![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_Sir-Keir-Starmer.jpg\")
(Image: Ian Vogler \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\nGreater Manchester is bucking the trend both economically and politically, says the mayor.<\/p>\n
14:34, 20 Nov 2025Updated 14:34, 20 Nov 2025<\/p>\n
(Image: Ian Vogler \/ Daily Mirror)<\/p>\n
Greater Manchester\u2019s economy is growing faster than anywhere else in the UK because of a massive shift in local politics, says Andy Burnham<\/a>. The Greater Manchester mayor took aim at Westminster\u2019s \u2018dysfunctional\u2019 culture, claiming that Greater Manchester has become \u2018more functional\u2019 in the last decade, while national politics has gotten worse.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Mayoral Hotseat on BBC<\/a> Radio Manchester this morning, Mr Burnham swatted away renewed suggestions that he might challenge Sir Keir Starmer for his role as Prime Minister<\/a>, stating he was \u2018focussing on his role as mayor\u2019.<\/p>\n He was then asked what he made of how the government is currently being led, following mounting criticism of the Labour<\/a> cabinet in recent weeks, and made it clear he believed Greater Manchester is in a league of its own<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mr Burnham said: \u201cIt\u2019s that culture thing. When I think back to when I was a minister in Tony Blair\u2019s government or cabinet with Gordon Brown, you were constantly undermined with these sort-of behind the [back] briefings to what was called the lobby, the newspapers in the Westminster culture.<\/p>\n \u201cThat is their problem. People can\u2019t do their jobs without being undermined. Greater Manchester has built a new economy because we\u2019ve built a new politics.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t see everyone arguing in the pages of the M.E.N. every week. There used to be a bit more of that, five or 10 years ago, but we don\u2019t have that now.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a new generation of leaders across our 10 boroughs, and I praise all of them, because they are all focussed on the job of moving GM forward.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a really serious point here about the political culture of Greater Manchester versus the political culture in Westminster. I would argue confidently that Greater Manchester has become more functional in the last decade as the country has become more dysfunctional in the last decade and that political culture is a big part of that.\u201d<\/p>\n The mayor\u2019s comments came as statistics revealed Greater Manchester\u2019s economy has grown at almost double the rate compared to London and the rest of the UK. The city region has been growing at a rate of 3.1pc, compared to 1.3pc nationally.<\/p>\n![\"'There\u2019s](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_Labour-leadership.jpg\")
‘There\u2019s a really serious point here about the political culture of Greater Manchester versus the political culture in Westminster'(Image: PA)<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0_MFR_MEN_201125Skyline_01.jpg\")
A new scheme will share the growth out across Greater Manchester. (Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n