Andy Burnham unveils No. 10 North plan to shift power from Westminster

London,UPDATED: Jun 29, 2026 17:56 IST

Andy Burnham, widely seen as the UK’s prime minister-in-waiting, on Monday said he would give Britain the “circuit breaker” it needs by shifting power away from Westminster and pursuing what he called “good growth” across the country. In his first major policy speech since returning to Westminster politics as the MP for Makerfield, Burnham set out a plan centred on greater devolution for England’s regions.

The former Mayor of Greater Manchester, whose leadership challenge and strong backing within the governing Labour Party led to Prime Minister Keir Starmer announcing his resignation last week, said power would be moved out of 10 Downing Street in London to a new “No. 10 North” in northern England. Burnham remains the only candidate in the Labour leadership race and is likely to be elected unopposed by mid-July, after the party’s Executive Committee formally opens and closes nominations by July 16.

Presenting his vision of “Manchesterism” at the launch event for the new People’s History Museum in Manchester, the 56-year-old said: “I am going to give Britain the circuit breaker it needs by building a more collaborative politics in Westminster by taking power out of the centre and putting it in the hands of the people and places who can use it best.”

He said “No. 10 North will be the nerve centre of a rewired Britain” and described it as the channel through which power and resources would be redistributed across the UK. “It will coordinate all parts of government at national and local level to agree a long-term economic strategy and help all places set new growth ambitions,” he said.

Burnham said it had been “a wrench to leave” Manchester and return to London as an MP, but said he felt compelled to do so because the country was “stuck in a rut” because of a “broken” Westminster political system. “After 10 years of political turbulence since Brexit and 20 years of falling living standards since the 2008 financial crash, Westminster has not been working for people, and it has not been working for a very long time. It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down. Instead, it can only be nurtured from the bottom up,” he said.

He also appeared to signal plans stretching across the next two general elections by setting out a 10-year programme. “Ours will be a 10-year mission to raise living standards across the land. To do this, Number 10 North will support the regions on three clear tasks: reform of essential utilities, reindustrialisation, and the regeneration of places,” Burnham said.

Using “imagine good growth in every postcode and hope in every heart” as his main message, Burnham did not spell out the shape of his top team or give much detail on foreign policy. But he broadly stuck to Labour’s 2024 general election manifesto, promising to “revitalise” Britain’s high streets by cutting business rates for shops and pubs so they become the “new symbol of Britain’s renaissance” as part of a wider effort to raise living standards.

A message that he would be “running sound finances” helped the Pound Sterling rally after the speech, while bond markets stayed steady as he indicated that he would remain within the fiscal rules. Overall, Burnham used the speech to pitch a long-term, devolved growth plan while underlining continuity on Labour’s wider economic approach.

With PTI Inputs

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