Burnham sets out plans to devolve power to regions with new 'No 10 North' in Manchester

Key Points:

• Andy Burnham, Labour's deputy leader, unveiled plans for "No 10 North," a major government unit based in Manchester aimed at devolving power and resources to regions, focusing on housing, transport, utilities, and employment support to drive economic growth and regeneration outside Westminster.
• Burnham emphasized reforming education to better align skills development with future job markets, promising a shift away from a university-centric system toward more diverse pathways, including apprenticeships and reindustrialization efforts.
• The speech highlighted intentions to reform business rates to support high streets, promote council house building on public land, and restore sovereign manufacturing capabilities by prioritizing British firms in public contracts.
• Analysts and think tanks welcomed Burnham's vision for decentralization and "Manchesterism," which seeks to replicate Greater Manchester's growth model nationwide, but noted significant questions remain about implementation, scale, and applicability beyond major cities.
• Burnham pledged fiscal responsibility by adhering to current public finance rules while promising a streamlined government focused on growth, ending adversarial Whitehall culture, and fostering collaboration between central and local authorities to raise living standards across all UK regions.