On Thursday morning, one of the first officials to speak publicly about the terrorist attack on a synagogue in Manchester was Andy Burnham, the city’s popular and plain-speaking mayor.
In an interview with BBC Radio Manchester at around 10:30 a.m., Mr. Burnham confirmed that a “serious incident” had taken place less than an hour before in his city, in northwestern England. He added: “I can give some reassurance immediately to people, that the immediate danger appears to be over.”
He did not give more details at that point. But within the next 10 minutes, the police announced that the attacker, who had rammed into people with his vehicle and then began wielding a knife outside the synagogue, had been fatally shot.
Mr. Burnham, a Labour Party member who was elected for a third term as mayor of the city last year, had spent much of the past two weeks in the headlines for an entirely different reason: airing his criticism of Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Labour leader.
In the run-up to the annual Labour conference, which took place in Liverpool earlier this week, Mr. Burnham positioned himself as a possible rival to Mr. Starmer, giving interviews in which he called for the government to be more radical as it confronts Reform U.K., the populist right-wing party now leading British opinion polls.
The attack in Manchester, which killed two people and injured at least four others, is likely to unite — at least for a while — the two politicians as they mourn the victims, search for answers about the attacker and attempt to ease community fears.
Both Mr. Burnham and Mr. Starmer quickly condemned the attack, which occurred on Yom Kippur, a day of repentance and atonement that occupies a pre-eminent place on the Jewish calendar.
“Today we have witnessed a vile attack on our Jewish community on its holiest day,” Mr. Burnham wrote on social media. “We condemn whoever is responsible and will do everything within our power to keep people safe,” adding that he stood with Greater Manchester’s Jewish community “and will work through the day to support them.”
Mr. Starmer, who was in Denmark for a European summit on migration, left early to chair an emergency meeting in London. In his remarks to reporters before leaving Denmark, Mr. Starmer said that he had already spoken with Mr. Burnham.
Later on Thursday, in a speech broadcast live from Downing Street, the prime minister said: “To every Jewish person in this country, I also want to say this: I know how much fear you will be holding inside of you,” adding: “Britain will come together to wrap our arms around your community and show you that Britain is a place where you and your family are safe, secure and belong.”
Violent attacks often bring even the fiercest political rivals together in the hours and days after they occur. In some cases, politicians set aside their differences in the interests of an investigation or to avoid being insensitive while funerals are held.
That unity can be fleeting. After the killing of the conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the United States, President Trump and many of his allies have attacked anyone who refers to Mr. Kirk’s history of inflammatory comments about Jewish, gay and Black people.
In Britain on Thursday, political party leaders were united in condemning the attack in Manchester and expressing sympathy for the victims, their families and the broader Jewish community. Mr. Starmer; Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the opposition Conservative Party; and Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform U.K., all issued similar statements of shock and horror that noted that the attack took place on Yom Kippur.
Michael D. Shear is a senior Times correspondent covering British politics and culture, and diplomacy around the world.
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