Andy Burnham will chair the inaugural meeting of a revived national economic council on Friday, handing regional mayors a leading role in UK economic policy for the first time. The prime minister, who has declared the era of Whitehall resisting devolution "over for good", described the opening of No 10 North in Manchester as "the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen".
The national economic council, first set up by Gordon Brown during the 2008 financial crash, is being revived with a mission to treat economic growth with the same urgency as a national emergency. Burnham, writing in the Guardian, said: "No one in government loses when power is shared." The council will bring together senior ministers and regional mayors, with attendees varying by agenda and potentially including business leaders and trade union representatives.
“Burnham revives Brown-era council, giving mayors key role in economic policy from new Manchester base.”
The move marks the first time a British leader will run the government on a weekly basis from Manchester, working from Heron House near Albert Square – a building that also houses GCHQ’s Manchester hub. But Burnham faces calls to prove the operation is not tokenistic, especially after he created a powerful new prime minister’s department – the Office for the Prime Minister and the Cabinet, led by ally Louise Haigh – that appears to centralise control over the economy.
Ahead of Friday's meeting, Burnham met with business groups including the Federation of Small Businesses and the Confederation of British Industry. He has also faced scrutiny over whether the northern focus will neglect other regions. Addressing concerns in Harlow, Essex, he said: "The whole purpose of No 10 North is to put more power into every postcode in the land." He told ITV Anglia that communities feeling forgotten exist "as much in the East of England and the South West as they can be found in the North of England."
Education secretary Lucy Powell and communities secretary Angela Rayner – both of whom have Greater Manchester seats – are planning to spend some of their time working from No 10 North, while No 10 Downing Street in London will continue to operate as usual. The test now is whether Burnham can turn his promise of devolution into reality without creating a new Whitehall in the north.