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![\"Andy](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/britain\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Andy-Burnham-downing-st-e1784716074966.jpg\")
\t\tAndy Burnham delivers his inaugural speech as UK’s new Prime Minister on on July 20, 2026 in London, England. The Member of Parliament for Makerfield becomes the UK’s 59th Prime Minister, succeeding Sir Keir Starmer, who resigned as leader of the Labour Party and Prime Minister in June. (Photo by Dan Kitwood\/Getty Images)\t<\/p>\n
The ascendancy of the \u2018King of the North\u2019 has spooked London. James Ford outlines that this can easily be fixed by greenlighting the West London Orbital Railway<\/p>\n
London is anxious. The new Prime Minister is not just something of an unknown quantity, but \u2013 worse still \u2013 he is (whisper it quietly) Northern. Now, we\u2019ve had Prime Ministers from the North before. Rishi Sunak had a constituency in Yorkshire. And Tony Blair had a constituency in the northeast. But Sunak was born in Southampton and Blair was technically Scottish. Neither were \u2018proper Northerners\u2019 or had that most obvious giveaway of their otherness: a regional accent. Before Blair, you\u2019d have to go back as far as Harold Wilson (who left office 50 years ago) to find a Prime Minister who represented a constituency in the North-west and flattened his vowels.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This could suggest that \u2018proper Northerners\u2019 have been historically underrepresented amongst our political leaders and are, arguably, overdue a turn in the top job. But many in the capital do not see it that way. A quick glance at some recent headlines shows that London is scared. Very scared. The Evening Standard has predictably led the charge: \u201cLondoners face \u00a31,000 property tax rise<\/a>\u201d, \u201cAndy Burnham-backed \u00a37.5bn homes tax on London<\/a>\u201d and \u201cWill Andy Burnham spark an exodus of London\u2019s middle classes?<\/a>\u201d are all articles that have run in London\u2019s other newspaper. The barbarians, it seems, are at the gate. One cabinet minister had to reassure southern voters, via the BBC, that \u201cBurnham won\u2019t ignore the South\u201d. Even our freshly ennobled mayor has warned that harming London would be harming the wider UK too<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Well, I have a solution to this particular political problem. One simple and relatively affordable policy change that will turn the capital\u2019s frowns and fears into confidence and calm. A single piece of infrastructure that will buy the Prime Minister more goodwill \u2013 and good headlines \u2013 than knocking a few quid off of electric bills (a gimmick with an estimated cost of \u00a3850m<\/a>).\u00a0<\/p>\n Burnham should build the West London Orbital railway.\u00a0<\/p>\n \t\tCheap, quick and impactful<\/p>\n The West London Orbital<\/a> (WLO) is a proposed expansion of the London Overground network from West Hampstead and Hendon to Hounslow. It largely repurposes old freight lines in West London (with the addition of four new stations) and would connect multiple rail, tube and Overground lines (the Bakerloo line, Elizabeth line, Jubilee line, Mildmay line, Piccadilly line, plus HS2 and Thameslink) with around 18.5km of track (most of which already exists). The project would also unlock around 15,800 new homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n WLO will create around twice as many jobs as the proposed extension of the DLR to Thamesmead yet costs about a third as much<\/p>\n WLO will create around twice as many jobs as the proposed extension of the DLR to Thamesmead yet costs about a third as much. By transport infrastructure standards, WLO is pretty cheap (just \u00a3610m in 2021 prices<\/a>). That is a lot less than the \u00a38.2bn price tag for the Bakerloo line extension and just a fraction of the \u00a340bn plus cost of Crossrail 2. Construction of this game-changing project would be just three or four years on current estimates, so it\u2019s possible that Andy Burnham could still be Prime Minister when it opens. Cheap, quick and impactful \u2013 as transformational transport projects go, WLO is pretty much perfect.<\/p>\n