Andy Burnham has vowed to open a second N0.10 in Manchester if he becomes prime minister – after eight years as Greater Manchester mayor, he knows which side his barm is buttered.
In his first speech since winning the Makerfield byelection, Andy Burnham today called for a fundamental reset of how Britain is governed, pressing ahead with his bid to replace Sir Keir Starmer as prime minister.
The former Greater Manchester mayor spoke at the People’s History Museum shortly after 11:30am, where he set out a number of ambitious plans. The most notable was his proposal to shift decision-making power away from Whitehall by establishing a ‘Number 10 in the North’.
Burnham said: ‘The change will be the biggest change in our lifetimes to the way the country is run, and it is consistent with the 2024 manifesto.
‘We will create a more streamlined state with a clearer purpose to power up all parts of the country and put a laser-like focus on growth and regeneration, good growth. The change will be driven through the prime minister’s office in an extended operation based here in Manchester.
‘But here’s the important thing; it will only be based here. The job of No.10 North will be to make power flow into the Midlands, into the South West, into the East of England and yes, into London.’
Burnham added that concentrating power in Whitehall had ‘blocked’ progress in Manchester, arguing: ‘It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down – it can only be nurtured from the bottom up.’
Despite not spelling out what would be given to different areas, Burnham suggested regions could be given greater control over services including water, energy and transport, while London could have more influence over areas such as education and housing.
He also said there would be ‘new opportunities to extend devolution in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by taking power deeper down’.
Alongside devolution plans, some of Burnham’s other pledges included ‘the biggest council house building programme’ since the post-war period; a ‘complete rethink’ of education and cuts to welfare in a ‘fair and lasting way’.
Industry reactions
Harry Quilter-Pinner, executive director of IPPR
‘Andy Burnham is right to put rebalancing Britain at the heart of his agenda. The UK’s concentration of power and opportunity in Westminster has held back growth, productivity and living standards for too long. This is a problem for London – blighted by overcrowding and house price inflation – as much as it is for the north and Midlands.
‘Labour is also right to reassure the markets by sticking to the fiscal rules. But fiscal discipline should not be confused with a lack of ambition. The government can still pursue a radical agenda by increasing investment, reforming the state and devolving real power over areas like skills, transport and local finances.’
Jonathan Carr-West, chief executive of the Local Government Information Unit
‘Andy Burnham’s speech today was the most ambitious statement on devolution we have seen from a senior politician in a generation.
‘At LGIU, we have always argued that national success has local foundations, and that democratic control, economic growth and excellence in public services cannot be achieved by working from the top down, only nurtured from the bottom up. Burnham appears to understand this based on his remarks this morning…
‘But vision requires a vehicle. We have seen ambitious visions before, and we have seen many governments come unstuck because of their failure to empower councils sufficiently.
‘Local government is the operational frontline of the state, and right now it is hollowed out and close to collapse. Number 10 North, reindustrialisation, housebuilding: none of this works without councils that have the capacity to deliver it.’
Chris Belfield, chief economist at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation
‘Strong communities help us to feel connected, confident and in control and Andy Burnham is right to focus on devolving more power to where people live. But strong communities can only flourish when they’re resilient to shocks. And there can only be hope in every heart when people expect their living standards to improve.
‘Household incomes are expected to fall between now and the end of the parliament. People can’t wait 10 years to see an improvement. This is why we need a plan for living standards that includes bold action on rent costs, energy prices, social security and employment protections.’
Laura Hughes, partner and head of public law at Browne Jacobson
‘Deeper devolution that gives mayoral combined authorities genuine control over powers and finances relating to portfolios such as further education is a core Andy Burnham policy.
‘It reflects what he’s built in Greater Manchester, where he has acknowledged prevention is better than cure. He understands that unemployment among 16 to 24-year-olds is a major reason for escalating welfare costs and tackling this issue begins with better early years education.
‘However, while it’s absolutely right that other areas should benefit from the additional powers given to Greater Manchester as part of the trailblazer devolution deal it secured, Sir Keir Starmer’s government had already introduced a process to enable the wholesale rolling out of these powers to strategic authorities via the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act.
‘Burnham may be able to accelerate the granting of additional powers to existing strategic authorities – and the creation of new ones – but questions remain on whether he is prepared to remove ringfencing around budgets so that mayors are given flexibility to make health interventions via education spending, for example.
‘Real fiscal autonomy holds the key to devolution delivering meaningful change in areas such as transport, skills and housing. Without genuine control over taxation and revenue, local areas remain fundamentally dependent on the centre – and that dependency undermines the very accountability that devolution is supposed to create.’
Sarah Elliott, chief executive of Shelter
‘Andy Burnham is right on the money here. Any government that is serious about fixing life’s foundations must start by delivering a new generation of social rent homes and strengthening the arm of councils to get building.
‘Council-built social homes once provided a stable basis for millions of people across the country to get on in life and succeed. Politicians have ignored this fact for far too long, while people’s hope dwindled away and our supply of genuinely affordable social rent homes fell through the floor.
‘Delivering the biggest council housebuilding programme since postwar period has the potential to utterly transform our country and restore the building blocks of people’s lives. To make this vision a reality, the government must set councils up to build by removing unsustainable debt and delivering a big boost to investment.’
Image: Shutterstock
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