Andy Burnham is on the cusp of becoming the next prime minister later this month, and his radical plans to shift power from Whitehall to local leaders have been described by a cabinet minister as a 'clear warning' to the civil service. Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, said at the Remaking the State conference in London on Wednesday that government departments could 'shrink' under Burnham's premiership. Jones backed the devolution proposals set out by Burnham earlier this week, insisting 'Westminster must trust local leaders to make the right decisions'.
Burnham, the former Greater Manchester mayor and the man widely expected to succeed Sir Keir Starmer on July 20, launched his Labour leadership bid on Monday with a pledge to establish a 'No 10 North' in Manchester and devolve power to mayors and local leaders. 'It is time for Whitehall to accept that growth cannot be ordered from the top down – it can only be nurtured from the bottom up,' Burnham said.
“Cabinet minister warns Whitehall could shrink as Burnham's devolution plans gain support from Jones and Rayner.”
Angela Rayner, the former deputy prime minister and a likely member of Burnham's cabinet, endorsed the vision in a speech at the New Economics Foundation on Wednesday evening. She warned Labour will not defeat Nigel Farage with 'caution' and called for bold action to take on Reform UK. 'We have too often left the impression that we found ourselves defending the status quo rather than challenging it,' she said, adding that the party must tackle the 'rigged' system rather than tinkering at the edges. She also called for 'real devolution' – 'not the begging-bowl culture of the past, where regional politicians came to Whitehall with their caps in hand'.
Rayner, who is tipped to return as housing secretary, echoed Burnham's call to 'rewire England' by devolving power and money to town halls. Speaking at the London School of Economics, she argued that if councils cannot fix potholes, they have no hope of delivering major regeneration schemes.
Burnham's plans also draw inspiration from Clement Attlee's postwar government, which nationalised 20% of the economy by 1951. In a speech on Monday, Burnham said state ownership forms part of the solution to Britain's economic woes – a vision that the Guardian notes echoes Attlee's commitment to taking over 'the commanding heights of the economy'.
Jones, while praising Burnham's devolution push, also urged his future boss to 'strengthen the centre' by creating a dedicated department for the prime minister in London. 'I just say to Whitehall with the direction the political winds are blowing, I think this is a clear warning,' Jones said. 'Devolution must mean devolution, not duplication.'
For now, the question is whether Burnham can deliver on his promise to fundamentally rewire the British state – and whether that will be enough to counter the rising threat of Farage's Reform UK.