Burnham the crowd-pleaser knows how to make friends, but he’ll be defined by how he makes enemies | Andy Beckett

Andy Burnham has always liked to be liked. Studying at secondary school near Liverpool in the 1980s, he writes in his autobiography and manifesto, Head North, “involved me walking something of a tightrope. Because of my mum and dad’s insistence that I should aim for university, I would largely try to keep up to date with my work. But … I realised I could often make the class laugh and that won me credit with the in-crowd. It was hard to be both a good student and one of the lads.”

As the new leader of a divided country, he is still trying to appeal to opposing interests while establishing his own, upbeat brand. “Let’s build a new national sense of unity, of common purpose and positivity,” he said in his first speech outside 10 Downing Street. After a post-Brexit decade dominated by angry rightwing politics, Labour infighting, never-ending culture wars and online acrimony, Burnham’s affable, seemingly inclusive politics has a strong initial appeal. This week, for the first time in 18 months, Labour is ahead of Reform UK in the polls. It’s possible that some voters have finally had enough of divisive politics and would like to try something different.

Andy Beckett is a Guardian columnist