Andy Burnham jokingly compared his political journey to the story depicted in the Bayeux Tapestry as he gave a speech at the British Museum celebrating its loan to the UK on Wednesday (2 September).
The prime minister said the embroidered cloth "shows a new leader emerging from a northern territory, travelling to the south of England in search of the crown, something clearly that couldn't happen today."
The 70-metre-long tapestry depicts the Norman conquest of England, when William the Conqueror invaded and defeated King Harold Godwinson.
It has returned to the UK for the first time in almost 1,000 years, on loan until September 2027 as part of a special trilateral agreement between the UK, France and the London museum.
