Bridesmaids arriving for a 10.30am wedding ceremony in Manchester city centre found themselves dealing with an unusual big day curveball: an uninvited guest in the shape of Andy Burnham was threatening to upstage the bride.
The Prime Minister was due to open No 10 North in Heron House, an office building that also happens to host the city’s registry office on the ground floor. Joined by Chancellor John Healey, Burnham described his first day at the new Manchester base as “the best day of my life”.
“Andy Burnham opens No 10 North in Manchester, upstaging a wedding and sparking debate over security costs.”
Defending the cost of the new centre against “London-based” critics, Burnham told staff: “At least it creates that sense of a more balanced country, and that big things can be done from here.” Heron House is temporarily accommodating No 10 North while a brownfield site just outside the city is developed for a permanent home.
The move has not come without security concerns. Dai Davies, a former head of royal protection and former Metropolitan police divisional commander, dubbed the Manchester base “Number 10A”. He warned: “Number 10A will have to be strengthened, and, of course, there’ll have to be a 24-hour-7 protection. So it’s going to cost us taxpayers millions in terms of technical security, surveillance, cameras.” Davies added that Manchester police would bear the burden of round-the-clock protection, pushing the real cost into “many millions of pounds”.
Meanwhile, the wedding party downstairs had to share the building with the new prime ministerial operation — a reminder that even a symbol of balanced government can create unexpected friction.