Dear Millers – today’s edition is about the most important person in Greater Manchester that you (probably) haven’t heard of: Andy Burnham’s closest advisor and praetorian guard for 16 years, Kevin Lee.
In one person’s telling, Lee is a Lady Macbeth figure, urging Burnham on when his nerve is faltering and passing him the dagger. “Andy must wake up sometimes and think ‘Do I really want to be doing this? Do I really want the top job?’ And Kevin must be saying ‘Of course you do Andy’”.
According to another former colleague of both men, Lee is a brilliant operator in the shadows: the “omnipresent” man who executes the mayor’s will and smooths his path. “I’ve never known him to be unkind or unfair to anyone,” this person says, pushing back against Lee’s critics.
Polling day in Makerfield is now just a week away, and our intrepid reporter Lucy McLaughlin is in the constituency right now, sniffing out stories. But in today’s edition we thought we would try to answer a question lots of people have been asking us recently: who are the people who are close to Burnham? Who does he listen to?
Lee is the first name on the list, so we’ve been finding out how an Essex boy who took an unusual path into politics has become so indispensable to the mayor.
We’ve also come up with a half dozen other names who have been influential in the mayor’s northern court, whispering to him from behind the throne. They offer an insight into the way he governs — and who he might gather around him in Downing Street, if the voters of Makerfield give him that chance.
Let the Universally Manchester Festival blow your mind
What are asteroids made of? How can we save the world’s frogs? And can you master the psychology to win The Traitors? These are just some of the questions being asked at the Universally Manchester Festival this Saturday. Fun for all the family, this one-day festival showcases The University of Manchester’s research, teaching, and cultural work, and invites us to marvel at the discoveries that shape our everyday life. With over 80 hands-on activities including creative sessions, live science experiments and heritage tours – there’s something to pique everyone's curiosity.
Head down to The University of Manchester’s Oxford Road campus on 13th June to join the fun. Click below to see the full programme – who knows what you’ll discover.
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Meet Kevin Lee, Andy Burnham’s ultraloyal advisor who operates ‘in the shadows’
In March 2023, two men who have been inseparable for 16 years fell out spectacularly in Austin, Texas. And while the encounter did not lead to a saloon bar shootout, it did briefly threaten one of the closest and most productive relationships in British politics.
Andy Burnham was in town to appear at South by Southwest, a massive media and creative get-together, but those present remember his close advisor Kevin Lee looking visibly upset. What caused the bust-up?
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