Andy Burnham, the Labour MP for Makerfield and former Mayor of Greater Manchester, has set out a new direction for the country, with a specific pitch to London. He argues that after 10 years of political turbulence since Brexit and 20 years of falling living standards since the financial crash, Westminster is broken and a circuit-breaker is needed. His plan focuses on rebalancing power, raising living standards, and fostering growth from the bottom up.
The Need for Change
Burnham states that everyone can feel the country is not where it should be, with pressures felt in bills, rent, high streets, transport, and at the end of every month. In London, this feeling is present in Newham, Brent, Croydon, Barking, and Tottenham. He emphasizes that Westminster has not been working for people for a very long time and that a new approach is required.
A New Collaborative Politics
Burnham proposes building a more collaborative politics in Westminster by taking power out of the centre and putting it in the hands of people and places. He cites his experience as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017, where a place-first, problem-solving, long-term approach was adopted. He would bring this approach to London, backing housing, transport, skills, and public services, and giving boroughs the power and resources to build homes and support young people.
Number 10 North and Devolution
Burnham plans to establish a 'Number 10 North' as the nerve centre of a rewired Britain, redistributing power and resources across the UK. This would end Whitehall's resistance to devolution, requiring all departments to support local areas and make quicker, joined-up decisions. He outlines a 10-year mission to raise living standards, focusing on three tasks: reform of essential utilities, reindustrialisation, and regeneration of places.
Three-Point Plan for Growth in London
Utilities
Burnham advocates for greater public control of essential services like water, housing, energy, and transport, learning from the model that transformed bus networks in Greater Manchester. Ten-year plans would aim to bring down costs for individuals, families, and businesses in London, focusing on housing, energy, and transport to prevent people from overpaying while wages stagnate.
Reindustrialisation
Every region should have clear industrial ambitions. In London, the opportunities lie in life sciences, clean technology, and digital and creative industries. Burnham stresses that jobs, skills, and apprenticeships must be rooted in communities. He criticizes public procurement that chases cheap deals abroad and vows to safeguard sovereign manufacturing in critical sectors like steel, defence, energy, food, and farming. He also calls for 45-day work placements and apprenticeships for young people and parity between academic and technical education.
Regeneration
Burnham highlights the loss of almost one and a half million council homes since the 1980s, leading to a housing trap. He proposes the biggest council house building programme since the post-war era, using vacant public land and adopting a national Housing First philosophy. For London, this means more council homes and genuinely affordable homes in areas like Brent, Greenwich, Tower Hamlets, Westminster, and Hillingdon, along with revived high streets and local centres. He also pledges to reform business rates to support pubs and high street businesses.
Conclusion
Burnham concludes by asking Londoners to imagine a country where all local areas can build affordable homes, bring down energy costs, and ensure good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart. He asserts that politics should work for people and the places they live, backing their strengths and giving communities power to shape their own future.
