'Man of the people' Andy Burnham's down-to-earth outfits are all actually designer - including an £80 T-shirt... that's more than he cut electricity bills by

Published: 23:14, 25 July 2026 | Updated: 23:25, 25 July 2026 Andy Burnham's carefully crafted 'man-of-the-people' image will be severely tarnished today as The Mail on Sunday reveals that he spends thousands of pounds on luxury clothing. The Prime Minister made a point of ditching traditional suits and ties on the campaign trail to No 10 in favour of bomber jackets, T-shirts and jeans in an attempt to differentiate himself from his Westminster colleagues. But we can reveal that the casual clothing he wore to appear dressed down in a campaign video during the Makerfield by-election cost more than £1,000, including a Harrington jacket (£695), jeans (£295) and an £80 T-shirt – sums far beyond the reach of many of his constituents. The clothing was made by Private White VC, a top-end Manchester tailor that boasts Sir David Beckham, the King of Spain, and actor Robert De Niro and Daniel Craig among its clientele.  Mr Burnham has been a regular customer there for more than two years. The former Greater Manchester mayor also bought a £1,500-plus made-to-measure suit there for his return to the Commons. Mr Burnham has made what he calls his 'Manchester clothes' – which consist mainly of black and navy jackets, T-shirts, jeans and branded trainers – central to his image.  Tailored: Andy Burnham being fitted for his suit at Private White VC, which describes itself as a 'luxury' clothing brand The PM is seen here wearing an £80 T-shirt and £595 jacket on a walk around Manchester  As well as making him seem more relatable to voters, they have allowed him to set himself apart from other politicians such as his rival Sir Keir, who always looked uncomfortable in more casual clothing. In the campaign video, Mr Burnham is seen wandering around Makerfield – including down a rundown residential street lined in corrugated iron – in the Private White VC clothing, meeting voters and chatting about their concerns. He says to the camera: 'I went into politics to fight for ordinary people. I fought for the miners here and the compensation we got from the last Labour Government, the justice for the Hillsborough families, and also when Boris Johnson's government tried to treat people here like second-class citizens during Covid, I fought back.  'What all these experiences have taught me is that Westminster doesn't work for people in this part of the world and communities like this across the UK.' Tory and Reform politicians yesterday criticised the Prime Minister as a hypocrite – and said his 'man-of-the-people' mask was finally slipping. Reform MP Lee Anderson said: 'Eighty quid for a T-shirt – that's twice the amount of the VAT cut on electricity bills per household he announced last week.' Tory MP Greg Stafford added: 'Andy Burnham's carefully cultivated image is as carefully stitched up and contrived as his expensive tailored suits. I wonder how many of his new Makerfield constituents can afford a suit costing at least £1,500. 'That might explain why our new PM prefers to dress down and go casual whenever he can. But then, it turns out that even his casual T-shirts and jackets cost a small fortune. Drressed in a £695 blazer and £195 polo shirt here, Burnham films videos for social media  'Sadly, all the signs are that Mr Burnham will be just as extravagant with the public purse as he is with his own money on clothes.' Even some Labour MPs privately mocked the new PM's costly wardrobe. One said: 'I suppose that Andy will say that nothing's too good for the workers but that's a lot of money.  'Do they really pay that much for a suit in Makerfield? Or was Marks & Spencer closed that afternoon?' James Eden, 43, chief executive of Private White VC, said Mr Burnham had visited on June 18 – the day of the Makerfield by-election – and the firm had made the suit he wore when he was sworn in at the Commons four days later. Mr Eden said: 'He specified a beautiful super 120s worsted wool suiting cloth, which is made from fine merino wool. 'Andy's extremely chatty and friendly, and chose perfectly. He knows exactly what he wants, and veers towards navy. 'I was a little in his ear asking how he wanted to look. We re-measured him, cut his pattern, cut the cloth, had it stitched, and he was wearing 48 hours later. 'A two-piece suit in super 120s wool would start from £1,500.' However, experts suggest the suits chosen by the PM would have exceeded £2,000. Mr Eden said Mr Burnham – who earns £174,000 as Prime Minister and was on £118,000 as mayor of Manchester, always paid his way. 'Andy came in most recently about a fortnight ago,' he added. 'I'm pretty sure he got another pair of our 'Marine' jeans and another couple of shirts.' The Prime Minister also wears the brand's 'open-collar sweater in cashmere' (£595), its 'merino wool blazer' (£495), and its 'Jack's Polo' shirts, which cost £195 each. Mr Eden said he approved of Mr Burnham's tendency to wear suits with a T-shirt, adding: 'It's stylish, it shows modernity. Andy wears so much of our stuff. He's got between a dozen and 20 pieces.' A Downing Street spokesman declined to comment. But a source close to the PM insisted: 'He also wears Fred Perry and Adidas and North Face and Paul Smith... He's been known to buy from M&S.'