UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham launches Manchester-based Number 10 North amid devolution debate
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Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced a new office in Manchester to host parts of the Treasury and housing ministries, while Scottish and Welsh leaders questioned the plan’s funding and political implications.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced on his fourth day in office that a portion of the UK government’s functions will be relocated to Manchester, creating a "Number 10 North" office. The interim headquarters will operate from Heron House in the New Islington district and will be overseen by Cabinet Secretary Dame Antonia Romeo, with Caroline Simpson named as Burnham’s deputy chief of staff. Burnham said he expects to work from Manchester at least one day a week and described the site as the "nerve centre of a rewired Britain," rejecting claims that it is merely symbolic.
The move was outlined in a ministerial statement confirmed by Baroness Smith of Basildon, Leader of the House of Lords. It transfers certain devolution and local-growth responsibilities from the housing ministry and Treasury to the new Manchester office, but no additional taxpayer cost has been identified.
Analysts noted that while the institutional framework is being established, fiscal devolution—transfer of spending and tax-raising powers—has not yet been delivered. Mirte Boot of the Institute for Public Policy Research said the arrangement "establishes the plumbing, but the water isn’t flowing yet," and highlighted the need for strong political leadership beyond the prime minister. Jonathan Carr-West of the Local Government Information Unit called the agenda "the most ambitious statement" from a senior politician in a generation, but warned that many English councils lack the financial capacity to realise it. Malcolm Morgan, a transport researcher at the University of Leeds, emphasized that genuine devolution requires spending, taxation and regulatory authority, not just relocation of staff.
In meetings with Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney and Wales’ First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth in Glasgow, Burnham emphasized growth "in every postcode across the whole of the UK" but declined to discuss a second Scottish independence referendum. Swinney responded that rhetoric alone would not suffice and reiterated his party’s mandate for self-determination, while Iorwerth warned that the new office should not become "Whitehall with a different postcode" and called for reforms to Wales’ funding arrangements.
Political commentator Nigel Farage warned that having two Number 10 offices could lead to inter-regional conflict. Local residents expressed mixed views: some questioned the funding and longevity of the initiative, while others expressed optimism about potential economic benefits for Greater Manchester.