Labour leader Burnham proposes regional devolution with new 'No 10 North' in Manchester

Andy Burnham, the Labour Party deputy leader, used a speech in Manchester to detail a proposal for greater devolution of powers from Westminster to regional authorities. He said a new "No 10 North" unit based in Manchester would act as a central hub for delivering public control over housing, transport, water and energy, and would serve as the "nerve centre of a rewired Britain."

Burnham pledged to launch the largest council-house building programme since the post-war era, promote higher-density development on vacant public land, and reform business rates to support high streets and pubs. He also announced a reformed education budget aimed at aligning skills training with future job markets, and promised to give regional mayors more authority over employment support schemes and mental-health services for workers.

The plan includes a commitment to reduce welfare spending in a "fair and lasting" way, increase opportunities for British firms in government contracts, and restore "sovereign manufacturing" in sectors such as steel, defence, energy and farming. Burnham said these measures would be financed within existing fiscal rules and would not risk public finances.

Labour devolution specialist Akash Paun of the Institute for Government welcomed the "direction of travel" but said detailed implementation plans were still needed, asking whether new mayoralties and strategic authorities would be created across the country. Conservative mayor Paul Bristow expressed concern that the proposal focused heavily on the north and called for attention to other regions, including the East of England, which he described as a net contributor to the economy.

Burnham concluded by urging a "10-year mission" to raise living standards in every postcode and to shift the culture of Whitehall away from adversarial competition with the Treasury.