Sunder Katwala is the director of thinktank British Future and the author of the book How to Be a Patriot: The must-read book on British national identity and immigration.
His return to Parliament was never really in doubt, but the Clacton result exposed the limits of his appeal and the challenge of turning Reform’s popularity into a national electoral breakthrough.
As leader of and from the north, Burnham knows he must now commit to being a prime minister for the north and for the south, east and west at the same time.