Three weeks before he is expected to move into Downing Street, Andy Burnham has laid out a vision that would see the biggest rebalancing of power in political history, with a new prime ministerial office in Manchester and a council housebuilding programme not seen since the postwar era. The man who twice failed to become Labour leader finally secured the prize after a decade away from Westminster as mayor of Greater Manchester, and his first speech as the presumptive prime minister was deliberately held in Manchester, not London. At its heart is what he calls 'Manchesterism' – using his approach in Greater Manchester as a blueprint for the rest of the country.
Burnham's plans centre on a significant devolution of powers away from Westminster to locally-elected leaders across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The most eye-catching announcement was 'Number 10 North' – a new prime ministerial office based in Manchester that would have specific responsibility for the biggest council housebuilding programme since the postwar period. This raises questions about the role of the Ministry of Housing and suggests a wider shakeup of government machinery may be coming. Burnham also vowed to give new powers to locally-elected leaders across the country, including in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, calling it the 'biggest rebalancing of power' in political history.
“Andy Burnham's devolution and housing plans explained”
The background to Burnham's approach lies partly in the postwar government of Clement Attlee, which nationalised 20% of the economy and created the NHS. Like Attlee, Burnham sees state ownership as part of the solution to Britain's economic problems. Labour's original clause IV, dating back to 1918, called for 'common ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange', and in 1934 the party drew up a radical programme to nationalise banking, land and basic industries such as fuel, power, transport, iron and steel. The Great Depression had dented faith in free-market economics, just as the 2008 financial crisis did in modern times. Burnham's speech was billed as an economic one – promising to raise living standards, reform business rates to support pubs, and hinting at giving people 'a bit extra' to cope with rising costs – but at its core it was about power and where it is exercised.
For UK readers, these plans matter because they would directly affect how your area is governed and how public services are delivered. If implemented, more decisions about housing, transport and economic development would be made by regional mayors rather than Whitehall. The housebuilding pledge is particularly significant: successive governments have failed to meet their housing targets. Labour under Sir Keir Starmer promised 1.5 million homes by 2029 but fell well short. Burnham's pledge for the 'biggest council house building programme since the postwar period' would reverse a long-term trend – in 1979 more than 30% of people lived in council housing, but today that figure is just 6%. However, experts note there are major obstacles: skills shortages mean an estimated 240,000 extra construction workers would be needed, and new homes require new schools, health centres and infrastructure, all of which cost money the country may not have.
Q: What is 'Manchesterism'? 'Manchesterism' is the term Andy Burnham uses for his approach as mayor of Greater Manchester, which he now wants to apply nationwide. It involves devolving significant powers from Westminster to regional and local leaders, with the idea that decisions are better made closer to the people they affect.
Q: Will Andy Burnham nationalise industries like Attlee did? Burnham is inspired by Clement Attlee's postwar government, which nationalised 20% of the economy, but he has not detailed any specific nationalisation plans. His focus so far has been on devolution and housebuilding rather than taking private companies into public ownership.
Q: How will Number 10 North work? Number 10 North is a new prime ministerial office based in Manchester that would have specific responsibility for the council housebuilding programme. It is not just a relocation of civil servants – it would have distinct powers, though how it will coordinate with existing government departments is not yet clear. Burnham declined to take media questions after his speech, so many details remain to be filled in.
What happens next is that Burnham is expected to become prime minister in about three weeks, after the Labour leadership succession. He will then have to flesh out the details of his vision, including how Number 10 North will function, which areas will get new devolved powers, and how the housebuilding programme will be funded. There are also questions about how this will affect other political figures – Kemi Badenoch, Nigel Farage, Ed Davey and others will have to recalibrate their strategies in response to a new prime minister with a very different approach to government.