Andy Burnham – the future Prime Minister of the UK – is not shy of making a media appearance. And the Daily Star has delved into the archives to find some truly bizarre moments from throughout his political career.
One of the most random ones, shows Andy staring deeply into the soul of a drag queen at The Mirror's Labour Party Conference event in 2021 – there's no ID on who the drag queen is, but Burnham looks both confused and a bit lost.

Anyone who knows Andy, knows he loves football, and there are many, many images of him playing football with some bone fide legends of the game, such as Gus Poyet an, erm, Ed Balls.

The massive Everton fan (boooo) opened up to Four Four Two magazine a few years ago about his love of the game, and said: “It would have been around 1973 and I would have only been about two or three years old. I have a very dim memory of going up the steps to the game and seeing the green.

“One of the games I do remember was against Bristol City at Goodison in 1976 it was my brother’s 8th birthday and we beat them 2-0. The other one that sticks in my mind from that era is against Sunderland with big Duncan McKenzie running the show, he was like a matador. I remember him jumping over a mini, a very flamboyant character.”

And he has some cracking early memories of the game, too, involving Everton legend Greame Sharp.

He said: “I remember Graeme Sharp scoring a goal against Spurs in 1982 it was a volley from the edge of the box. Another famous one was from the Merseyside derby at Anfield leaping from the edge of the box in 1984. I did encroach upon the playing surface at Highbury that year when Adrian Heath scored a late winner (against Southampton).

“The goal that a lot of Evertonians my age will point to will be Trevor Steven’s goal against Bayern Munich in terms of the significance of the occasion taking us to the final of the Cup Winners' Cup in 1985.”

One of the most wild images if Burnham's first ever Parliamentary mugshot. He looks young, unburdened by the sands of political time and seemingly unaware of the chaos he'd create later in life. He also seems to love running, and was snapped alongside British icon Eddie Izzard on Brighton Beach in 2013.Also pictured is Alastair Campbell for some reason.

Andy is also known for being quite full of facial expressions, as several images show. The first is from when he was Health Secretary alongside the-then Government's chief medical officer Liam Donaldson watching as a nurse is giving a swine flu vaccination at the University College London Hospital during the mass immunisation programme in October, 2009 – he looks horrified . . . very horrified.

Another shows him talking to member of staff at an anti-viral clinic in Tower Hamlets in July 2009, but seemingly standing like how WWE stars watch TV screen, from bizarre angles with no logic behind it. In 2008, Andy debuted a really weird scarf. It's not short, it's not long, it's not medium – but it is rather big and seemingly pointless while his coat and suit jacket are both open wide.

During the pandemic, one of Andy's most infamous facial expressions took place when the-then leader of Manchester City Council Sir Richard Leese was seen showing him the news from London that the Tier 3 measures would come into force on October 20, 2020 in Manchester. Talks between Burnham and the Government had collapsed hours before after they failed to agree a financial package to help Mancunians whose jobs are threatened by a Tier Three lockdown – and into lockdown they went.

Burnham's career has been a memorable one, but his face often tells a different story to the one he perhaps wants to portray . . . even behind a mask. And a penny for his thoughts at this moment, less than two years ago – because in hindsight, we all knew what was coming.