Monday briefing: What can Andy Burnham learn from Spain’s Pedro Sánchez?

Good morning. To international onlookers, Pedro Sánchez appears to have achieved the impossible. Where other European leftist and left-ish premiers have flopped and flailed, the Spanish PM has endured.

Since June 2018, Sánchez has ruled from Madrid, implementing a raft of progressive policies. More recently, he has emerged as a leading, and often lone, left-wing European voice on the global stage, striking a defiant tone on everything from the Trump administration’s war in Iran (“the smokescreen of war to hide their failure”) to Israel’s actions in Gaza (“exterminating a defenceless people”). The fact that the international press has nicknamed him El Guapo (the handsome one) can’t hurt.

At home, however, it’s a more complex story. Sánchez’s inner circle is in the midst of a damaging corruption scandal, and polling has his traditionally centre-left Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) faltering. Meanwhile, recent scenes in Ceuta and apocalyptic wildfires throw up thorny policy challenges. European leaders have publicly turned on Sánchez – and this is with a general election looming next year.

But just like the UK’s own prime minister, while Sánchez has carved out a name for himself, he was not always the left-wing figure he is seen as today. For today’s First Edition, we ask: who is the real Pedro Sánchez? And, what lessons can Andy Burnham learn from his tenure? Madrid-based journalist Eoghan Gilmartin helps us answer these questions. Before that, the headlines:

UK economy | The UK should expect to see a new cost of living crisis, with official figures released this week by the ONS expected to show how soaring energy bills drove up inflation close to 3% in July.

Ceuta | Moroccan police arrested 111 people this weekend, who were trying to enter Spain’s north African territory of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides after social media posts called for another mass crossing.

Jason Arday | The University of Cambridge has defended its mental health support for the academic Jason Arday.

UK politics | Andy Burnham is being urged to protect 4 million gig economy workers, who thinktanks warn miss out on key statutory rights including: parental leave, redundancy pay and protection against unfair dismissal.

Indonesia | Rescue crews dug through collapsed buildings and landslide debris in eastern Indonesia on Sunday, searching for bodies after a powerful earthquake killed at least 51 people, and injured more than 100.

Andy Burnham and Pedro Sánchez share similar origin stories. Both initially entered, then departed, their respective parliaments having failed to achieve their ambitions; both returned, and subsequently secured the top job, after quiet reinvention.

We know the Burnham story now: the former Blairite minister lost out on the Labour leadership, and instead became mayor of one of the UK’s largest cities, where he emerged transformed thanks to his vaguely articulated philosophy – Manchesterism.

Sánchez too wasn’t always the progressive figurehead he is today. The former economics professor was first elected PSOE leader in 2014, firmly a centrist. “He was the compromise candidate between left and right,” says Gilmartin. “There were few expectations of him at the beginning.”

His first stint at the party’s helm ended in 2016, after a series of electoral drubbings and a messy internal revolt saw him forced out by party grandees. And so marked the start of his remaking: 6ft 3in Sánchez squeezed into his Peugeot and road-tripped across España. “I’ll get in my car and travel all round Spain to listen to those who haven’t been listened to, to the grassroots members and left-wing voters,” Sánchez said.

double quotation markSánchez understands that anchoring his party to the left … is where he can govern.

Beyond Madrid, he morphed into an anti-establishment, man-of-the-people figure. By the summer of 2017, he was PSOE leader again. He formed a government in June 2018, and has been PM since.

“He’s not necessarily a committed left-winger,” says Gilmartin, “but Sánchez understands that anchoring his party to the left and positioning himself as the leader of a wider progressive bloc is where he can govern. He’s a very impressive pragmatist.”

In 2019, to shore up support from the left, Sánchez pledged to implement hundreds of progressive policies. And he has broadly delivered on this agenda: investing heavily in renewables, hiking up the minimum wage, extending abortion rights, banning so-called “gay conversion practices”, capping rent increases and raising taxes on the super-wealthy while reducing the tax burden on lower earners.

That’s not to say Sánchez’s leadership has been smooth sailing. A series of corruption scandals involving his brother, wife and predecessor have emerged, many of which the PM had dismissed as “politically motivated smears.” Other confidantes have also been accused of taking kickbacks. Meanwhile, his minority coalition government can’t muster much support; they’ve not managed to pass a new budget since 2023. PSOE has lost a string of recent local elections.

Ever the pragmatist, Sánchez shifted focus to the international. In the last year or so, Sánchez really took on Trump. He refused to approve the US military use of jointly operated bases to strike Iran, stating: “You cannot answer one illegality with another, because that is how the great catastrophes of humanity begin”. Spain formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024, with Sánchez labelling Israel’s actions in Gaza a “genocide”, and described Europe’s broader response as a “failure”.

“His foreign policy has taken on a much more important role, showing that [he leads] a government with life,” says Gilmartin. Despite being a social democrat, he has embraced his reputation as the voice and conscious of the international left, hosting, in April, a star-studded left-wing jamboree in Barcelona to reinvigorate international progressive politics.

All of this has helped coalesce support at home, though it hasn’t yet bolstered his domestic popularity significantly.

