MAIL ON SUNDAY COMMENT: If he wants to be PM, Burnham must stand up for free speech

Published: 00:58, 7 June 2026 | Updated: 01:56, 7 June 2026 After 30 years of largely left-liberal government, this country has become shockingly unfree. But this attack on liberty has been very hard to oppose because it is usually so misty and shapeless. It is a soft totalitarianism which tends to use half-spoken threats to job security as its main weapon. Keep quiet, follow political correctness and keep your job. The prisons are not full of people who have been locked up for expressing the wrong opinion. Yet, as we have all seen in the last few years, some police officers have started to assume that it is their job to patrol the internet in search of infractions of officially approved beliefs. Fortunately, campaigners such as the Free Speech Union founded by Lord (Toby) Young have challenged this worrying official incursion into things which really do not concern the constabulary. The most dangerous place in which to speak your mind is still the workplace, especially in the public sector or in private companies holding contracts with central or local government. Now, it is quite reasonable if certain classes of people in public office are asked to stay out of politics. Sir Keir Starmer engaged in no open political activity while he was Director of Public Prosecutions. Police officers should also not be openly partisan. But that is about it. If your house is on fire and someone is climbing bravely through smoke and flame to save your life and carry you down a trembling ladder, then you really don’t care what political views he or she holds. Nor should anyone else. So what on earth has been going on in Manchester, the supposed demi-paradise run by supposed genius and would-be future premier Andy Burnham? Mr Burnham, if he wishes to be prime minister of a free country, must make it plain as soon as possible that he condemns and repudiates this nasty episode of thought policing Lord Toby Young's Free Speech Union has challenged Burnham to explain the treatment of Manchester firefighters who stood for office under Reform  Lord Young’s Free Speech Union has challenged Mr Burnham to explain the quite extraordinary treatment of Manchester firefighters who exercised their democratic rights and stood for office under the Reform UK banner. The language used in pursuing these firefighters is more or less totalitarian. They have been ‘spoken to’, as if their political affiliation is an offence, and generally treated as if backing for Nigel Farage’s party is a character defect and a possible disciplinary matter. It appears that no such moves have been made against supporters of any other political group.  In a perfect demonstration of the tormented Newspeak of today’s left, Reform supporters are told that their treatment as pariahs is somehow protecting ‘inclusivity’. Well, it seems that this inclusivity does not include the wrong opinions. As Lord Young points out in the most worrying part of his letter to Mr Burnham: ‘Staff are further invited to report colleagues who support any groups that go against the Service’s values, which effectively amounts to an instruction to inform on colleagues for their political beliefs.’ Mr Burnham, as mayor of Greater Manchester, is the person ultimately responsible for the running of the city’s Fire and Rescue Service. Lord Young has done well to raise the issue. Mr Burnham, if he wishes to be prime minister of a free country, must make it plain as soon as possible that he condemns and repudiates this nasty episode of thought policing. The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy. Holly Willoughby puts on an animated display as she joins her pal Michael McIntyre at the Monaco Grand Prix