Andy Burnham described the opening of No10 North on Friday morning as the “best day of his life”. For the first time in British history, the former Manchester Mayor has launched a northern branch to No10 Downing Street. The move out of SW1 is a conscious effort from Mr Burnham to shift power out of Whitehall and into the north as part of his devolution mission. He was chairing his first meeting of the revived National Economic Council at No10 North on Friday and is expected to work at the new headquarters “at least one day a week.”
Opening Remarks
Opening the new centre of government, Mr Burnham told staff: “I cannot tell you what a proud moment this is. I think this might be the best day of my life. I’m not joking either. I know you think I am, but I’m not.”
“Things are just completely coming full circle here for me, and to be here with you all in the heart of Manchester this Friday morning, at the end of a fairly big week, is just everything to me because it’s almost exactly 35 years since I left this city as a recently graduated young man who couldn’t find a job in the city,” he said.
Key Personnel
When Burnham is in London, first secretary and long-time ally Louise Haigh will oversee ministerial operations at No10 North, it is understood. Caroline Simpson, CEO of the Greater Manchester Authority, is also expected to play a key role in the new northern branch as the deputy chief of staff. Civil servants are now being offered relocation packages to encourage a move up north.
Location and Security
No10 North will initially be located at Heron House in central Manchester. The building currently houses offices for the intelligence service GCHQ. GCHQ is the UK’s equivalent to the NSA and focuses on technology, cyber security, and signals intelligence. Manchester was chosen as the site for the intelligence service in 2019 because of the region’s strong tech talent pool. Despite what its name suggests, No10 North is not actually located at number 10. The address for the northern branch is 47 Lloyd Street. As part of the opening, a replica door was brought inside the building.
Unlike Downing Street, which is permanently blocked off to the public by security gates and armed personnel, the surrounding areas of Heron House remain open to the public. However, images have shown an increased security presence around the building since it became the interim No10 North.
Permanent Base and Purpose
Heron House will only serve as the government’s interim northern base. A permanent base is still under construction and not due to complete until 2032. This is the government’s digital campus in the Ancoats area. When complete, the civil service office campus will span some 890,000 sq ft and will include offices for the Prime Minister and his various teams.
Andy Burnham has launched a devolution mission, designed to reverse decades of centralised power in London. No10 North plays a central part of his plans to move power out of Whitehall and will be tasked with its own objectives for the purpose of devolution. This includes increasing public ownership of utilities, reindustrialising parts of the country, and regenerating towns.
Cost
Downing Street has been resolute that the running of No10 North will be covered by existing budgets and that there is no additional cost to the taxpayer. The Prime Minister has defended the move consistently against “London-based” critics, explaining that the move will create “balance” and that it is not a “gimmick”.
