MANCHESTER, England (AP) \u2014 Britain has a new hub of power: a bland modern office block about 165 miles (260 kilometers) from the prime minister\u2019s official London office and residence at 10 Downing St. <\/p>\n
The Manchester low-rise is home to \u201cNo. 10 North,\u201d the flagship of new Prime Minister Andy Burnham\u2019s pledge to be a different kind of U.K. leader<\/a>. Burnham<\/a> was mayor of Greater Manchester before vaulting back into national politics<\/a>, and one of his first acts was to set up a branch office in the city. It\u2019s both symbol of and engine for his pledge to give local leaders more powers<\/a> and spread economic growth around the country.<\/p>\n Burnham calls it \u201ca North Pole that balances the South Pole\u201d of Westminster politics in London. Critics have called it a gimmick.<\/p>\n It\u2019s certainly a novelty. While past British leaders have spent weekends in their local constituencies, or at the prime minister\u2019s official Chequers country retreat, none in living memory has had a large-scale office outside London. Burnham plans to work there at least one day a week, alongside a full-time staff of aides, experts and civil servants.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not another office,\u201d Burnham said Friday. \u201cIt is a fundamental change to the way the country thinks about growth and investment.\u201d<\/p>\n The king of the north goes nationwide<\/p>\n Burnham believes Manchester holds the key to avoiding the fate of Keir Starmer,<\/a> his predecessor as Labour Party leader and prime minister.<\/p>\n Starmer stepped down in July<\/a> after two years in office, following missteps,<\/a> policy U-turns and his failure to get Britain\u2019s sluggish economy<\/a> growing.<\/p>\n During nine years as Manchester mayor, Burnham was praised standing up to central government on behalf of a proud, battle-scarred northern city that gave birth to the Industrial Revolution, movements for social change and a dynamic music scene. He gained the nickname King of the North for his championing of the city \u2014 and his political ambition.<\/p>\n Burnham promoted what has been called \u201cManchesterism,\u201d a form of business-friendly socialism that involves harnessing private investment for major projects and decentralizing government to give communities more control over housing, transport, training and public services.<\/p>\n The city center boomed during his mayoralty. Skyscrapers sprouted from vacant lots, service industries grew, a thousand coffee shops bloomed and a municipally run network of bright yellow buses and trams crisscrossed the city.<\/p>\n Now Burnham wants to replicate the approach across the country, using No. 10 North as the engine room for redistributing wealth and economic opportunities to areas blighted by shuttered industries, lost jobs and an exodus of young people.<\/p>\n In a first step, Burnham announced Friday that mayors will get to keep a greater share of income and business tax revenue from their areas, calling it the \u201cbiggest transfer of power, funding and responsibility from Westminster in a generation.\u201d <\/p>\n