World May 15, 2026 · 1 min read

From Blair to Burnham, jogging as political metaphor has just run and run

The mayor of Greater Manchester is the latest in a long line of politicians to try to show he’s on the right track … etcPoliticians, as we know, love a metaphor. But do they have to be so literal? No sooner had the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, announced that he wanted to run for parliamen...

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The Guardian
by Esther Addley
From Blair to Burnham, jogging as political metaphor has just run and run

The mayor of Greater Manchester is the latest in a long line of politicians to try to show he’s on the right track … etc

Politicians, as we know, love a metaphor. But do they have to be so literal? No sooner had the Greater Manchester mayor, Andy Burnham, announced that he wanted to run for parliament than … Look! Out he popped from his house on Friday morning in jogging gear, because he’s full of energy and on the right track and hitting the ground running and … oh, do keep up.

What is it that persuades a 56-year-old man who is leading every news bulletin in Britain and knows there is a throng of photographers outside to put on some terrible shorts and a 1979-80 Everton strip and expose his paunch and Lancashire tan to the world?

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This article was originally published by The Guardian and written by Esther Addley.

Read original article on The Guardian
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