Andy Burnham today showed exactly why Labour MPs are desperate for him to replace Keir Starmer as prime minister as he laid out his vision for the country.

The former mayor of Greater Manchester was pretty much everything the current PM is not.

From the smart-casual clothes he wore to the easy charm with which he delivered his speech, this was clearly a man who – unlike Starmer – is very comfortable in his own skin.

His remedy for the UK’s ills also stand in marked contrast to the man who he will replace in 10 Downing Street in less than a month’s time.

Burnham was clear that he wants nothing less than the complete “rewiring” of the way Britain is run, with a huge shift of power away from Westminster to local communities and regions across England.

That, he said, would lead to the biggest council house building programme since the post-war period, economic growth “in every postcode”, lower energy bills and prices coming down in the shops.

He also signalled a massive change in education policy, with a greater focus on technical qualifications rather than the drive to get more young people to go to university.

“I am going to do things differently,” Burnham declared. “I am going to break with the ‘more of the same’ approach that has got us here.

“I am going to give Britain the circuit-breaker it needs by building a more collaborative politics in Westminster, by taking power out of the centre and putting it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best.”

A bit like motherhood and apple pie, there was little in the speech that any reasonable person could, in good faith, take exception to.

But for all the soaring rhetoric about putting “hope in every heart”, it lacked one important thing: an explanation of how it will all work in practice.

Burnham failed to explain how putting more power in the hands of local politicians rather than those in Whitehall will magically improve the lives of everyone in the country.

It was therefore unfortunate, to put it mildly, that the many journalists who had been invited to watch the speech were not then given the opportunity to ask him questions about it.

Because let’s not forget, this is a man who was not even an MP a month ago, and yet stands on the threshold of assuming the highest office in the land without even having to go to the trouble of winning a leadership contest, let alone a general election.

What’s more, he is a man who – for all his previous ministerial experience from 20 years ago – has not even been an MP for the best part of a decade.

If this is not the time for him to answer detailed questions about what exactly he plans to do with the reins of power, then when till it be?

How does he plan to stop the small boats crossing the English Channel, for instance, or get to grips with the ballooning welfare bill?

And that’s before we even come to how he plans to deal with the threat posed by Vladimir Putin or repair the UK government’s relations with Donald Trump’s White House.

Which brings us to another – more worrying – difference between Andy Burnham and Keir Starmer.

For all his faults, the soon-to-be-former PM would not have made a speech like that and then refused to take any questions on it.

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Eating a balanced (largely Mediterranean) diet, steering clear of stress, and quitting smoking are just some of the ways to help reduce your heart attack risk.

Exercise also has a huge bearing. Studies have consistently found physical activity has a protective effect against heart disease, which can lead to heart attacks. 

Adding to this body of evidence, researchers recently looked at the routine heart scans of 1,722 people, mostly in their fifties, who’d experienced chest pain.

Using artificial intelligence to analyse the scans, they found people with greater muscle density in their chest and back were less likely to have a heart attack or die in the decade after having the scan. 

One of the study’s senior authors, Professor Michelle Williams, from the Centre for Cardiovascular Science at the University of Edinburgh, said the findings have inspired her to go to the gym twice a week (where possible) and walk for an hour a day.

“It is fascinating that people’s skeletal muscle could be linked to their risk of having a heart attack. The muscles which show up in the scans we used … are principally the back muscles, part of the pectoral muscles (or ‘pecs’) and the intercostal muscles between the ribs,” she said. 

“So I am now personally interested in exercises like cycling, planks and pilates, which I enjoy and may have an effect on these muscles. However we need far more research to better understand how exercise may affect muscle density, and how this may relate to heart health.”

The reduction in heart attack risk was witnessed even after taking into account other factors which may increase a person’s risk of heart attack and death, such as age, sex and the amount of calcium build-up up in their arteries. 

Researchers said it’s likely that people who exercise enough to have strong muscles in their upper body have a healthy lifestyle which protects their heart in other ways.

What type of exercise should I prioritise for heart health?

The researchers said all kinds of exercise, not just strength-training, can improve muscle density.

The size of people’s muscles was not linked to their risk of a heart attack or early death, which suggests it is the composition of the muscle which matters. 

Cardiac rehab physiotherapist Helen Alexander previously told the British Heart Foundation (BHF) that three types of exercise can help strengthen heart health.

These are:

1. Aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, cycling and swimming,

2. Resistance and strength training, such as lifting weights, using resistance bands, doing squats and press-ups,

3. Exercise that improves balance and flexibility, such as tai chi and yoga.

Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific and medical officer at the BHF, which helped fund the study, said the findings provide “yet more evidence supporting the power of exercise”.

“Every time we move, we are making a positive difference to our muscles, our blood vessels and our overall health, and regular exercise can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by up to a third,” he said.