Burnham sets out public control agenda in bid for leadership

Andy Burnham, the Greater Manchester mayor, has set out an agenda of public control over water companies, the national energy grid and government procurement regulation as he presses his case to become Prime Minister. Reports on Saturday indicated that Burnham, who is standing as Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield by-election, would push for the sweeping transfers of ownership and oversight ahead of a likely bid to become the party’s leader. The by-election, scheduled for Thursday, is seen as a crucial testing ground for the mayor’s national ambitions. Burnham’s plan would wrest control of Thames Water and other utilities from private hands, bring the energy grid under public stewardship and tighten government procurement rules. The announcement marks an explicit move to the left on economic policy, positioning Burnham as a champion of state intervention. With the by-election campaign entering its final days, voters in Makerfield will be the first to judge whether his message of public control resonates beyond Manchester.