Andy Burnham was made Prime Minister of the United Kingdom today. <\/p>\n
Styled as \u2018King of the North\u2019 for his successes as Mayor of Greater Manchester between 2017 and 2026, Burnham\u2019s oversight of the region – which has been dubbed \u2018Manchesterism\u2019 – saw it become the fastest growing place in the UK. Now it is up to him to recreate the regional success of Greater Manchester on a national scale. <\/p>\n
As the eyes of the media continue to analyse the region, many questions remain: what actually is the Manchester model of growth? Who is Andy Burnham, really? What is behind his widespread popularity in the North of England and in Westminster? And, perhaps most importantly, can he pull it off again, and reinvigorate Britain? <\/p>\n
From early whispers to entering Downing Street, The University of Manchester has been providing expert commentary to local, national and international audiences throughout his ascendency. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a round-up:<\/p>\n
The Productivity Institute<\/a> has covered the new PM extensively: Andy Westwood\u2019s research told us what the data on Manchester’s success story really shows Philip McCann and Raquel Ortega-Argil\u00e9s looked at how Greater Manchester\u2019s success demonstrates how devolved governance, long-term institutional collaboration and strategic planning can help overcome the UK\u2019s regional productivity challenges and a paper by Jun Du, Xiaocan Yuan and Diane Coyle, about Manchester’s ability to attract and channel foreign direct investment into productive uses. <\/p>\n President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Duncan Ivison gave an interview to CBC<\/a>, about the new Prime Minister. Duncan recalls his first chat with Burnham after taking his PVC office, and says that Burnham leant into the city\u2019s collaborative infrastructure as Mayor. Duncan said that \u201cIf Andy Burnham becomes prime minister, you\u2019re going to see someone who can connect with people in that sort of grassroots way.\u201d<\/p>\n Duncan spoke to Times Higher Education<\/a>, in an article about what Burnham will want from UK universities if he was to become PM. Duncan told THE that he believes Burnham will want to \u201creimagine the British state\u201d.<\/p>\n Professor Rob Ford appeared in a BBC<\/a> article on whether Burnham\u2019s \u2018casual style\u2019 will be suitable for Downing Street. Prof Ford writes that male politicians have it easier than their female counterparts, as they can always fall back on the ubiquity of the suit.<\/p>\n Prof Ford also commented in Politics Home<\/a>, about the revision of the Green Party strategy under Burnham\u2019s leadership – he suggested that Green Party voters will be swept up by Labour if they can deal with earlier disillusionment.<\/p>\n Professor Charlotte Wildman discussed Burnham\u2019s popularity with working class voters in the North with NPR<\/a>, exploring his advocacy for victims of the Hillsborough disasters.<\/p>\n Professor Julie Froud appeared in The Guardian<\/a>, discussing Burnham\u2019s vision of a council housing boom. Prof Froud stated that private sector developers present local councils with several obstacles to such a vision. <\/p>\n Prof Phil McCann spoke to Sky News<\/a> about the transformation of Greater Manchester under Burnham\u2019s leadership, the limitations of the role of mayor and what further changes to the devolution settlement he may introduce as PM.<\/p>\n After Burnham became an expert at using his regional identity as a political tool, Dr Tim Oliver wrote a piece for The Times<\/a> asking whether Burnham will have appeal beyond Greater Manchester once he becomes PM.<\/p>\n Dr Oliver also spoke to Sweden\u2019s Sveriges Radio about what kind of Prime Minister Burnham might make, his popularity in Greater Manchester and his hopes for turning Labour\u2019s fortunes around.<\/p>\n Dr Nicole Martin appeared on ITV Granada Reports to talk about Burnham\u2019s potential plans for government, his legacy as Greater Manchester mayor and the upcoming byelection.<\/p>\n Dr Jack Newman spoke to Hits Radio Manchester about Burnham\u2019s plans to devolve power away from Westminster via the opening of \u2018Number 10 North\u2019, and what this could mean for Manchester.<\/p>\n Our researchers have also been writing for The Conversation:<\/p>\n