"Biggest Change Of Our Lifetimes": Andy Burnham Sets Out Plan To Move Power Away From Westminster
Andy Burnham gave a speech in Manchester on Monday morning (Alamy)
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Andy Burnham has said he would “do things differently” and lead a huge transfer of power out of Westminster in a speech setting out his vision for power.
On Monday morning, Burnham gave his first speech since announcing he would stand to become leader of the Labour Party and prime minister after Keir Starmer announced his resignation last week.
Burnham is widely expected to become PM this month, with the former Greater Manchester mayor backed by large numbers of Labour MPs.
Speaking at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, the city where he was mayor for nearly a decade before returning to the House of Commons, Burnham set out his central proposal of “taking power out of the centre” in Whitehall and transferring it to the regions and mayors.
He described a vision to have "good growth in every postcode" through a “bottom-up” approach, replacing a centralised, top-down model.
This would include expanding 10 Downing Street and putting part of it in Manchester.
“No 10 North will be the nerve centre of a rewired Britain,” Burnham said.
“It will be the conduit through which we redistribute power and resources across the UK. It will coordinate all parts of government at a national and local level to agree a long-term economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions. It will be given a mission to strive for equivalent living conditions in all parts of Britain, borrowing from the basic law.”
He said No 10 North will support the regions to reform essential utilities, lead on reindustrialisation and deliver the regeneration of places.
“True to the motto of this city, I am going to do things differently to break with the more of the same approach that has got us here,” Burnham said.
“I am going to give Britain the circuit breaker it needs by building a more collaborative politics in Westminster, by taking power out of the centre, and putting it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best, and in so doing creating a new sense of agency, possibility and hope flowing around the country. We will make politics work for you and the place where you live.”
He highlighted what he has learned from his experience as mayor of Greater Manchester, describing how when he started in that role in 2017, he had wanted to build a new approach: “A new politics based on the exact opposite of the Westminster approach, place first, not party first, problem solving, not point scoring, long term, not short term.”
Turning to the state of Westminster politics, Burnham said it was now a more “fragmented, disjointed place” than when he left as MP nearly 10 years ago, and pledged to “change that culture, leading from the front and showing how things can be different”.
He said he would reform the whip system so that it isn't used to "create fear or close down debate" among Labour MPs, and make sure his government would draw on "the breadth and depth of talent and expertise our party has to offer”.
He also pledged to create a more cooperative culture in Westminster by reaching out to other political parties and building common ground.
Andy Burnham is greeted by his fellow Labour metro mayors at his speech in Manchester on Monday morning (Alamy)
After winning the Makerfield by-election earlier this month and returning to Parliament as an MP, the former mayor is now widely expected to run unchallenged to be leader without a contest, as no other candidate has yet stepped forward to throw their hat in the ring.
Burnham won the Makerfield seat comfortably, despite it being a Reform target area where Nigel Farage’s party had been polling very well in the months preceding the contest. Burnham described the “Makerfield test” of his own by-election victory as being at the heart of decision-making in his future government.
Addressing speculation over who he would appoint to the top jobs in his cabinet, Burnham said he would not announce decisions until the leadership contest process was complete.
“So, until then, feel free to discount the wild speculation in circulation,” he said.
“While the political direction I set is not up for negotiation, I will build an inclusive team at the very highest level, so that all parts of the party and the country can see themselves reflected and represented in it.”
There is currently fevered speculation about who Burnham will choose to be his chancellor, with Energy Secretary Ed Miliband, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and former health secretary Wes Streeting all seen as candidates.
However, Burnham insisted he would stick to the government’s fiscal rules and not deviate from Labour’s 2024 election manifesto.
Burnham committed to a 10-year mission to raise living standards across the country through reindustrialisation, housing, infrastructure and reform of essential utilities.
Responding to the influential Alan Milburn report on youth unemployment, Burnham said the country needs a “complete rethink” of how we support the next generation to succeed, starting with the education system.
“A school system configured entirely around the university route will be brought to an end,” he said, adding that he would support calls from mayors for devolution of employment support, which he said would help to reduce the welfare bill.
He also pledged that No 10 would oversee the “biggest council house building program since the postwar period”, using vacant public land to reduce costs.
Burnham promised to reform business rates to support pubs and high street businesses that bring social and community benefits.
“Shouldn’t we make our high streets the new symbol of Britain's Renaissance?” Burnham asked, to a round of applause in the room.
He added that there should be more devolved powers for London over education and housing, “so that London can do more for itself and remain the world's greatest capital city”. Burnham will be seeking to reassure Labour colleagues in the capital, after some expressed nervousness over the weekend around his anti-London messaging.
