SH0CK: Vernon Kay Blasted by BBC Co-Star in Brutal Warning That Left Fans Stunned
Vernon Kay warned by BBC co-star after mentioning ‘nights out’ with Andy Burnham
The Bolton-born presenter was advised by Jeremy Vine not to play up his connections to the former Manchester mayor
Vernon bragged of nights out with Andy Burnham (Image: Getty)
After returning to the House of Commons following his win at the Makerfield by-election last month, Andy Burnham is now set to become Prime Minister on Monday (July 20). A central plank of his philosophy is “Manchesterism.” He has vowed to move at least part of the Prime Minister’s office to a so-called “No. 10 North” in Manchester.
The move follows a similar initiative from the BBC, which bases many of its shows in Salford, Greater Manchester. Presenters such as Sara Cox, Mark Radcliffe and, of course, Vernon Kay are all from Bolton, in Greater Manchester – securing the region’s hold on Radio 2.
But Vernon Kay needs to play down his connections to the incoming PM, according to BBC Radio 2 presenter Jeremy Vine. Speaking on Vernon’s Radio 2 show, Jeremy warned: “You’re going to have to stop saying you’ve met [Andy Burnham] once, because he’s going to be Prime Minister.
“It’ll sound like name-dropping,” Jeremy added.
Vernon, 52, has said that he has in the past been on nights out with the former Manchester mayor in their younger days. He described the new Labour leader as a “nice bloke,” adding: “I’ve got lots of mutual friends with Andy Burnham. I know him quite well.”
Andy Burnham will become PM next week (Image: Getty Images)
Before Burnham’s return to Parliament, Vernon and Jeremy speculated about his possible future as Labour leader. When asked if he would be invited to Chequers – the prime minister’s countryside retreat – Vernon replied: “I’ve been there before. Maybe go again.”
Offering his final thoughts on Burnham, Vernon said: “Nice bloke, that’s all I can say.
“You’ve never been around Leigh on a Friday night or a Saturday night with him. That’s my reference.”
Jeremy went on to say “nice doesn’t always cut it”, to which Vernon replied: “It does on a night out though Jeremy, with your mates.”
Asked if he’d enjoyed a beer with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Vernon added: “Back in the day. Before politics.”
Prior to his tenure as Manchester’s mayor, Burnham was MP for Leigh in Greater Manchester, and held several Cabinet positions, culminating in a stint as Secretary of State for Health from 2009 to 2010 under Gordon Brown.
Vernon moved in the same circles as Andy Burnham in his younger days (Image: Getty)
Following Labour’s defeat at the hands of David Cameron’s Conservative Party in 2015, Burnham announced that he would stand as a candidate for the Labour leadership, vowing to unite the party and country and “rediscover the beating heart of Labour.”
After his defeat in the contest, he confirmed that he had been approached by party officials in Greater Manchester, asking him to consider resigning from Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet in order to run in the upcoming mayoral election in 2017.
Sweeping to success in May of that year, Burnham began laying the foundations for “Manchesterism”, which now looks set to expand across the UK – and even as far as the BBC’s Salford studios.
