Andy Burnham mocked as ‘real-life David Brent’ after guitar jam for Ukraine troops

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has been mocked on social media after pulling out a guitar for an impromptu jam session on the front line in Ukraine. The Labour leader was caught on camera on Monday strumming a tune by Manchester indie legends The Smiths while sitting in a mobile recording studio on his first official trip to Kyiv.

He was handed the instrument by members of Ukraine’s Cultural Forces unit – a group of military musicians who perform for troops and wounded soldiers in hospitals. To return the favour, Ukrainian troops even serenaded the former Greater Manchester Mayor with an Oasis track.

Burnham insisted that music can help “lift spirits” on the front line as he met President Volodymyr Zelensky on Ukraine’s Independence Day.

But back home, critics were quick to brand the performance as cringeworthy, comparing the PM to The Office boss David Brent.