Two years ago I wrote, with a heavy heart, that I could no longer, despite over forty years of loyal support, bring myself to vote for the Labour Party in the UK general election under its then leadership.

The ensuing twenty-four months of the Keir Starmer premiership did nothing to incline me to waver in this decision. In fact, they served only to entrench it. Change without substance was promised and this was exactly what was delivered. The party drifted even further to the right and yet did little or nothing to alleviate the increasingly burdensome circumstances of a large severely disadvantaged minority of the British population, who have been failed repeatedly by a succession of UK governments since 1979.

Half a century of such hurt is hard to bear and it is no wonder that many of the hardest-hit citizens have quite simply given up hope: left the UK altogether, as I did in 1995; sunk into apathy; or been inveigled into extreme opinions by malign influences online. The situation has been compounded by no fewer than seven failed premierships in just over 16 years.

I am, however, different from some of my fellow disaffected Labour supporters, prepared to give the new leader the benefit of the doubt. It is, however, as he repeatedly puts it in his own words, ‘the last chance.’

Burnham’s Labour leadership acceptance speech today struck many of the right notes. Burnham is a personable and competent politician with a good track record of executive experience. He is also, on a personal level, the first prospective prime minister in my lifetime whom, because of shared aesthetic tastes, I could plausibly describe as being one of my own tribe. This means more than people may imagine in politics. Especially today.

I am not bothered, although many will be, by Burnham’s elevation to the premiership without a general election. There is nothing unconstitutional about this and it has happened many times before. It means, in fact, that Burnham has been spared the need to run the gauntlet of an overwhelmingly hostile extreme right-wing media and clip his wings accordingly. He may, therefore, be able to use Labour’s still large parliamentary majority to push through bold and perhaps unpopular measures. This may indeed turn out to be the opportunity that Labour has been waiting for all these years.

‘Last chance’, however, really does have to mean last chance, especially when the challenge is self-imposed.

The phrase is usually applied to someone else: an unruly child or a repeat offender. In such cases, it leaves open the possibility of a further act of generosity, even though this may not be wise.

When I give myself a ‘last chance,’ however, if I fail and then grant myself another ‘last chance’, I have already broken my word.

I believe that Mr. Burnham has a chance, however slim, of bringing about the kind of radical change that generations of Labour activists, supporters, and voters have long wanted,  and that he will be prepared to take the chances necessary to accomplish this without leaving anything to chance.

Last chance, Mr. Burnham. Let us wait and see.