Andy Burnham Pledges Good Growth In Every Postcode With UK Devolution Plan

Andy Burnham is set to pledge “good growth in every postcode” as he makes his case for a decade as UK prime minister, arguing for decision-making to be devolved to regions and communities to drive economic growth locally.

The Guardian says Burnham will deliver his speech in Manchester on Monday and is expected to explain how he would “give Britain the circuit-breaker it needs” when he makes it to Downing Street.

Al Jazeera

The plan is framed as a replacement for the “current top-down national model,” with Burnham considering handing local authorities powers over taxes including business rates after Rachel Reeves acknowledged she had “unfinished business” on fiscal devolution.

Eden Magnet adds that Burnham will use Monday’s speech to make devolving power to regions and local communities his flagship proposal, and that he will commit to a 10-year mission to raise living standards through reindustrialisation, housing, infrastructure and reform of utilities.

Internazionale reports that Burnham will outline his vision on Monday with power moving from London to the regions, and that he could be installed in Downing Street within weeks after Keir Starmer announced he would step down last week.

As Burnham prepares for the speech, The Guardian reports that Labour MPs are watching closely for any hint of whom he might pick as his chancellor, with Ed Miliband still thought to be the frontrunner and other names in the frame.

Lucy Powell, Labour’s deputy leader and a close Burnham ally, is quoted by The Guardian suggesting that Miliband would be “good” at running the Treasury while saying such conjecture was “distracting” from getting on with running the country.

Anadolu Ajansı

Internazionale adds that Housing minister Steve Reed said on Sunday Burnham would stick to Labour’s commitments made before the 2024 election and also to the government’s fiscal rules, including balancing day-to-day spending with tax revenues and reducing debt as a share of output.

Reed is quoted by Internazionale saying, “When it comes to the fundamentals, Andy has been clear he will stick to the fiscal rules that have delivered this country stability in the economy for the first time in over 15 years,” and the article frames fiscal pressures as limiting the scope for radical spending changes.

City AM reports that the big question remains who will be Chancellor, and it lists potential candidates including Wes Streeting, Pat McFadden and Yvette Cooper while noting that Sharon Graham and economists in London have warned against Miliband’s appointment.

BBC Wales coverage focuses on where Burnham’s “rewire the country” approach would leave Wales and Welsh devolution, quoting Labour peer Lord Brennan of Canton saying Burnham believes the best way to tackle difficult problems is to devolve power rather than hold it at the centre.

Brennan is quoted by the BBC saying, “He genuinely believes the best way to tackle some of the most difficult problems we have is to devolve power rather than hold it at the centre,” and the article describes criticism from Welsh Labour colleagues in Cardiff for resisting calls to devolve more powers including over policing and justice.

BBC reports that Burnham appears to have U-turned on replacing the funding formula used to determine how much money devolved nations get from Westminster, and it says a Burnham spokesperson told BBC Wales he would “put Wales at the centre of any government he runs” but had no plans to reform the funding formula.

The BBC quotes Dr Ed Poole from Cardiff University saying that leaders have wanted to reform the Barnett formula but it has been “put on the back burner the closer a leader gets to Number 10,” and it warns that scrapping it overnight would take “many billions of pounds out of the Scottish budget.”

The BBC also records a response from Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Welsh first minister, who said, “What I want from Andy Burnham, if he becomes Prime Minister, is an understanding of devolution and the context in which I lead Wales,” adding that he has offered a constructive relationship with Burnham as he did with Keir Starmer.