Andy Burnham could be installed as the next Prime Minister as soon as next month, raising questions about what his leadership would mean for Scotland. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said the next Prime Minister must offer "hope" to people across the UK if Labour is to beat Reform UK at the next general election.
Sarwar Stays, Looks to Future PM
Sarwar announced today that he does not intend to follow Keir Starmer in exiting frontline politics and instead said he looked forward to working with whoever becomes the next PM. Burnham, the clear favourite to take on the top job, was a successful mayor of Greater Manchester. But could he replicate that in Scotland?
Burnham is a strong proponent of regional devolution, as expected from someone who led one of the biggest cities in England, as well as bringing back public transport under greater public control.
Burnham's Vision for Scottish Cities
Speaking to the Record in 2024, Burnham argued Scotland's largest cities would have a "bigger voice" if they were represented by a directly elected mayor like those in Manchester or Liverpool. He said places like Glasgow were being "held back" by not having a recognisable figurehead and were "not making their presence felt" at Holyrood or Westminster as a result.
Burnham was elected as Mayor of Greater Manchester, a region that includes 10 separate local authorities, in 2017 and has since won two further landslide victories. He told the Record: "Our perception would be, perhaps, the Scottish cities are being held back, or disempowered, and are not making their presence felt."
Metro Mayors and Devolution
There are currently 10 metro mayors in England with powers devolved directly from Westminster. All of them, with the exception of London, represent combined authorities. Scottish Labour has discussed the idea of creating similar roles north of the Border, with the city regions of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen likely candidates.
Burnham continued: "You look at a great city like Glasgow, which is pretty much the same as Liverpool or Manchester in terms of its heritage, its people, and its influences. It's a working class industrial city with strengths and challenges. We would both say, if there was an elected provost, or mayor, of Glasgow, we would be talking to that person every couple of weeks. Glasgow would have a bigger voice, I think, both in Scotland and the UK."
Bottom-Up Devolution Works
"Bottom-up devolution works. If you do get power out of Westminster, out of Holyrood and push it right down, you create the conditions for progress, for economic growth, and for people feeling they are more involved," he added. He noted: "I mean no disrespect to the leader of Glasgow City Council. I'm not talking about a mayor just elected for the city. For a functional economy, you need someone who can pull together the city region. The strength of Manchester is, it's supported by Stockport, Trafford and Salford. It's organising transport and planning to build growth across the region. And we also have a role in speaking for the areas around the city. But I do think Glasgow could be more powerful when all of its parts are pulling in the same direction."
Sarwar on Hope and Politics
Asked what Scotland could expect from a Burnham government, Sarwar said today: "Ultimately, there are individual issues which people want to see confronted, like whether that be the cost of living crisis, how safe people feel in their own community and challenges we face more broadly. There is a lack of hope in this country. And there is a disengagement and a disenfranchisement across the country. And I think that's a dangerous and difficult point for our democracy. Fundamentally, we need to see a politics that gives hope back to people, brings heart back to our politics. I think we're in the fight of our lives. This isn't just an existential battle for the Labour party, it's going to be a period where we are fighting for the heart and soul of our country, and Labour has to be making that fight."
