What’s so bad about professional politicians anyway?

If you’re at all ambitious in Westminster these days, the most important thing is to show that you’re not a professional politician. Generally, the accepted definition of ‘professional politician’ is someone who has done something normal as far away from Westminster as possible before entering Parliament.

But some alter the standard definition at their convenience to also mean ‘has a northern accent’ or ‘isn’t from a posh family or school’. That second may make someone stand out in Parliament: given how expensive it is to stand in an election, it helps if you’ve got wealth of some kind, and private schools are disproportionately represented in Parliament.

Today Andy Burnham has released a leadership video that shows his wife rather undermining his claim not to be a ‘professional politician’. ’Remember what you said to me on the first night when I said, oh what do you want to do when you grow up?’ she asks, while sitting neatly on a sofa with a cup of tea looking like she’s part of an Everyday Couple.