As the country awaits news of what an Andy Burnham-led government will do, one major indication of his vision emerged this week—along with an entirely predictable reaction. Mr Burnham, who looks set to take over as Labour leader and Prime Minister from the outgoing Keir Starmer next month, has made no secret of his belief that the country is seriously unequal and that far too much decision-making power over people's lives is conducted in Westminster.
Burnham's Vision for Northern Devolution
In his successful campaign to re-enter Parliament via the Makerfield constituency close to where he grew up, he spoke of changing the structures of power so places like his own did not feel so left behind. One way to achieve this, he believes, is to move elements of those power structures out of London, making people around the country feel closer to the decisions that affect their lives daily.
First revealed by the Financial Times, it is thought the putative Prime Minister—who looks set to run unopposed for the leadership—intends to move parts of the 10 Downing Street operation to Manchester as part of his radical plans for devolution. This should not surprise even the most casual observer. In his book Head North (co-authored by this correspondent), there is an entire chapter dedicated to creating "a federal UK through full devolution." During his time as Greater Manchester Mayor, he continually argued for more powers to be granted to regional authorities.
Reaction to the Plans
In Head North, he writes: "We must complete the process of devolving power out of Westminster to all parts of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to allow all the nations and regions to do much more for themselves. Only then will we usher in a new era where people and places can be masters of their own destiny—and free to collaborate—without everything having to pass through the distorting lens of Westminster."
For those of us who have spent our lives up north and have often felt this part of the country is not taken seriously enough by the heart of power in the south east, the reaction to this idea has been predictably depressing. I've lost count of the crude Coronation Street memes and gags that have popped up on social media alongside this news. One social media commentator, Brendan May, posted to his near 100,000 followers that he hoped the new Mancunian arm of government would be called "10 Coronation Street." Prior to this he posted: "I’m not sure ‘make Britain more like Manchester’ is quite the winning line some think it is. Most people I know have never even been there."
Patronising Attitudes
Now this is a Liverpool newspaper, so I say this with full awareness of the rivalry between the two great cities of the north west, but it is remarkable to see such views held of an economically and culturally important place like Manchester. Why are people talking about a global city like Manchester as though it is a tiny village on the edge of Mordor? And it goes much wider than Manchester, of course.
One London journalist, responding to the reports, quizzically asked, 'Wonder how many mandarins will take that gig up?' There are two parts to this. Why wouldn't people want to live in Manchester, or Liverpool or Leeds or other brilliant parts of the north? They will find much cheaper housing than London, great culture, beautiful countryside on their doorsteps, and they might even be able to get a pint after 11pm. As a follow-up point, how about we start to give some of those government jobs to people from this part of the world, where there is no shortage of talent or skill? If we do that we might start to change the tired, stagnant Westminster culture that has hung over us all for so long.
Burnham's Authenticity Questioned
There is no doubt that Burnham has played up to his true Northern roots during the Makerfield campaign, and why not? He is not lying when he says he loves Everton and The Smiths and that the communities of these parts of the country are full of the sorts of people he feels at home with. It is possible to be northern and to like being northern and for that to be ok.
Former Brexit Party MEP and current peer Claire Fox appeared to suggest even Burnham's northern accent was part of some sort of act. Speaking on BBC Politics Live she said: "Let me tell you, people in the north of this country aren't interested in someone aping their accent." I'm not sure how Baroness Fox of Buckley would expect someone born in Liverpool who grew up in Culcheth to sound, but I can tell her they would sound a fair bit like Andrew Murray Burnham.
The Potential of the North
There seems to be a suggestion that the new Prime Minister will have a focus on the north purely because he is from here or because he likes the music and football here, but this patronising, London-centric mindset ignores one huge point. This and the wider north of the country and all of the great towns and cities within it are full of untapped potential that, with the right attention and investment that has been sadly lacking for so long, can help to power this country forward. We all know it and now we will have a Prime Minister who knows it as well.
