Andy Burnham may still be weeks away from stepping into Number 10 to replace Sir Keir Starmer, but his 'King of the North' status already appears to be ruffling feathers in Westminster. It was reported this week that the new MP for Makerfield is planning to relocate some of the Downing Street operation to Manchester, should he become Prime Minister as expected.
Mr Burnham has been perhaps the most prominent critic of the nation's “London-centric” political system during his decade as the mayor of Greater Manchester, in which he enacted reforms such as taking the area's bus network under public control, and is a strong advocate of devolving greater power to the regions.
Concerns Over Rural and Coastal Voters
According to The Times, some Labour MPs fear his agenda could “alienate voters in rural, coastal and commuter belt seats”. One could only speculate how voters in the swathes of rural villages, coastal communities, and commuter towns across the North might feel about that, given that they face many problems in common with similarly isolated or deprived areas in the South West and elsewhere.
Wishlist from Northern Mayors
But it is becoming clear that PM Burnham will likely arrive into his new office to find a pile of requests from some of his former counterparts. North East mayor Kim McGuinness has unveiled a proposal she intends to put to the next Prime Minister, calling for a 10-year deal from the Government to hand her office significant new powers and money to combat the generational crisis that sees more than 20% of 16 to 24-year-olds in our region currently out of employment, education or training.
She announced that push the day after mayors and sporting icons from across the North gathered in Sheffield to hash out plans for a bid to jointly host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the 2040s. Mr Burnham supported that campaign in his previous job and there will be an expectation that, as Prime Minister, he would take action to help make that dream a reality – and lay the groundwork for the vast investment in new and improved sporting, cultural, and transport infrastructure that would be required to stage the showpiece event.
Infrastructure Demands
With the ex-health secretary in line to become the first Prime Minister born in the North of England since Harold Wilson, expect him to also face calls to push forward a variety of stalled or cancelled projects. The revival of the northern leg of the HS2 rail link from Birmingham to Manchester is one of his own passion projects, and politicians hoping for similar boosts for schemes like the long-awaited Leeds tram network and the dualling of the A1 in Northumberland may well be eager to grab Mr Burnham's attention.
Economic Vision and Cabinet Speculation
Such things will not be quick or cheap to achieve, while there has already been much speculation over who could serve as a potential replacement for Rachel Reeves as Chancellor. Energy secretary Ed Miliband is viewed as a potential candidate who would back a more radical agenda, while others have reportedly told Mr Burnham to appoint Wes Streeting in order to reassure the markets.
While ruling himself out of the contest, senior Labour minister Darren Jones urged the Labour leadership frontrunner to set out more details of his vision and claimed that upwards of 100 MPs had expressed concerns about economic policy or “were just feeling pretty depressed off the back of Keir Starmer resigning”. With Mr Burnham expected to give a major speech on the economy next week, we may soon have a better idea of what his premiership will look like and what it will mean for the North.
