Andy Burnham delivered his first major speech after launching his bid to replace Keir Starmer as Prime Minister, arguing that Britain needs a “big rebalancing of power” and that devolution should no longer be treated as a Westminster-centred, top-down project.
At the center of his plans is the creation of a “No. 10 North” in Manchester. Burnham described it as the “nerve center of a rewired Britain,” a conduit to redistribute power and coordinate government work with national and local leaders—especially to set and support long-term economic strategies and growth ambitions for regions across the North, stretching from the Midlands to Yorkshire.
He also said government departments and agencies would be required to back strategic and local authorities with staffing and resources, and he committed to extending devolution further in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland by pushing authority deeper down—though he did not provide detailed mechanisms.
Beyond devolution, the speech framed a governing philosophy he called “Manchesterism,” emphasizing place-first politics, partnership, and problem-solving over party confrontation. Burnham tied that approach to priorities including reindustrialisation and education reform, as well as giving mayors and local authorities more responsibility to deliver change.
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