widely and vociferously against the Government’s prisoner early-release scheme, and in so doing had won the hearts and minds of the nation. So, early in his tenure, Burnham could not risk losing the goodwill that has greeted his flashy arrival into No10­. For a man so obsessed with TikTok, an app whose very reason for being is “likes”, the Manchester Messiah knew he couldn’t mess up this one. It would have been catastrophic for his popularity ratings. And this is a man of the people, who loves to be loved. Avanti is one of Britain’s worst-performing train operators, with just 57.4 per cent of services arriving on time in the latest 12-month period Credit: Getty PM Andy Burnham’s decision to ensure PC Andrew Harper’s killers will remain behind bars is, on the surface, the correct one Credit: PA But, quietly, behind the scenes another reversal has happened. One without any fanfare. And one which Burnham and his supporters quite clearly hoped might go under the radar. At the end of last week, our unelected Prime Minister — the Andy “I love The Smiths, and a pint” to Keir’s “son of a toolmaker” Starmer — handed train drivers a lucrative pay rise to avoid strikes on the London-to- Manchester line. In Burnham’s first significant public-sector wage deal, in other words, he has completely and utterly capitulated to the trade unions. Avanti West Coast will now enjoy bumper pay deals. Drivers who already enjoy starting salaries of around £70k a year will now be offered time-and-a-half on Sundays, and get a single-year wage rise of 3.6 per cent as well as up to £720 simply for turning up to work on the fifth day of the working week. And a reminder, Avanti is one of Britain’s worst-performing train operators, with just 57.4 per cent of services arriving on time in the latest 12-month period. I mean, let’s not forget that Burnham’s first journey to London as the Makerfield MP was delayed by 21 minutes on the 10:54 to London Euston. So, great news for the PM’s Number 10 North, bad news for every hardworking taxpayer asked to stump up for it and spare Eyelashes Andy’s blushes over “running 20 minutes late for PMQs”. No more excuses now, lad. But if Labour’s latest comrade is already caving in so spectacularly to the union bosses, what, pray, lies in store for the rest of us? It’s just what happened in the old nationalised railways of the Fifties and Sixties, and a slightly terrifying omen for what lies ahead. What message, then, does this send out to the already overworked NHS frontline staff? Strike under Burnham and you’ll get, I dunno, to WFH. (Surely robots can perform open-heart surgery unassisted by now, eh?) And what about our teachers? Might they be next? (Again?) It has been a truly special summer of glorious sunny days and magical sport. Now, I fear a truly torrid, union-led winter of discontent. Rupes in Ron turn Rupert Grint is reprising the role of Ron Weasley Credit: AP “THOSE are my principles and if you don’t like them, well, I have others” – so said Groucho Marx, poking fun at politicians. He’s not an MP, but Rupert Grint appears to have a touch of the Groucho about him. The actor – by all accounts, a lovely chap, but that’s largely by the by – has been rather vocal in his condemnation of JK Rowling, the woman who helped make him his millions. Now, the star is reprising the role of Ron Weasley in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child on Broadway. Which is all well and fine. Except Rupes was oh-so-quick to jump on the bandwagon when Ms Rowling was getting slammed for her beliefs in single-sex spaces for women. In June 2020, shortly after Rowling published a controversial lengthy essay on her website, he released a statement. “I firmly stand with the trans community,” he said in a statement to The Times. “Trans women are women. Trans men are men. We should all be entitled to live with love and without judgment.” As one commentator remarked: “Well, Rupert Grint certainly figured out how to use the invisibility cloak on his trans allyship.” Quite. ’Ness is more in YouTube larks Vanessa Feltz is the latest presenter to walk away from linear TV, Credit: Stewart Williams VANESSA FELTZ IS the latest presenter to walk away from linear TV, and try her hand at YouTube. So far, she’s had Richard Madeley on her bed, Danniella Westbrook in her bath tub and Penny Lancaster rampaging through her corridors. In a world of bland, cupcake-making celebs, with their carefully curated pastel backdrops and sanitised chats, perhaps such chaos is exactly what we need in this Brave New World. Richard Madeley has made an appearance Credit: Rex Penny Lancaster has also been a guest Credit: Getty Doc’s an Owen goal Football icon Michael Owen on new doc Meet The Owens Credit: Prime Video IS Michael Owen proof that not every footballer and his family needs a fly-on-the-wall documentary? The former England and Liverpool ace, bless ’im, has been blessed with many, many things: good looks, a beautiful right foot, a lovely home life and lots of money. Devilish charisma, however, was perhaps not on his Lotto ticket of life.Highlights of Meet The Owens include watching Michael, spread Dairylea on toast, a three-minute sequence of him decorating a Christmas tree, and asking his kids to turn out the lights in their bedrooms. Reviews of his new Prime series have been “mixed”, to be kind. In a truly savage review, The Independent gave it one star, adding: “It is so tedious it begins to feel like a joke, albeit one without a punchline.” Still, testimony to the British public’s willingness to watch paint dry/Michael waxing lyrical about his love of orcas, last night it was sitting pretty at No2 in the Prime charts. Or maybe, in a world of manosphere muppets, we just love a nice guy. Strip is such a bot job Man City’s third kit was designed by AI Credit: instagram MANCHESTER City: how disappointing. With much self-congratulatory fanfare, and under the catchy slogan “Designed by one of us, chosen by all of us”, the club announced its 26/27 Third Kit was designed by fans. Except, really, it wasn’t. It was AI-generated, vaguely led by supporters. Fans from over 200 countries were given prompts to shove into an intelligence generator, before the winning kit was eventually selected. Reinventing the wheel, this dull white and blue kit is not. So much of this cynical ploy feels disingenuous. For a club which “targets net zero emissions by 2030 through extensive renewable energy”, why use AI – one of the most terrifying causes of global emissions – to, quite literally, do the dirty work for you? And, in a move designed to “bolster community”, why deprive a local artist or designer the opportunity – and cash – to design something truly creative, and special? But no. Instead we have a truly bland, personality and community-lacking shirt which, well, rather sums up AI. IN a world of Miss Worlds, how do you pick a Miss World? The annual international pageant commences on Saturday, and is expected to be watched by around two billion people. But thanks to filler, Botox, hair extensions, fake tans and Instagram filters, frankly it’s nigh-on impossible to tell one contestant from another. Can all of the above, then you’d have a comp I’d watch. LADIES and gentlemen, don’t do it. 2026 is apparently the year of pistachio, with a new poll hailing “this fresh, expressive shade in so many parts of culture”. Pistachio green is a step away from avocado – and those bathrooms veritably haunt a generation of boomers.