"True to the motto of this city, I am going to do things differently," Andy Burnham declared in Manchester, referencing the film *24 Hour Party People*. The departing Greater Manchester mayor’s speech laid out what he calls a different way of seeing and running the UK — a diagnosis of economic malaise rooted in his own experiences running the city and his time in Cabinet.
At its heart, Burnham’s critique targets an “unresponsive British state, adept at arguing with itself, rather than achieving real change and rebuilding the country.” His solutions were ambitious but mostly general: taking power from the centre and giving it to regions and cities, as occurs routinely in other advanced countries.
“Andy Burnham’s speech offered a new vision for the UK but left many questions about detail unanswered.”
He recounted a story from two decades ago, when as chief secretary to the Treasury he wanted to build a northern equivalent to London’s Crossrail but was told it would not pass the Treasury cost benefit equation. The speech was not a detailed plan for the economy — no assessments of tax, spend, investment, infrastructure, or strategies for trade, AI and Europe. That may be because this is still officially a Labour leadership campaign, and Burnham appears to be keeping as much powder dry as possible on precise trade-offs.
There was general policy direction on changes to business rates, housebuilding, technical education, and infrastructure, delivered in an upbeat, optimistic tone. On spending and borrowing, Burnham confirmed he will stick to existing borrowing rules and backed the Milburn Review into young people’s employment outcomes, which could lead to welfare savings. These are two parts of what has been described as a broad five-part plan, alongside devolution, industrial policy, and quicker help on the cost of living.
But questions remain. Some changes will surely require extra spending, and devolution of decision-making might mean diverting capital spending from the south east to northern powerhouse rail. In Europe, this agenda normally means extra borrowing powers for regions to invest in infrastructure — can that be squared with keeping to existing borrowing rules? And is Burnham fully backing potential tough policy choices on welfare? The answers may or may not come in the next three weeks.