May’s elections in Scotland and particularly Wales were a disaster for Labour and Mr Burnham’s predecessor, Sir Keir Starmer. If Mr Burnham is to be consistent in his devolutionary logic, that kind of anomaly should be addressed. But Mr Burnham’s direction of travel can be the right one for the devolved nations as well as the English regions. As the Institute for Government has suggested, Mr Burnham could instead fund the devolved governments to establish their own priorities. Devolution, and the possibilities it could unleash, were at the heart of Mr Burnham’s rise to Britain’s highest political office.