{"id":1056606,"date":"2026-06-29T02:26:28","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T02:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1056606\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T02:26:28","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T02:26:28","slug":"burnhams-revolution-whitehall-power-to-be-radically-shifted-under-new-vision-for-britain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1056606\/","title":{"rendered":"Burnham’s Revolution: Whitehall power to be radically shifted under new vision for Britain"},"content":{"rendered":"

Andy Burnham will set out a radical plan to shift decision-making power away from Whitehall in what he will argue is the biggest transfer of power to England\u2019s regions in modern times, as he calls for a fundamental reset in how Britain is governed.<\/p>\n

In a speech at the People\u2019s History Museum in Manchester on Monday, Mr Burnham is expected to say the country must move away from a centralised, top-down model and towards \u201cgood growth in every postcode\u201d, with local leaders given far greater control over economic development, investment and public services.<\/p>\n

Mr Burnham will also set out how he will \u201cgive Britain the circuit-breaker it needs\u201d, outlining a 10-year plan to raise living standards through reindustrialisation, housing, infrastructure and a reform of essential utilities.<\/p>\n

Click here for our dedicated election newsletter<\/a> with exclusive interviews and analysis<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Burnham looks on as Leader of Manchester City Council, Bev Craig, is presented as Labour\u2019s candidate for Greater Manchester Mayor(Image: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The proposals are yet another signal from Burnham that if he becomes PM he plans to shift more power away from Westminster, to \u201clift Britain back up to where it should be\u201d.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, the Manchester Evening News reported on his plans to create a \u201cNo 10 in the North\u201d. One location option, in the interim, could be the new \u2018Manchester Digital Campus\u2019 at the home of the former Toys \u2018R\u2019 Us retail store in Ancoats.<\/p>\n

In March, Chancellor Rachel Reeves gave the green light for the site which will see 8,800 civil servants be based there, which has been dubbed the \u2018Whitehall of the North\u2019.<\/p>\n

An estimated 4,900 jobs will be created during construction of the \u2018Digital Campus\u2019. Those inside will work for various government departments with a focus on digital work.<\/p>\n

In a move away from a centralised, top-down model, the speech will also set out a vision of \u2018good growth in every postcode\u2019, giving local leaders (such as mayors) the power and money to make their own decisions.<\/p>\n

The former mayor of Greater Manchester will also call for a new political culture focused on \u201cplace before party, problem-solving before point-scoring and long-term thinking over short-term politics\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

How the new offices set for the old Central Retail Park will look(Image: AtkinsRealis for Government Property Agency via planning portal)<\/p>\n

He will explain his motivation for standing for the job of PM is to \u2018change politics to make it work for us\u2019, and suggest that his generation of politicians – including himself – must take responsibility for the loss of public trust in politics.<\/p>\n

The Manchester Evening News also understands that Burnham will pledge to reform how government contracts are awarded, to support more UK jobs and industry, in order to get more apprenticeships and work placements in return.<\/p>\n

The speech will further set out a vision for major reform to the education system for young people, so that it is no longer overtly focused on the university route. This could be a reference to his flagship Greater Manchester Baccalaureate (MBacc). Introduced in the 2024-25 academic year, the MBacc offers pathways into employment through technical education for young people in the region.<\/p>\n

Burnham’s education shake-up comes in response to a report by former health<\/a> secretary Alan Milburn, who warned a \u201cwhole system failure\u201d has led nearly one in seven of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds to become NEETs \u2013 meaning they are not in employment, education or training.<\/p>\n

In his report in May, Milburn stated that lack of work experience is \u201cthe single most-cited barrier to work amongst young people\u201d.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Former health secretary Alan Milburn(Image: Jeff Moore\/PA Wire)<\/p>\n

Welcoming Burnham’s proposals this weekend was Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.<\/p>\n

On Saturday night he told the Manchester Evening News that Burnham\u2019s proposals could be \u201cthe key to solving the UKs perilous public finances which are bad today, but over coming decades could get a lot worse\u201d.<\/p>\n

He added: \u201cHaving worked with Andy for many years I have confidence that with a strong group of economic advisors and wider No 10 operation in part based in Manchester, that he can through devolution and the deployment of public and private investment deliver ongoing reductions in the cost of out of work benefits and ill health linked to poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, he suggested, would increase regional financial independence, and reduce the need for financial subsidies from London and the South East.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Henri Murison, Chief Executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership.(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Allowing Greater Manchester and other key regions like the Humber to keep more of the additional taxes generated \u201cwill be game changing\u201d, he said, adding: \u201cIt is smart economics and, in the end, of benefit to the whole country, if we can collectively continue to afford world class schools, colleges and universities alongside health care free at the point of use alongside a new National Care Service.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese national universal entitlements are only sustainable fiscally if the North is given the backing to generate more taxes for its own needs, and the country, going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nominations for the Labour<\/a> leadership close on July 16. If Andy Burnham<\/a> is the only candidate he will be formally declared the Labour<\/a> leader the following day, and Prime Minister on July 20.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Andy Burnham will set out a radical plan to shift decision-making power away from Whitehall in what he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1056607,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8813],"tags":[131227,148775,748,393,4884,288539,2465,105541,16,15],"class_list":["post-1056606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manchester","tag-andy-burnham-mp","tag-ashton-in-makerfield","tag-britain","tag-england","tag-great-britain","tag-greater-manchester-mayoral-election-2026","tag-manchester","tag-peoples-history-museum","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116831033276131131","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1056606"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1056606\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1056607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1056606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1056606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1056606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}