Britain\u2019s outgoing prime minister, Keir Starmer, was repeatedly criticized for lacking a clear political narrative.<\/p>\n
Andy Burnham<\/a>, the popular former mayor of Greater Manchester and the lead contender to succeed Mr. Starmer, appears determined not to make the same mistake.<\/p>\n On Monday morning in Manchester, Mr. Burnham gave his first policy speech outlining his plan for government and underscored his promise to \u201cdo things differently\u201d if he becomes prime minister.<\/p>\n Speaking in the People\u2019s History Museum, which is dedicated to democracy and workers\u2019 rights, Mr. Burnham pledged to raise living standards, shift power from London to other cities and even create a branch of the prime minister\u2019s official office in Manchester.<\/p>\n The national government \u201chasn\u2019t been working for people, and it hasn\u2019t been working for a very long time,\u201d Mr. Burnham said. \u201cIn fact, it is broken.\u201d<\/p>\n But in an upbeat speech peppered with jokes and broad smiles, he was careful not to linger on the negatives. \u201cI am going to give Britain the circuit breaker it needs,\u201d he said, by focusing more on collaboration with local leaders. <\/p>\n He described Britain as \u201cone of the most over-centralized countries in the world\u201d and promised the \u201cbiggest rebalancing of power our country has ever seen\u201d \u2014 a bold claim given that, less than three decades ago, Britain transferred some significant responsibilities from London to politicians in Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n Mr. Burnham spent nine years as mayor before being elected to Parliament this month. So far, no other candidate has declared for the race to succeed Mr. Starmer and, with the prospect that Mr. Burnham could enter Downing Street in three weeks, his words are being watched closely.<\/p>\n On Monday he called for a 10-year mission to raise living standards through re-industrialization, a big program of new housing projects, changes to the welfare system and greater state control over some main utilities.<\/p>\n Decision-making should be put in the hands of regions and local communities, Mr. Burnham said, promising \u201cgood growth\u201d in every postal code of the country and \u201chope in every heart,\u201d and concluding: \u201cImagine no more. Let\u2019s make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n Reaching back into history, Mr. Burnham referenced the Peterloo massacre \u2014 a bloody confrontation in 19th-century Manchester, when protesters demanding democratic rights were brutally suppressed by the authorities \u2014 as well as his own experience as a civic leader in the northwest of England.<\/p>\n