Andy Burnham could be in Downing Street by 20 July, just weeks after returning to Parliament, after Sir Keir Starmer stepped down and the former Greater Manchester mayor became the only Labour MP standing to replace him. In his first speech since launching his leadership bid on 29 June in Manchester, Burnham promised the biggest-ever “rebalancing of power” away from Whitehall, branding the UK one of the “most over-centralised countries in the world”. He said this would be achieved by handing a new No 10 unit based in Manchester the task of giving English regions more control in areas including housing and transport, and by extending existing devolution settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The unit, borrowing from the German constitution, would promote “equivalent living conditions” across Britain, while government departments would support local councils and regional strategic authorities with “staffing and resources”.
Burnham also wants to enable all parts of the UK to take “greater public control” of water and energy sectors, with ten-year plans to reduce costs. He pointed to Greater Manchester’s bus network, where private operators bid on a franchise basis and local authorities control fares and routes, but has not spelled out what an equivalent model would mean in practice. He has been at pains to say his plans do not necessarily mean full nationalisation, though one area where he has advocated direct public ownership is Thames Water – a move already on the cards after the government objected to a proposed rescue deal for the debt-laden company in June. He has also promised the biggest council house building programme.
“Andy Burnham is on course to become UK PM by 20 July, promising a massive rebalancing of power from Whitehall.”
But even as Burnham prepares to shift power northwards, the pressures of the global stage are already mounting. He believes Starmer spent too much time abroad and intends to adopt a lower international profile, but Starmer has suggested that may prove difficult given the intertwined nature of domestic and foreign affairs. National security remains a prime minister’s first job, and the first internal battle will be over whether Burnham attends the UN General Assembly in New York in September, which clashes with Labour Party Conference. Next comes the UN Climate Change Cop summit in Turkey in November, raising the question: “Can we afford to cede the ground to the Greens or Lib Dems on climate?” His team will also press for a visit to Ukraine before Christmas, lest the UK lose a leadership role built over previous years. With a diary already stretched between Manchester, Westminster and the international circuit, the new prime minister will find his promise to stay close to home tested from day one.
