Burnham’s political rise, his profile and his reputation as a communicator have given him an unusually strong platform from which to present a governmental reset. Labour is in its strongest position for more than a year, helped by former Labour voters returning to the fold and by Burnham’s personal popularity. His polling shows a four-point Labour lead, with former Labour voters who had drifted away now more willing to return. The “Burnham bounce” is therefore more than a statistical curiosity. But only delivery will determine whether the Burnham bounce becomes a lasting Labour recovery – or another brief political honeymoon.