Andy Burnham will cut central Government to make it “far smaller,” according to Peckham MP Miatta Fahnbulleh, one of his key allies. She stressed that Whitehall would be “streamlined” as part of his devolution revolution. The radical reshaping of Britain’s governing system is set to see tens of thousands of posts moved out of London to the regions.
Streamlining National Government
Asked whether the Prime Minister-in-waiting’s plans would just lead to more bureaucracy, Ms Fahnbulleh told Sky News: “The point Andy made that was very important was he will be looking to streamline national government so it's far smaller, far more strategic, and we're building capacity at the local level.”
Mr Burnham is proposing the “biggest devolution of power in modern times”. It will see regional mayors handed far more powers, including in London on homes and education. The landmark reforms are also expected to lead to billions more pounds of public money being spent in the regions as Mr Burnham seeks to rebalance the UK’s economy.
Reactions from London Leaders
Sir Sadiq Khan has welcomed the devolution of powers but has warned Mr Burnham not to reduce investment in the capital. Ms Fahnbulleh insisted that Mr Burnham had a mandate from Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto for the “devolution revolution” but that it had not been delivered by Sir Keir Starmer with “the ambition and the oomph that I wanted”.
The London MP, who was the first minister to resign in the revolt against Sir Keir, added: “What you're seeing Andy set out is how we do that.” She stressed it would mean “giving people who understand and know their patch” the powers and levers to deliver change and boost their local economies, communities and the country.
Devolution and Local Control
Pressed whether she was comfortable handing more power to Reform UK councils, she added: “If you devolve power, you devolve power, and ultimately it's the people for those communities that decide who the elected politicians are. The thing that is important for me is whether it's a Reform council a Labour council or Tory council, they're ultimately trying to do what they think is best for their communities, and more importantly, when they walk out the door, they've got their communities in their face if they get things wrong.”
Mr Burnham, who will become Prime Minister on July 20 unless there is a surprise challenger to be Labour leader, will set up a “No10 North” to drive economic growth in the regions. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has urged Andy Burnham not to jettison her economic plans. He has pledged not to abandon Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ fiscal rules and it is not yet clear how he will fund many of his measures.
Funding Concerns
City chiefs have warned Mr Burnham not to hit London banks with a windfall tax of up to £60 billion over four years as he seeks funds for his reforms. Asked if Mr Burnham has a mandate to be PM, given he may walk into No10 without voters having a say, Ms Fahnbulleh said: “We are a parliamentary democracy, we're not a presidential democracy in this country, and in the end, people elected Labour MPs...and if Labour MPs support Andy Burnham, that's the way our system works.”