Eight years in, it’s no great surprise Sánchez’s popularity is on the wane. But his 2023 electoral success is worth considering. In the run up to that vote, he was on the brink of defeat. The right-wing People’s Party led the polls, with far-right Vox primed to come in third. It seemed a right/far-right coalition beckoned. But says Gilmartin, “by framing the vote as him against the far-right,” Sánchez was able to turn the tide, pointing out all the policy gains and social protections that would be under threat otherwise.

Starmer tried this, too, in his 2025 Labour conference speech. But his vision of “patriotic national renewal under the Labour party … or the toxic divide and division of Reform” didn’t land. Starmer couldn’t communicate a coherent vision. He failed to point to policies that voters would miss. “Polarising against the right works for the centre left if you deliver on cost of living and other material issues,” says Gilmartin. Else, you’re left with the empty progressivism of say, Hillary Clinton taking on Trump. “That’s been proven to not be enough.”

Burnham knows he has to deliver, with less than three years before the next general election. It looked initially that he might be bold on policy: announcing his intent to end homelessness on day one.

But since then, (and in fairness, Burnham did take the reins right before a summer recess), he has gone rather quiet. And on both immigration and the environment – two major wedges between progressives and much of the right – he has said almost nothing at all.

Sánchez took a different tack. One of his first acts as PM was allowing the Aquarius to dock in Valencia: the ship carrying 629 people rescued off the coast of Libya that had been turned away from Italy and Malta. Since then, Sánchez has moved to regularise undocumented migrants in Spain. After 72,000 mostly Moroccans crossed into Ceuta last month, Sánchez didn’t pander to the right, or bow to pan-European pressure. The results are clear: despite recent increases, Spanish people remain relatively unconcerned about immigration. In January, only 3.9% of Spaniards felt immigration was the biggest issue facing Spain; in June, it was 4.8%.

Similarly on climate, Sánchez hasn’t held back. Where Burnham banned BBQs, Sánchez declared “climate change kills”. He’s spending billions on the green transition while Burnham dithers on north sea drilling. “There’s no sense here that you apologise for being proactive and progressive on climate,” says Gilmartin.

In occupying this space, Sánchez has gobbled up the left-wing vote. Sumar, Sánchez’s left-of-PSOE coalition partners has dropped in the polls. When Sánchez first became PSO leader, further-to-the-left Podemos was polled up to 26%; today, it’s hovering at 3%. Burnham might do well to learn from this: because while Starmer made attacking the left a defining feature of his time in office, Labour lost almost four times as many voters to the Greens than to Reform in the 2026 local elections.

For now, the wait continues to see if Burnham will prove a progressive PM, or at least an impressive pragmatist.

Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it matters

Monday | Nominations close for candidates seeking to replace Anas Sarwar as Scottish Labour leader.

Tuesday | Opening arguments expected to begin in a lawsuit brought by multiple US states against Meta about social media addiction.

Thursday | Students in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland will receive their GCSE results.

I’ve spent this heatwave-y summer feeling like a toddler sweating in sticky T-shirts and shorts. These insights from fashionistas about how and why they dress made me excited to wear grown up clothes again, weather-depending. Michael

Emine Saner’s interview with Su Pollard is a must-read this morning. I particularly enjoyed all the funny stories of famous people she’s met. Poppy

European Athletics Championships | Amy Hunt became the first to win four titles at a single event, while Dina Asher-Smith hit a record 11 European medals total.

Football | Mikel Arteta said his Arsenal players demonstrated their hunger to defend the Premier League title in their Community Shield triumph over Manchester City.

Cricket | Manchester Super Giants triumphed in the final of the men’s Hundred, surviving a late wobble to beat Trent Rockets by five wickets.

“Boost special needs internships to tackle youth jobs crisis – Milburn”, is the Guardian’s front page. The Times has “Disability claimants would swap cash for help”, the i Paper says “Thousands of new homes set to be built as Rayner tears up rules on green belt” and the FT writes “Dimon warns Healey not to raise bank taxes or risk driving finance jobs away”.

Elsewhere, the Telegraph’s splash is “Russia’s secret bases threaten Nato”, the Mail leads on “Paedophile fireman used loophole to keep changing his identity”, and the Express has “‘We’re entering a golden era for dementia research’”. The Mirror says “‘Murder by dog’”, and the Sun’s splash is “Call this justice?”. Lastly, Metro, on water bills writes “Water cheek!”.

The super-producer who made an album from his hospital bed

James Ellis Ford been described as the music industry’s secret weapon; a producer loved by artists such as Arctic Monkeys, Pulp and Jessie Ware. In 2024, he was diagnosed with leukaemia and it all ground to a halt. With contributions from Jarvis Cocker and Jessie Ware, Nosheen Iqbal hears how making music from his hospital bed helped Ford through one of the hardest periods of his life.

A bit of good news to remind you that the world’s not all bad

The celebrated Cinerama dome is set to reopen in 2028 after five years closed, reports Matthew Cantor, in a hopeful sign for LA’s cinema culture. The historic 1963 theatre became a symbol of the struggles facing moviegoing after the Covid pandemic, prompting a grassroots campaign to save it. Its reopening comes amid a broader resurgence at the box office, driven by younger audiences, social media and a renewed appetite for communal experiences.

And finally, the Guardian’s puzzles are here to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow.