Correspondents

Patrick Burns

He joined the BBC straight from Manchester University where he graduated in Politics and Modern History. He first joined the Lobby at Westminster in the mid-eighties, the heyday of Mrs Thatcher's government. Since then he says he has seen many changes, not least a gradual erosion of general public interest in political processes.

Patrick says "If people tell me they're bored by Politics, I ask them if they are also bored by questions surrounding the education of their children, their own employment prospects, transport, housing, the health service: of course they are not. My mission is to explain how relevant politics really is, at street-level not just within the Westminster village, the European Parliament or the town hall."

Patrick can be seen every weekend on ‘The Politics Show’ (BBC1, Sundays, 1200-1300) as well as regular appearances on Midlands Today. He also contributes to BBC local radio and on-line output in the West Midlands. He says “I particularly enjoys the challenge of live broadcasting, especially during elections when you go on-air not knowing where events are about to take you, telling the story the moment it unfolds.”

He lives in Birmingham with two cats and one wife. They have one son and one daughter, both junior doctors. Patrick was himself awarded an honorary doctorate by Staffordshire University in 2007, in recognition of his services to the communities of the West Midlands. He is also a school governor and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.