Admittedly, Burnham arrives without the slate-cleaning magic of a fresh mandate won in a general election, but voters do seem ready to give him a chance.
There's a recognition that seven prime ministers in 10 years is not sustainable and that, for the country's sake, Burnham needs to succeed.
That translates into a goodwill that must not be squandered. It's not quite the same as optimism, which, after the past decade, is in short supply.
Perhaps it's closer to hope.
Either way, Burnham has to nurture it, staying true to what he said, in a speech today formally assuming the leadership of the Labour party, was his defining mission: “To bring back hope.”
It helps that he has an easier, sunnier demeanour than the man he follows, but he needs to learn from Starmer's early mistake.
If there are sober warnings to be delivered about, say, the economic outlook, he should leave those to his chancellor.
For now, the PM needs to persuade people that the future can be brighter.
If it works, and Labour's poll numbers improve, Burnham has to avoid what proved a fateful error for one of his former bosses.
There can be no talk of an early election, not so much as a whisper of it.
As Gordon Brown learned to his cost, such speculation rapidly develops its own momentum, until the decision is effectively made for you: you have to go to a snap poll, because to do otherwise looks like you've bottled it.
