Andy Burnham Vows Number 10 North Devolution Plan To Raise Living Standards

Andy Burnham, the Labour MP tipped to replace Sir Keir Starmer, vowed in Manchester to “bring about the biggest rebalancing of power our country has seen” if he succeeds Starmer.

In a speech at the People’s History Museum, Burnham said he would create a “Number 10 North” to coordinate the devolution of power and resources across the UK.

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Burnham, who is described as the former UK Labour Mayor of Greater Manchester, promised a “10-year mission” to raise living standards and give local governments more control over water and other utilities.

The BBC said Burnham’s plan would include proposals to drive growth “across every nation and region of the UK” and a commitment to put devolution at the heart of his programme for government.

The BBC also reported that, if no other Labour MP puts themselves forward to be leader, Burnham is expected to become prime minister on 20 July.

Opposition leaders criticised Burnham’s speech for lacking specifics, with Kemi Badenoch saying, “He doesn't have a plan beyond telling the mayors to go and sort it out.”

The BBC said Burnham faced calls to set out his plans, confirm who he intends to appoint to his cabinet, and explain whether he will deviate from Labour's 2024 manifesto.

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A Reform UK spokesman told the BBC that the speech amounted to “a lot of words for no actual concrete changes,” adding that Burnham had taken a “leaf out of Starmer's book.”

In the same BBC coverage, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey warned Burnham had only a “very short window to turn this government around” as the country is “impatient for change.”

The ABC quoted Professor Tim Bale of Queen Mary University of London saying the speech was “missing a great deal of detail” and that it was “very much a speech giving, if you like, a sense of direction and a sense of energy rather than a spreadsheet kind of speech.”

Burnham’s pitch ties devolution to housing and fiscal constraints, with the ABC saying he promised “the biggest council house building programme since the post-war period.”

The BBC reported that Burnham signalled he will stick to the fiscal rules set out by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, including that day-to-day government costs will be paid for by tax income rather than borrowing.

The BBC also said the government is due to publish its defence investment plan (DIP) before a new prime minister succeeds Sir Keir Starmer, and that Admiral Sir Tony Radakin called on Burnham to commit to increasing defence investment to 3.5% of GDP by 2035.

In the run-up to the expected coronation, the New Arab said Burnham promised to end “the business as usual” approach to politics and described his blueprint as directed at countering the rise of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.

The BBC framed the political stakes as a test of whether Burnham can deliver change quickly, noting Sir Ed Davey’s warning that “People have heard this sort of talk before only to be badly let down because nothing changes – Burnham mustn't repeat that mistake,” as the country waits for “change.”