ndy Burnham has pledged to shift power away from Whitehall by creating a new Manchester-based Downing Street unit, dubbed "No 10 North", as he outlined his vision in his first major speech since launching his bid to become Britain's next prime minister.
Addressing supporters at Manchester's People's History Museum, Burnham said the new team would oversee what he described as the largest redistribution of power in the country's history. He argued that devolving authority to local communities would help deliver economic growth across every part of the UK.
The speech marked Burnham's first major policy address since announcing his leadership campaign after being elected MP for Makerfield. He is currently the only Labour MP to declare a candidacy and could become prime minister as early as 20 July if no challenger emerges.
Devolution at the heart of proposals
Burnham said decision-making had been held back by central government and insisted that economic growth could not be directed from Whitehall alone.
He proposed giving regions greater control over services including water, energy and transport, while suggesting London should gain more authority over education and housing. He also called for further devolution within Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, arguing that people in cities such as Dundee and Bangor often felt as distant from their devolved governments as they did from Westminster.
According to Burnham, the proposed No 10 North unit would coordinate reforms focused on essential utilities, industrial renewal and regional regeneration.
Although he did not provide detailed policy plans, he said devolving power would act as a "circuit-breaker" for Britain and help spread economic opportunity more evenly across the country.
Housing, welfare and education reforms
Alongside his devolution plans, Burnham promised the largest council house building programme since the years following the Second World War.
He also pledged a "complete rethink" of education, arguing that schools should no longer be primarily geared towards university education. Instead, he said greater emphasis should be placed on technical and vocational training.
On welfare, Burnham said he was prepared to reduce spending but insisted any reforms would be "fair and lasting". He proposed expanding mental health support for young people receiving employment assistance and suggested that employment services should be devolved to regional mayors and delivered more through trusted community organisations.
He also repeated his proposal to reform business rates to support pubs and high street businesses, while promising to maintain sound public finances and pursue a 10-year strategy aimed at raising living standards.
Burnham declined to discuss potential cabinet appointments, including the position of chancellor, saying decisions would be made only after the Labour leadership contest concludes. He also confirmed that transition discussions with the civil service would begin this week following authorisation from outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Opposition questions proposals
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch criticised Burnham's emphasis on devolution, arguing it reflected a lack of national solutions rather than a clear governing strategy. She said politicians too often shifted responsibility without providing local authorities with sufficient powers.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey welcomed Burnham's focus on growth but warned that previous promises of regional renewal had failed to deliver lasting change. He urged Burnham to reconsider Labour's stance on relations with Europe and support rejoining the single market.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said devolution could be effective but questioned whether creating separate centres of political power in northern and southern England would lead to conflict rather than cooperation.
Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski argued that greater powers for local authorities would have limited value without increased funding, while the SNP's Westminster leader Dave Doogan said the proposals offered little that would significantly benefit Scotland.
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Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 30 June 2026