Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham is changing the way politics is being done in Britain but sadly for democracy, not in a positive way. Living in historic Labour heartland Greater Manchester for decades, I know what Andy Burnham’s life as Mayor has been like – political opposition has been fairly non-existent.

Until the rise of Reform UK and aside from the occasional Lib-Dem rival, Manchester has been red through and through – and Burnham with his bees and buses has been the darling of the North West left, akin to his fellow mayor in Merseyside Steve Rotheram. During the 1974 ‘Rumble in the Jungle, boxing legend Muhammad Ali intentionally dodged blows or took them on the ropes to absorb the impact of George Foreman’s power until his opponent had tired himself out – enabling Ali to knock exhausted Foreman out in the end. Ali called it ‘rope-a-dope’.

Burnham is now doing his own ducking, diving and weaving – but from journalists’ questions. And is it an ingenious political tactic or is he taking us all for dopes?

He’s got a ridiculous track record of not just avoiding questions – but excluding any media outlets that could be critical.

In May during intense speculation about his return to Manchester he dodged his regular BBC Manchester phone-in show. I mean why field questions from the great unwashed, eh Andy?

He also felt the heat when finally throwing his hat into the Makerfield by-election ring and he flip-flopped on his previous anti-Brexit stance – knowing most locals in the constituency had voted to leave the EU.

The Express tried to quiz him about the Brexit U-turn but he refused to answer our queries.

Then when I was in Ashton-in-Makerfield and found he was doing a Q&A in a community centre I requested to attend and was refused. I went anyway but politely waited outside in the car park for him to arrive.

When he rocked up he said he would take my questions outside and at the end of the event – two hours later he walked out and refused to talk to me.

His communications advisor actually asked me why I had come at all, adding: “It’s quite a big constituency so you can be other places…”

I wasn’t the only journalist banned. Others were – all from sections of the media that are not devoutly pro-Labour.

Then on Monday Burnham called the masses of the press together to announce his wonderland dream list of policies for the start of his 10-year reign … and then walked off stage and refused to answer questions.

His audience was hand-picked full of supporters who cheered and were card-carrying Labour voters, councillors or MPs.

Again some journalists claim, despite no questions, they were banned from even attending the event at the People’s History Museum in Manchester.

The excuse? The same as I got weeks earlier: “He didn’t have time.”

By contrast, Sir Keir Starmer was happy to take questions from the media after his major speeches.

Reform UK’s Richard Tice has accused Burnham of taking “power without accountability” while Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said his refusal to take any questions is “simply not good enough”.

Does Burnham forget that just 24,927 people have voted for him to ostensibly become the next Prime Minister of the United Kingdom?

It is one of the smallest mandates for a PM in British history.

No-one really knows his views on migration, small boats and taxation – the three big issues dominating UK politics at the moment – let alone the NHS, crime, small business support, Ukraine, Trump or global warming just for a start.

It could almost be a dark comedy about the sudden rise of an unlikely dictator.

Even Vladimir Putin takes awkward questions from the BBC’s excellent Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, despite often being put on the spot – while Trump fields them from left-wing US media he knows despise him.

So will Burnham ever tell us who this man is that’s soon collecting the keys to No.10 and will be running our nation? He would but he’s too busy.

At this rate at PMQs in Westminster each Wednesday, he won’t bother even standing up!